Code Of Laws In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Novelists create science fiction novels that represents what today’s society could possibly look like if the government has too much power. Today’s society would fall into a state of corruption, where nothing belongs to a single person and everything is owned by the government. It would be a place where people cannot openly voice their thoughts or opinions without getting in trouble with the powerful government. Ayn Rand’s science fiction novel, Anthem, depicts a dark vision of the future world where individuality is not permitted to exist. The main character, Equality, sets himself aside from the other people living in society. He knows that he is different, but with a sense of naivety, he finds his independence wrong, but he cannot help it. Liberty, the female character in which Equality has feelings for, also finds herself to be different from others and follows Equality’s path. In conveying the insidious corruption of the collectivist society of Anthem, Ayn Rand uses dramatic and situational irony.

“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

Imagine living in a society where you have no control over your own life. In the book Anthem written by Ayn Rand, the characters are told how to live by the government. They have no control over their life, and they must follow the laws and rules. If any person breaks these laws and rules, they will be punished severely. There are no exceptions, no warnings, one strike and they’re done. In Anthem the government has enforced many rules. A few of the rules may include the “we” law, the “no affection” law and another law is how one must never write or talk about the Unmentionable Times. The government allows no human to live an uncontrolled life and they deserve to live their own lives.

The classroom was full of children, and they were all the same except for their age and gender. They didn’t have a choice for anything that they did, it was the government that was forcing them to be what they were. They weren’t allowed to know anything more than what they were taught. There was one little girl who was a touch different. She was starting to realize that life could be different than what she had always known. She had decided to make a change for herself and not be the same anymore. Just like this little girl, Equality 7-2521 was longing for a change. He realized that there was another way of living, and that was what he wanted. Equality went about doing everything differently from what he had learned from the beginning. He took a stand and ended up being a different person overall, he wasn’t going to let anyone else control him anymore. The characterization and setting techniques employed in Ayn Rand’s dystopian novel Anthem and Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron” illustrate the theme of how those who are under authority do not change who they are on the inside just because they are controlled, resulting in rebellion and dishonesty toward those who are in charge.

“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; If I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do” (Robert Heinlein). Sometimes, there are certain rules where we will listen to them, and others that we do exactly the opposite of what is told. Either road you go, you will have to take responsibility for the choices you make. In Anthem, the major character, Equality, did exactly this. Anthem is written as a diary in the eyes of Equality, an individual living in a place where nobody knows what individualism is, to the point of not knowing words like I. Everybody works in groups, with their lives controlled by councils which makes an insane novella. In the novella, Anthem, written by Ayn Rand has a variety of rules which purpose is to create a dystopian government in which residents can’t express emotions, can’t make decisions for themselves, live in a communistic style of society, keeps the power in the hands of the elites, and as Equality creates a new society, some of these rules will exist and some will be different, either way, it will make a positive impact.

The book Anthem by Ayn Rand is about a futuristic community that has many unusual rules compared to today’s society that evolve throughout the book. These rules exist because they are to protect anything bad from happening in their society. They are strict because the Councils who have created the rules want to make sure everything is under their control. Their purpose is to enforce and maintain the people of the community. In Equality’s world that he describes at the end of the story there is most likely not going to be rules and controls that were in his birth home, because Equality doesn’t agree with the Council's’ decisions, he wishes that people should have their own opinion, and Equality has broken the laws.

“And suddenly, for the first time this day, we remembered that we are the Damned. We remembered it, and we laughed.” (Rand, 80) Equality is exiled from this futuristic world where freedom is taboo and everyone is equally trapped. Equality is most definitely a character and NOT an unalienable right in the realm of Anthem by Ayn Rand. To pursue your own endeavors or do anything not explicitly allowed by the collective society is a transgression and is therefore illegal. The text follows Equality who does the exact opposite of what is allowed and and is only occasionally guilty about it. Rand’s philosophy of objectivism emphasizes not doing things you do not wish to do or do not benefit from. Rand shows this using Equality and the dystopian society

In the novella Anthem by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 has changed how he views the leaders of his society, and now is very critical of the leaders, referring to them in moral terms. He lives in a very collectivism society, where his leaders control the aspects of the citizen’s lives. The citizens are characterized by a number rather than a name. All the brothers of this society are not allowed to speak to or look at any one of his brothers or women. They follow a repeated schedule day by day, following the totalitarian rules given.

