Equality 7-2521, By Ayn Rand

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.

In conclusion, in Anthem by Ayn Rand, Equality’s new society will have none of the rules of the old society. The rules were put in place to shun differences and keep everyone equal. Because Equality hated the old society, he encourages differences, and he was an outcast in the old society, he will not allow any of the rules to carry over into his new

Set in a dystopian society in the future, the novella Anthem written by Ayn Rand is all about being a collective society which doesn’t believe in individualism. Ayn Rand constructs a society in which individualism is a transgression. The government enforces the idea of collectivism to the society. They believe that in the human race each person is not single. The protagonist, Equality 7-2521 wants to be an independent person. He wants to be free. As stated in the novel, “To be free, a man must be free of his brothers.” This statement means that in order to be successful, he has to be his own person. As the novel goes on Equality 7-2521 learns to be an independent man and frees himself from the society which forces collectivism.

“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” (17). Equality 7-2521 was born into a society that portrays a totalitarian rule. The people living in the controlled environment have been taught and brainwashed to know only one thing: the priority of the group over the individual person. Equality 7-2521 is one of the few people raised in the world of collectivism that is born different – filled with curiosity, gifted with intelligence; the difference leads him to believe he is cursed and evil. He was ashamed of his unique qualities and believed that he was a flaw. It is this divergence that makes him believe there is an initial

“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 […] there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone” (17). In the story Anthem it is a high offense to think for oneself and write without permission from the Council of Vocations. Equality 7-2521 has broken both these crimes simultaneously by writing in a journal over a span of months. By the end of the novel, Equality wrongly believes his actions are not truly sins. His action of writing is a sin because he has to hide the fact he is writing the journal and he been raised to believe that “it is not good to be different from our brothers, but it is evil to be superior to them” (21).

Anthem Project The novel Anthem starts off with the protagonist Equality 7-2521 sweeping the streets with his friend International 4-8818. When they stumble upon an abandoned underground railroad from the unmentionable times. The unmentionable times was the time period in which we are living now. These characters live in the future where society is in charge.

“Anthem” is an engrossing novel by Ayn Rand focusing on the character Equality 7-2521’s descent into rebellion against the new socialistic government that has taken all previous scientific advancement out of life, only to leave the ideology of collectivism. His quest to discover, learn, and invent is problematic to those that oversee the progress of the civilization, and from roughly around the age of five, he is punished for his nature. Soon enough, the twenty-one year old is on a journey to learn, not only about nature’s mysteries, but also about what sets him apart from his dead-eyed peers. Equality 7-2521 has many distinctive characteristics that others in the restricted city do not, some of which are relatable, and others that are indeed unique.

“We have stolen manuscripts. This is a great offense” and uses them for his life in his tunnel (Rand 36). He commits the greatest crime of his society, being alone, by spending several hours everyday in an abandoned sewage pipe and living a second life there, “And in our heart-strange are the ways of evil!-in our heart there is the first peace we have known in twenty years” (Rand 37). By breaking the laws of his city, Equality shows his individuality in his rebellious spirit and begins to show his individualism. Equality 7-2521 discovers electricity and with this discovery, he acknowledges that his individual ideas are different than those of society.

Equality 7-2521 evolution as his own man creates the tone of Anthem as a twisted dystopian world, as it also foreshadows his inner turmoil regarding the considerable merits of being in a group and being a sole individual. As the reader continues to understand the character a bit more, it's clear that Equality 7-2521 will be a probable defiant who will be working his way to defying the rulers of his world and who will undeniably reach the point of radicalization, but will have to deal with the guilt society has pushed him to because of all the years of manipulation. While reading this novel, it is very easy to feel sympathy for the character since his "sin" of individual creativity is absurdly non serious offense and also the possible consequences are ominously grave. It is quite a change towards the end of the novel, when Equality 7-2521 rejects to all of these ideas. At first, he begins to feel cynical concerning

The story Anthem takes place in the future, however, there is no technology to support that era. This book displays no flying cars, or jet packs that most people today would associate with the future. Instead, society has regressed to a time where not even a light bulb remains. As the story follows Equality 7-2521 through his transition from a simple street sweeper, to a free man with his own family, the oppression and draconian laws of this new society is documented by Equality.

The city in Anthem had numerous rules and controls that severely prohibit anyone within the city to do anything that even might make them more of an individual person. These guidelines have been strictly enforced and for many years no one has even thought to break them. In the book Equality feels differently deep within himself and strives to rebel, even though he knows it is not what the leaders of the state would accept or even tolerate. Going against all he knows, Equality breaks from the city, with his light that he created in the subway from the unmentionable times, and flees into the uncharted forest. His beloved Liberty or “The Golden One” hears of his crimes and finds Equality and they flee together. They broke all rules, and avoided all controls they had ever known and plan to rebuild society.

He realizes he had everything to fear from the twisted society that he lived in. Equality had trusted himself enough to completely let go of his old society, to leave everything behind and adopt a new culture. He must have trusted himself immensely to have done this. He also realizes humans are much too smart to govern that society and wonders if they were just too afraid to contradict their government or just did not trust themselves to try and overthrow it. Equality realizes he should be confident in himself. He is a very headstrong person and is not persuaded so easily. That is why he had left his society in the first place. Equality would like to live as an individual where he would not work together for the common good, as a group, but where he alone will work as an individual in his new society that he will soon create.

The word denouncing is defined as publicly declare to be wrong or evil. In the story Anthem, Equality 7-2521 does so and he cannot be right or wrong. Just like in life, people have opinions and there is no right or wrong opinion. In my opinion, I think Equality 7-2521 is correct to do so because in Equality 7-2521 society, everyone is one and no one is to be different. The word I is unknown and cannot be used. I feel this is what made Equality 7-2521 to denounce the leaders in his society.

There are several issues in the novel “Anthem” that the protagonist of the story Equality 7-2521 must face. He is just trying to live a different lifestyle wishing to live in harmony. The main problem in the novel anthem is that Equality 7-2521 struggles for self-identification in a society that has rejected individualism in favor of collectivism. Equality 7-2521 is a man who holds on to his own mind in a collectivist society that demands blind obedience to the group.For example when Equality 7-2521 informs International 4-8818 that they will not report their discovery of the tunnel, International 4-8818, though himself an exceptionally independent man, raises his hands to his ears, "for never had they heard such words as these." The obvious

In the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, the leading character , Equality 7-2521, lives in a collectivist society where the citizens have no control over their thoughts, actions, or lives. They are brainwashed to believe that the outcome of working together is righteousness, and working individually is evil. This is the basic standard in which this society lives in, therefore the citizens replace “I” with “We” in their thoughts, speaking, and writings. At the close of the book, Equality 7-2521 becomes an egoist, his new philosophy is that he needs to work for the good of himself, and based on the society he was raised in, the reader could agree with Equality’s new ideology about living life.