Ethical Egoism Exposed 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.

Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, depicts a totalitarian society that oppresses the ideology of individualism. Within these societies children live apart from their families and grow up without any inherited characteristics of being an individual. Anthem is an example of this kind of society because it showcases the link between a totalitarian dictator’s power to the oppression of individualism found in a children that live apart from their families. Totalitarian Dictators enforce the arrangement of children living separate from their families because it oppresses individualism and allows for a better grasp of beneficial control over a society.

Ceaseless collectivism is not something that can be forced upon a community. Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem conveys this through the writings of Equality 7-2125, a man willing to stand up to the collectivism of the society he is confined to. Anthem not only shows how dull and lifeless a society can be with a lack of individuality in its people, but also reveals how one person can significantly impact a community. This novel displays the importance of individualism through Equality’s thoughts and actions. This includes when he reinvents electricity in the tunnel, falls in love with Liberty, and when he completely separates himself from society.

“Anthem” was written by Ayn Rand, and she was born on February 2, 1905 in Russia. Russia at the time was heavily focused on collectivism, which is the idea that people should prioritize the good of society over the welfare of the individual, and was highly influential on Rand’s life. When she was introduced to American history, her ideas of what a free nation should be was America. When she left Russia, she decided to never go back to Russia and 13 years later, wrote Anthem. Anthem is set in the future and is based in a city that has collapsed from modern day society and accepts collectivism. “Anthem” is a novella about a man named Equality 7-2521 and throughout his life, he struggles to find self-identification in a society that has no sense of individualism. Throughout the story of “Anthem” the main themes are the importance of the individual and the value of martyrdom. Ayn Rand wrote “Anthem” as a warning to us westerners about the horrors of collectivism regardless of how it was put in use. She experienced most of the horrors first hand and this was also another reason for writing “Anthem”. Some of the horrors of what she experienced was the Kerensky Revolution and the Bolshevik Revolution which ended in her father’s pharmacy being confiscated and leading to periods of near-starvation. So, based on Rand’s past experiences and her ideas, she wrote “Anthem”.

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.

A crucial question people often find themselves asking is whether to live for themselves or to live for others and to what extent. Ayn Rand's novella, Anthem, explores a dystopian society that takes the theme of living for others to a whole new level. The sternness of this culture creates an emotionless and a bland society set on fulfilling collectivist principles. Anthem's society manipulates language to enforce collectivist doctrine by excluding words which cultivate a personal identity and merging religious and government views.

Ayn Rand’s idea of objectivism that she displays through Equality’s motivation and struggle envisions a world where everyone is free to do whatever they please, and free to do it only for themselves. As the theme of Anthem shows, one cannot and should not be enslaved to others, but be equal to them and treat them as fellow people also trying to better themselves. This philosophy sounds well and good until you think realistically. Rand seems to envision society being set up in a meritocracy: those who succeed in life have put in the hardest work and are the most skilled, and those who aren’t as successful must be lazier and not work as hard. People work on himself or herself alone, and rise or fall because of it. A meritocracy cannot truly exist on Earth by any means. Natural disasters, catastrophes, war, genetics, illness, and random accidents will inevitably get someone, causing them to either lose money, or not be as happy, or somehow “lower” them. Is it their fault that a flood destroyed their home? Did something they do cause them to have to suffer through that? Any rational being would recognize that no, that’s not fair at all. But in a meritocracy, that’s what one might

Have you ever read a book such as The Hunger Games, Twilight, or Harry Potter, and thought it would be amazing to live in those imaginary worlds, where magic and fairy tale creatures exists? Actually, a society just like the one in Ayn Rand’s book Anthem actually does exist among us today, but it definitely not one full of fairy tale creatures or magic, and it is nothing close to the life anyone would want to live. Ayn Rand, a “supporter of rational and ethical egoism (the idea that we should do what we think is right for our own self-interest and not for others)” (page 3), wrote the novel Anthem to give people insight on what the world might turn out to be if the government continues to control more and more of our life. It tells a tale of a world completely controlled by the government, where people can’t be considered a person, but instead a part of a whole. Nobody has any independence, any free thought, but worst of all, nobody can leave. This harsh government can be seen in a country in our

Set in the age where government has become synonymous with oppressor, Anthem by Ayn Rand focuses on the perspective of Equality, a boy who grew up nestled underneath the boot of collectivism trying to find an identity. Equality’s narrative expresses both Rand’s fears and hopes for the society where government threatened to rein all. To comprehend fully what devices and mechanics that Rand did to implement her predictions of civilization under the tyranny, you must take into consideration the rhetorical theories of great rhetoricians like Plato, Aristotle, and Cicero. While Plato and Cicero’s theories explained details and choices, Aristotle’s theories explained how Rand introduced her paramount message and supported it.

Ayn Rand’s novel puts Equality in a great position to start his new life with his new family. Ayn Rand’s story gives hope to all who want not to be conquered by their government and to have a say in what they believe in. If your government or society doesn’t like what you have to say, then it shows you can also walk right out the door if you don’t like what is happening. When you become a collectivist, you lose your individuality and almost become a slave and or a robot to the government and society. You lose your creativity and

“There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil.”- Ayn Rand author, philosopher and screenwriter. The main character of Ayn Rand's Anthem , Equality 7-2521 deals with a government that has destroyed all freedoms of the people and believes everyone who is born exists only to work for the state. Equality 7-2521, also known as Prometheus wrote this story based off of the events he experienced. Or in his eyes the “sins” he has experienced. Equality’s assessment of his sin is correct; the government has been holding the people back from their full true potential.

“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.

Coco Chanel once said “The most courageous act is to think for yourself, aloud.” Imagine living in a society where decisions and life is already planned out, and no input is granted. This is the society that Ayn Rand has built. In Anthem, Ayn Rand uses the main character, Equality 7-2521, to introduce her major issue - individualism. In Anthem, Ayn Rand uses her character Equality 7-2521 to inaugurate the main theme - individualism. Rand does this by showing the importance of individuality by creating a society that allows no alone time, no preference, and no self expression.

After moving from soviet Russia to the United States in 1926, Ayn Rand became a well known playwright, author, and philosopher. Rand is well-known for her philosophical system, objectivism. Objectivism stresses that happiness is the most important goal one should have. All of these ideas and philosophies are present in the novel Rand composed, Anthem. In this collectivist society the people act as robots as they carry out their lives with little emotion, limited technology, and the constant threat of punishment. The atmosphere of this novel depicts a society with very rare opposition to the leadership because the people whom it is made up of have no reason to oppose it and since they are constantly threatened with punishments.

Believing in yourself and the things you can do is what sets you apart from the others surrounding you. In a world of dystopian collectivism, rules and regulations have turned life negative for generations upon generations of people. The perfect world that they have created has begun to crack. Ayn Rand believed that collectivism was not beneficial to this dystopian life and showed her reasonings through the character Equality 7-2521, the exclusion of the word “I”, and fear.