Anthem By Ayn Rand: A Literary Analysis

“It is a sin to write this” this is how Ayn Rand starts her book Anthem. In the book Equality is a

By the conclusion of the story Anthem, Equality 7-2521 has changed his mind and become very judgmental of the leaders of his society, denouncing them in many terms. Because of what the leaders made equality do, his actions were very understandable. The way they controlled his life and made him do things he did not want to do were very harsh. I feel as if equalities actions were correct. And here are some reasons why.

In the book Anthem by Ayn Rand the city has multiple rules and controls in place to keep everyone in line and from knowing too much about the unmentionable times. The city keeps them busy with a set schedule every day including work, meals, and entertainment. The purpose of these rules is to prevent an uprising, if everyone knew about the amazing achievements of the unmentionable times they would all surely revolt against the city.

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.

We often think that this world has a lot of cruel rules, but when it comes to Anthem by Ayn Rand, you get to realize that it’s far worse. There are plenty of strict and harsh rules for men in Anthem. To name just a few of them, the Council of Vocations select your job whether you like it or not. Not being able of who you want to have children with. The rules and controls in the book that Equality 7-2521, the narrator, states, should be different and less harsh and cruel.

“ In order for a man to have meaning in his life, he must face and overcome many conflicts. Those who do not face these struggles are unable to realize what they are capable of doing.” In Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem, the main character, Equality 7-2521 is going through internal conflicts in order to discover his individuality. The fundamental and often universal idea that Ayn Rand is trying to get to us throughout her book is the danger of collectivism and the struggle to find your own identity. Rand does a splendid and intricate job by using Equality as a model representing many people that are afraid to stand out.

Imagine a world where you didn’t have electricity and you didn’t have the right to be your own person. In Anthem by Ayn Rand that is how people lived. Everyone in Anthem didn't know anything but the life that they are living. These people don't have anything to miss from the way the world used to be. But some people knew that they wanted more. Equality knew that. The lesson that was taken from this book is that a person is in this type of situation and something tells them that something isn't right and it feels wrong. That person needs to find a way to fix it or get out of the situation that is making them feel uncomfortable.

More and more, the question of whether individualism is better than socialism in society has been coming up more frequently. In her novel Anthem, Ayn Rand shows individualism through Equality 7-2521. She places Equality within a society where having a unique identity is forbidden. Throughout the story, Ayn Rand uses Equality to prove that being part of a community is equally as important as being an individual.

This name-change occurs on page 99 after Equality and Liberty have discovered their sense of self. They found what it means to think for themselves and be an individual once they arrived at the house in the woods. There, Equality read a book and discovered the word “I.” After that, Equality and Liberty gave each other the names Prometheus and Gaea, respectively. Rand chose these names for their symbolism and the power they carry. Gaea was one of the early goddesses. The name speaks to her beauty and the reverence Equality has for her. Along with that, Gaea was revered as the universal mother by the Greeks. In a way, Liberty is the mother for a new world that she and Equality will create together. The name Prometheus also has significant meaning. Prometheus was a titan who gave humans the gift of fire. Equality also tried to give humanity a gift of fire when he showed the Scholars his light bulb. Like Prometheus, Equality was imprisoned for what he did. Along with that, by discovering the word “I,” he also has the power to spread a different kind of fire, the widespread “fire” of change. Prometheus could go out into the world and share his ideas of individuality and change the society

Ayn Rand uses the phrase, “The sleeping halls are white and clean and bare of all things save one hundred beds”(20,21,28) to display the wholeness of everyone where no one is different. To start with, when Equality explains about what to do when they get tempted he says, “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible, and forever.”(19). The society takes away all individualism from everyone. They want people to believe that everyone is a whole. They cannot think or express differences between one another and if they do they get punished severely. Secondly when Equality wishes to go to the House of Scholars he explains, “For men may wish nothing for themselves.”(24). No one in the society is allowed

Interests don’t matter. Personality doesn’t matter. Free thoughts don’t matter. This is the type of society that Equality 7-2521 is trapped inside of in Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem. The word “I” is forbidden and individual expression is a sin.

Anthem by Ayn Rand is a story about a man who discovers individuality and freedom from the rule and regulations in the society. Equality 7-2521 goes through many struggles to find the meaning of his life. He chooses his own name, Prometheus, as he slowly becomes a himself he realizes that he is different from the rest of his “brothers”. Towards the end of the novel, Prometheus learns the evils of the society and he has started a war against them. “Anthem depicts a world of the future, a society so collectivized that even the word “I” has vanished from the language” ( Rand “Guide to the Writings of Ayn Rand”).

“What is not thought by all men cannot be true” is the common belief in the totalitarian world of Anthem (73). In this post-apocalyptic and altruistic society people can only exists through the service to their brothers, and individual thoughts and actions are shunned upon. Equality 2-72521 is brilliant, using technologies he found from before the “great rebirth” to formulate new conclusions about the virtually unexplored world of his time. With individualism shunned, personal thought is prohibited as well. Idiosyncrasy of anyone is looked upon as evil because it is different from other brother men, so people are bred to be and think the same. Science and technology are advanced upon with the thought of individuals coming up with new hypothesis

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.

brought them for a civilization where the word ?I? did not exist to a world