“To be a judge one must possess an unimpeachable character…” (Rand, ”How does one lead a rational life in an irrational society?” Paragraph 4). Equality is that “unimpeachable character” in Anthem. He is not afraid to judge. Ayn Rand is a philosopher and a writer and she wrote Anthem and How does one lead a rational life in an irrational society. Anthem is a about a post-apocalyptic society with a government with morals that are against our morals today and humans knowledge destroyed in the disasters that took place, and the article is Ayn’s outlook on life. In Anthem, Ayn Rand uses Equalities actions to emphasize that when you are discontent with the government's morals you should denounce them.

Equality 7-2521 lives in a society with a government much like communism. The government, called the World Council; controls everything and anything. They limit thoughts of every person, everyone must be the same. No man or woman is allowed to think for themselves because there is no such thing as themselves. The word “I” does not exist in their civilization. Everyone is “brothers” and must all think the same. Equality is different though; he thinks as an individual person. In the beginning of the novel Anthem written by Ayn Rand; Equality believes all the laws he’s breaking are terrible sins against the Council and his fellow brothers. Equality’s eventual assessment for his sins are correct. He comes to the conclusion that he is allowed to think for his own and do what he wants in life. Equality is very intelligent; he cares for others, and strives to be a better person.

War-torn societies, families broken apart, and many people’s individualism taken away. A pattern most people in today's modern society are used to. A character in Ayn Rand’s novel, Anthem, Equality 7-2125 is also quite familiar with this pattern. In this novel Society has stripped down of all individualism. The novel focuses on the main character, Equality 7-2125 and his journey navigating not only himself, but the closest ones to him back to the idea of individualism.

Equality believes that while concerning oneself, each person has their own choice of thought and will, and he believes in operating a new society based upon those morals. Written in Ayn Rand’s own words, the story says, “I guard my treasures: my thought, my will, my freedom. And the greatest if these is freedom” (Rand 95-96).This quote illustrates how the main character believes that the most cherished possession is autonomy. Despite the fact that Equality 7-2521 has been sheltered against the beliefs of independence, he still manages to find freedom regardless of the government’s continuous strains to prevent him from becoming himself.

Anthem, by Ayn Rand has a major theme of oppression, a problem throughout human history. In the book everybody in the society are extreme followers and take the Councils rules of laws as absolute truth. (The counsel is a small group of people who oversees that the rules are enforced). All civilians seem to follow these rules with little acceptation they do this voluntarily not by force. In the book those few who brake tyrants council, who preach extreme communism, meaning that not one person matters, but only the survival of mankind matters. This means that all humans are equal in everything, and it is, actually looked down upon for trying to be anything more than the group.

“We made it. We created it. We brought it forth from the night of ages. Our mind. Ours alone and only.” These are the illegal words of Equality 7-2521, the main character of Ayn Rand’s dystopian novel, Anthem. Equality 7-2521 lives in a future unknown date where individualism is a crime and humanity has entered another dark age. The characterization applied in Ayn Rand’s dystopian novel Anthem and Kurt Vonnegut's short story “Harrison Bergeron” help convey the value of individualism in societal growth.

The story of Anthem takes place in some unspecified future in which freedom and individual rights have been obliterated. Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, is a street sweeper who finds a tunnel where he conducts his science experiments. Throughout the book we see him change and move towards individualism as he discovers how capable he really is. Ayn Rand uses vast amounts of literary devices to describe the evolution of Equality 7-2521. In the dystopian novella, Anthem, Ayn Rand expresses epochal symbolism and poetic personification in order to passionately display the individual’s superiority over the collective.