A Primitive Society In Ayn Rand's Anthem

In the world created by Ayn Rand, where collectivism is favored by the leaders of society, self-government is denied. In her novel Anthem, the characters are forced to live in an imperceptible prison surrounded by wilderness. Being an individual, having self-confidence, and the freedom to choose are key pieces to a successful society, but some of these concepts are foreign to many. In numerous societies like this one, the citizens are under strict social rule and do not enjoy natural rights such as life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. While being independent is important, it is also crucial to be united and act as a group. If there were no common thought, there would be chaos. At the same time, common thought should not be forced upon

Conformity- behavior in accordance with socially accepted conventions or standards. When does conformity go too far? In Anthem by Ayn Rand people conformed out of fear. Everyone in there society has to be the same skill level, same intelligent and same physical attributes. People are given numbers at birth. People are also assigned jobs that they can not reject. Equality who is the main character does not follow the rules and is rubellus. He meets a girl that is just like him who he calls the Golden One. He make electricity and shows it to the highest people in there world, and they think it is evil. He gets sent to prison ,but he escapes because there were no locks on the doors. He goes to the forbidden forest. The Golden One finds him ,and they find a house in the mountains. They find all new things that they don't know what it is. But Equality plans to get his friends from the town and start his own society with his rules. Social conformity goes too far when the people do not have a choice for anything.

A captivating novelette in which a man’s priority is to serve only for his brothers, Ayn Rand’s Anthem illustrates a society that has suffered the ghastly consequences of collectivism. She depicts an oppressive culture in which the word “I” is unheard of and men belong to the collective “We.” Men’s lives are determined through the Council of Vocations, a group that maintains a powerful dictatorship by subjugating the public from the beginning of their lives. The idea that “If you are not needed by your brother men, there is no reason for you to burden the earth with your bodies” (Chapter 1) has been forced into average mindset of the vehemently maintained society. In contrast, Rand mocks the totalitarian civilization through the main

The novel of Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, contributes to controversial subjects in society that are still relevant today. Some issues addressed by Rand in her novel include: equality, social hierarchy, individuality, and government. Throughout the duration of reading Anthem the issues in which Rand makes relevant are not obvious, but more so discussed through conflicts and situations that the main character, Equality 7-2521, encounters. Although many of the altercations that present social issues are provided by either other characters singlehandedly or by a group of the characters in alliance, some of the main issues that arise in this novel are presented within the main character himself.

“It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil… We have broken the laws” (17). Thus begins Anthem by Ayn Rand, a novella about a future collectivist society and a man named Equality 7-2521. Though the story takes place in the future, all technology that came after candles and glass has been taken away. The word “I” has ceased to exist in anyone’s vocabulary. Every person must agree on everything and feel like everyone else. To accomplish ‘cleansing’ the evils of mankind, society lead its people to believe that nothing can be done independently. The story is told through the eyes of Equality as he purposely defies the laws

The story of Anthem takes place in dystopian future in which freedom and human rights have been obliterated. Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, is a street sweeper who finds a tunnel where he conducts his science experiments which are considered a sin. Throughout the book we see him change and discover how capable he is through a multitude of literary devices. In the novella , Anthem, Ayn Rand utilizes vivid imagery and a profusion of diction to frenetically emphasize the idea of love.

Anthem by Ayn Rand is a dystopian novel written in the 1930’s. The novel displays a society that confines the human mind and body. The rights humans are restricted to what the government believes is fit. The characters are ruled by collectivism and communist. Communism is the belief that the government should own everything. Collectivism is the belief of a superior group that controls society. Rand reveals the nature of the main character’s society and the values of the main character, Equality 7-2521 by writing this excerpt of the novel in the character’s perspective in an assertive tone and beginning with the rights and wrongs of their society.

When Equality 7-2521 begins the novel by saying, “It is a sin to write this.” he has a different moral assessment of writing than at the end of the novel. Throughout Anthem, Equality’s actions affect how he views his society and the people around him. By the end of the story, Equality begins to realize that the government and society that he lives in might not be so perfect, and it might not be a sin to write. Equality’s eventual moral assessments of his sins are correct and are supported by; his growth throughout the story, the themes of independence developed in the novel and Ayn Rand’s concepts concerning communism. These are the three ideas that will be developed and explained in this paper.

