Analysis Of Anthem, By Ayn Rand

The practices of a collective society such as the one in this book disregard all belief in the individual. By doing this, the society and its leaders brainwash the people into having no personal priority or authority. Everything is done with the betterment of the entire group in mind, no sense of self involvement. Their life is fated in almost every

“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

Ayn Rand shows her opinions of religion when she wrote Anthem. She believed that religion is what enslaved the people. It is full of many philosophical questions. The first of which is at the very beginning of the book.The book starts off by saying “ It is a sin to write this.” (page 17) At that point in time, Equality 7-2521 believes that it is a sin; however, by the end he has a different opinion.

The dystopian novella, Anthem, is set in an age in which every aspect of life is controlled by oppressive leaders. In this society, everyone was deemed equal to each other, meaning no new ideas were allowed and the past could not be discussed. Individuals are told they exist only for the sake of serving society and have no other purpose. Strict rules were put in place involving everyone’s daily lives, their partners, and even when they were allowed to smile. The goal of this controlling environment is to be completely free from conflict and maintain peace and order by giving citizens little freedom.

Ayn Rand's Anthem shows us her view of our world united under what seems to be communist rule. For example their view of right and wrong; which Anthem portrays is a system of very strict rules which mainly make sure that everyone is involved in a collective role within the society in this system no one is considered an individual or that they can even think as an individual.

The society in which the characters from Anthem by Ayn Rand live in is one of little to no opposition. The World Council made rules at their own discretion and the citizens followed them without question. The big question, though, is why. Why did the citizens mindlessly follow the rules and restrictions of the World Council? The citizens of this futuristic society followed their leaders because they were suppressed. They were trained to believe that the World Council was smarter than them, they were lied to about their jobs and the “common good,” and anyone who thought differently was punished. These three things are seen in several places throughout the novel, highlighting how much the citizens in the futuristic society of Anthem were suppressed in order for the State to remain in power.

Anthem by Ayn Rand is a collectivist society. In Anthem the highest leaders are the World Council. The World Council forces them to say “we” instead of “I,” so that everyone will think they are one with society, but if anyone thinks or speaks as an individual they will be sent to the Corrective Detention or burned to death; but Equality has no fear and discovers that individualism is just.

The characters Ayn Rand’s “Anthem” and Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” live their lives being brainwashed. The two novels demonstrate corrupted societies that have taken away freedom, the ability to be unique, and the ability to express opinions due to the government. The people of both these societies have to act a certain way and cannot show any form of individuality. Both novels include the theme of viewing society as more important than the people. That is how the characters are raised, including the protagonists. The protagonists in both stories begin to express their uniqueness and stand out from others, which leads them to creating their own society.

Summary: In a world where I does not exist, Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 find themselves viewing one another as unique from the other men and women surrounding them. They are individually significant, even though their society greatly opposes the importance of an individual. They are forbidden from doing anything alone and are not allowed to think for themselves, Equality 7-2521 explores with the science of light and other things. Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 break many laws, even simple things such as thinking of one another and giving a name to each other. While they do not know it, they have a sense of self in a place where one is forbidden from looking at themselves as individual people with a soul different from any other. When Equality 7-2521 runs away to the forest to avoid further conflict with the law, Liberty 5-3000 follows. In the woods, instead of facing death as they had expected, they find joy and a life worth living.

Ayn Rand uses the theme of collectivism and why it is evil throughout Anthem. Collectivism refers to the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it. The main character in her novel is Equality 7-2521, and she talks about how he despises the society’s way of collectivism. I will be talking about the ways in which Ayn Rand uses Equality 7-2521 to show why collectivism is an evil thing, and what he tries to do when he wants to change the rule of his society.

Ayn Rand’s short novel, Anthem, is a dystopian story about a society in which individuality is

The narrator of Anthem,7-2521 are the only ones from this community to see or know more than there brothers,which causes them to create something that nobody else can create.The council tries to stop them from overthinking or triying to be more than the rest.They told themselves that they rather die than let the council know what they have created(33-34).The way Equality 7-2521 thought they felt proud but they felt scared they never wanted to get caught by the council.Additionally,when Equality 7-2521 does decide to speak up and show the scholars what they have created.(69-70)

Equality states on page 96 that,“I shall choose my friend among men, but neither slaves nor masters. And I shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love and respect, but neither common nor obey. And we shall join our hands when we wish, or walk alone when we so desire”. In other words, Equality 7-2521 briefly outlines the theme of the novel. In this dystopian society that Ayn Rand portrays, individuality has been completely abolished from the language and aspects of daily life. Not to mention, directing oneself with “I” is intolerable as well. The outcome of using the word “I” is death because it's an unspeakable word, which has been outlawed since the unmentionable times. The characters in this novella live in a dehumanized

People are a lot like when you shake an unopened bottle of soda, the more pressure you put them under and the more they are confined, the closer they are to rupturing and rebellion. The endless laws and expectations of the Collectivist City make for an unstable environment and it’s impossible for everyone to constantly keep up with these expectations. Citizens break the mold and always seem happier once they do, with the Saint of the pyre “They walked to the pyre, and their step did not falter. And of all the faces on that square, of all the faces which shrieked and screamed and spat curses upon them, theirs was the calmest and happiest face.” (329) and when Equality escapes into the Uncharted Forest to protect his light from those who want to destroy it “We seized our box, we shoved them aside and we ran to the window….We knew only that we must run, run to the end of the world, to the end of our days….We built it for its own sake. It is above all our brothers to us, and its truth is above their truth.” (543-561). In contrast, Individualism gives people the space to relax and enjoy their lives “We thought

She is Beautiful, proud, and strong like Equality 7-2521. She loves Equality 7-2521 because he is different from everyone around him. And Equality 7-2521 loves her back for the same reason.