Compare.Contrast.

All characters and stories can be compared and contrasted with one another. Some of the things can be plainly manifest themselves, such as the fact that one character is a human, while the other is a dog. Other comparisons go beyond obvious physical or external characteristics, and dig deeper into the idiosyncrasies and essences of their minds.
Some of the similarities between Harrison Bergeron from “Harrison Bergeron” and the Lawyer from “The Bet” are quite apparent. They both have an intense detestation of society. They both have given up on the way things are supposed to be and think they have found better ways for things to be. Harrison’s loathing is clear from the beginning. He knows he’s the best and wants to be treated as such. He understands that what the government is doing is wrong and that people shouldn’t just accept it. The lawyer, on the other hand, doesn’t come out with his abhorrence until the end of the story. After fifteen years of reading books and contemplating life, he finally figures out that he is dissatisfied with the way things work. He comes to a deeper understanding of humanity, and decides to freely give it up.
While the Lawyer just sits with his decision quietly, Harrison does something about it. The Lawyer simply gives up on society and we don’t know quite what happens to him in the end. When it comes to Harrison Bergeron, however, there is uproar. He storms into a quiet television station and throws off all the hindrances the government forces upon people to make them “equal”. He tries to persuade other people to do the same, and finally the band begins playing music, and he chooses and empress from a group of ballerinas, because he thinks he deserves to rule the world. Then he publicly tries to overthrow the leader of the government. As I said, the Lawyer is quieter about his distaste for society.
I also believe that their apparent hatred for society came about in different ways, and for different reasons. Harrison almost has no choice but to have an aversion to society. He is too intelligent to just submit to what the government tells him to do. He can’t just sit by and watch the world go to hell and not try to stop it from happening. The Lawyer, however, realizes things about society over a period of fifteen years. It is also his choice to decide to renounce it and be in solitude. He could have gone back to the way things were before imprisonment without any problem.
Harrison and the Lawyer also deal with their revelations internally in completely different ways. The Lawyer gives up on humanity, decides to be alone forever, and wants nothing to do with the way things are. Harrison, on the other hand, believes that since he is the most intelligent he should rule the world. He’s very public about his opinions, while the Lawyer pretty much keeps them to himself except for the letter he wrote to the banker. Perhaps this was inevitable because of their completely different situations.
As you can see, there are many similarities and differences between the Lawyer and Harrison Bergeron, both internally and externally. They both dealt with the same kind of conflict, but their unique situations allowed them to handle it differently.