In the novella, Anthem by Ayn Rand, the Council of Scholars believe that having the society and community as one whole instead of it being where the people are treated as individuals, is the best choice for all of the people. It is a sin if someone thinks about being alone and if you have thoughts or actions that go against the choice of being one whole. They worship the laws that say none among men may be alone, ever and at any time.

“Anthem” was written by Ayn Rand, and she was born on February 2, 1905 in Russia. Russia at the time was heavily focused on collectivism, which is the idea that people should prioritize the good of society over the welfare of the individual, and was highly influential on Rand’s life. When she was introduced to American history, her ideas of what a free nation should be was America. When she left Russia, she decided to never go back to Russia and 13 years later, wrote Anthem. Anthem is set in the future and is based in a city that has collapsed from modern day society and accepts collectivism. “Anthem” is a novella about a man named Equality 7-2521 and throughout his life, he struggles to find self-identification in a society that has no sense of individualism. Throughout the story of “Anthem” the main themes are the importance of the individual and the value of martyrdom. Ayn Rand wrote “Anthem” as a warning to us westerners about the horrors of collectivism regardless of how it was put in use. She experienced most of the horrors first hand and this was also another reason for writing “Anthem”. Some of the horrors of what she experienced was the Kerensky Revolution and the Bolshevik Revolution which ended in her father’s pharmacy being confiscated and leading to periods of near-starvation. So, based on Rand’s past experiences and her ideas, she wrote “Anthem”.

Anthem is a story about how mankind enters a dark age where individuality is now eliminated by ‘The Council’ in an unspecified future date and unspecified location. The narrator of the novel, Equality 7-2521 is a rebellious young protagonist that conducts illegal secretive scientific research alone and writes in a journal in an underground abandoned railroad tunnel. This dystopian novella deals with authoritarianism as the government has taken control and assigns jobs and duties for every being based on the Council's decision. In the novels Anthem by Ayn Rand and V for Vendetta by Alan Moore, the totalitarian government takes advantage of their higher power to enforce strict obedience on citizens, without concerning for their opinions or wishes and removing their personal freedom, which causes a rebellious protagonist to take charge and struggle to find their freedom.

Individuality, a thing we all take for granted, but in a collectivist society, individuality is banned in all forms and is enforced with torture and execution in the name of “brotherly love”. In the novella Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, all men are bound to the society and held captive by the government’s beliefs. The Home of Scholars is responsible for all scientific discoveries. A new act is preventing them from releasing their findings into the society. Equality also dabbles in science, and he knows that this is a transgression. Equality wishes only to study the clockwork of the world, and to be accepted into The Home of Scholars. He brings his invention of a light to the council, but is turned down because his technological advancement

The story’s settings of the novel, Anthem, greatly influences the plot. The novel’s setting takes in a Dark Age where there is no creativity, technology, progress, or optimism. The “society” is completely controlled and manipulated by a central group of leaders. The story primarily centers around a young man named Equality 7-2521 who is a street sweeper. This occupation does not offer him opportunities to expand beyond his small controlled world. Equality 7-2521 take his readers on an adventurous life journey as written in his own journal. Readers feel his oppression and personal desperation as they travel through the dark tunnel and live each day in the shoes of Equality.

“Change is certain. Progress is not.”, in the so-called perfect society, there is no progress and they are yet to develop, although, there are some people who defy these odds and develop into different people (Carr). The main character, Equality, has many obstacles to overcome but has yet to discover who he truly is. Although, as the story goes on, he starts to discover new things about himself, his purpose, and starts to realize he is not a part of this “perfect society”. The word “I” makes one an individual, however in Anthem, the word “I” is lost and there is no individual, just the collective people working for a common goal. Equality is set on a journey to find out who he truly is while

The 22nd century was known for the dystopian societies. One dystopian society story that caught my interest was anthem. Anthem is a story by Ayn Rand , This story is about a guy named Equality-2521 . Equality lives in a dystopian society where he is controlled and he can only live until he’s 45 years old and he can only live for his brothers. In the society there is no such thing as being yourself there is no such thing as using the word “I”. This society is run by a council this council is made up of three men and two women . This dystopian Society goes to school until 15 and then they get assigned jobs and names ,Equality is different from all his other brothers equality is taller and smarter. Equality is