Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged : John Galt's Strike Of The Mind

“The word "We" is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages” (Rand 66). Anthem is a science fiction book written by Ayn Rand. This book takes place in a futuristic time in which freedom and individual rights have been demolished and substituted by collectivism. Equality 7-2521 has a different perspective on reality than the rest of society and therefore searches to find his way despite many hardships. Within Equality 7-2521’s exploration, he is able to

Ayn Rand’s ideology centralizes on the idea that total human individuality is absolute and is obtained only by means of reason, self-esteem, and total worship of virtues. Atlas Shrugged ideal hero, John Galt, is the major example of objectivism and its complex layers. He is the symbol of no guilt, no fear, no submission, and no doubt in the value of the mind. Henceforth, John Galt is the reality that lies behind any human; the use of reason and self-interest as the motor for the improvement of the world; and, in consequence, the natural right to live by the power of thinking.

Ayn Rand’s Anthem challenges the prevailing wisdom that selflessness and sacrifice are morally superior to selfishness and self-interest. In the 1937 novel, Rand depicts a future in which individual identity is erased and all action is collective in nature. The word ‘I’ has been eradicated and all people use the plural ‘We’ to refer to themselves, as it is the concept of self that a society based on selflessness must destroy. In Anthem, the banishment of individualism leads to severe dystopian consequences that are explored through their impact on the protagonist, Equality 7-2521, on the end of innovation in society, and as the basis for the collapse of society itself into a totalitarian dictatorship.

Anthem could be placed into many different categories such as characterization, tone, and theme. Characterization would be when he was being rebellious and outgoing. The tone of this book is bitter and out of the sorts because at first he was following the rules then he got lashed and then he escaped and got to be free. The last category would be theme and this is Equality actually being an individual and understanding himself for the first time in his life. Rand understood the means of collectivism and how much Equality will change throughout the book.

Would you like it if the government had complete control of you? For example, the government might tell you who you aloud to interact with, or they could tell you what job that you have to go to every single day, and where you are allowed to live. The government should not have the right to control an individual because a person knows what's best for them, such as who they from relationships with, what they do for a living and what their lifestyle looks like.

“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

Being “yourself” would be the biggest sin in the world of Anthem, a book by Ayn Rand, where one citizen, Equality-72521, lives as not one, but among many. By not learning the word “I” at any time in your life, including birth. Equality, however, found a spot currently unknown, and decided to do a crime worthy of death. He hid there every night, and learned all he could secretly for years. He goes to great lengths to learn much no other person really knew, such as electricity, and didn’t tell anyone else about the light bulb as to make sure he could keep on learning, and in the end risked his life to protect what he learned, independently, so he could change who he was and what he knew.

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 a meaning in his life, He must face and overcome many conflicts. Equalities motivation is to be free in his society and to be different from everyone else. He has the right to be motivated because it's the way to express himself and show what he likes. Anthem is a story of a boys struggle to be free and fight the masses of conformity. Equality believes in curiosity and living a free life.

“We made it. We created it. We brought it forth from the night of the Ages. We alone. Our hands. Our mind. Ours alone and only.” Pg 59

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.

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)

Vision a lifestyle where one perceives it as a sin to comprehend data more efficiently than of one’s peers; a felony to long for things that others do not wish upon. Where floods of white tunics and austere minds obliterate the Earth. A colony built upon leaders who asphyxiate anyone from infatuation of any object or significant being; moreover, a world suffocating in collectivism. Through exasperated transcription, Anthem brings about such a community; nevertheless, a world of black and white. Ayn Rand does not overemphasize the effects of totalitarianism, but amplifies it so that it is more effortless for one to enlighten he or she’s notion on the particular proposal. First, by analyzation of “Equality 7-2521”, and

Governments, businesses and individuals all have a duty to do what is beneficial for the community. However, people have a duty to do what is beneficial for themselves. Sometimes determining what is right for the community and what is right for yourself can cause serious conflicts. In the book Atlas Shrugged, this conflict between self and community becomes so severe it causes worldwide economic deterioration. This book has several themes which include capitalism, government coercion and corruption. These themes create the major issues of the book, however, the main premise of the book is individualism.

“When one acts on pity against justice, it is the good whom one punishes for the sake of the evil; when one saves the guilty from suffering, it is the innocent whom one forces to suffer.”