Ayn Rand, the author of Anthem, states, “The mind is an attribute of an individual. There is no such thing as a collective brain.” This statement means Ayn believes highly in individualism. Individualism is a belief in the freedom of action of individuals. Ayn Rand’s theme of individualism is not a sin is developed and supported in many of her works such as Anthem through the characters, Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000, and their actions. To begin, Equality 7-2521’s actions develop the theme that individualism is not a sin. He does this in multiple ways. However, most of the characters in Anthem believe that individualism is a sin. That is why Equality 7-2521’s actions are significant to the development of the theme. In the beginning …show more content…
Equality 7-2521 does this when he discovers a tunnel with International 4-8818 and keeps it a secret from the council which is considered a transgression. He keeps it a secret because he is curious about what lies inside of the tunnel. Equality 7-2521 writes of his time finding the tunnel, “the earth fell in before us, and we saw an old iron grill over a black hole. International 4-8818 stepped back. But we pulled at the grill and it gave way. And then we saw iron rings as steps leading down a shaft into a darkness without bottom”(Rand 31). This develops the theme because he is so curious about what lies inside the tunnel that he doesn't care that it is forbidden. This shows that Equality 7-2521 is an individual because of his curiosity. Therefore, Equality 7-2521 provides evidence that the theme, individualism is not a sin, through his curiosity in the tunnel that he found with International 4-8818. In addition, Equality 7-2521 continues to develop the theme when he is curious about how to capture lightning. This is when Equality 7-2521 creates a box that contains the energy of the sky which is known to a reader as a light bulb. He does this by discovering how to capture lightning and creating light without it. Equality 7-2521 plans on showing it to the World Council of Scholars and becoming a hero to the society like the people that created the candle were. However, his actions are considered a
During his childhood, he was blessed with an individual spirit and the intelligence to understand the knowledge of the world. In spite of this, he reckoned his abilities as transgressions. He acknowledged that the way of life was that “Everything which comes from the many is good. Everything which comes from the one is evil” (Rand 85). Equality strives to accept the totalitarian society and consequently, he desperately struggles to disregard his abilities and subdue his desires. The grisly effects of society are portrayed immensely through the profound sense of guilt he suffers while committing the Sin of Preference. He continually recites that, “We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are we allowed our lives. We exist through, by, and for our brothers who are the State. Amen” (Rand 21). Gradually, his aspirations contradict with the dogma of society. He discovers that he finds more joy committing the Sin of Preference rather than restraining himself from happiness, which ultimately, allows him to elude his conscious premises. Equality’s belief that “[he] [has] torn [himself] from the truth which is [his] brother men… [he] knows [this], but [he] [does] not care” (Rand 76) marks his complete triumph over collectivism. Prior to his transformation, he belonged to a society in which the Sin of Preference revoked all rights for any desire, which ultimately disallowed citizens to think for freely. If permitted to do so, no
Anthem, by Ayn Rand, is a very unique novel. It encircles individualism and makes the reader think of how people can conform to society and do as they are told without knowing the consequences and results of their decisions. Also, it teaches the importance of self expression and the freedom that comes along with being your own person and having the power to choose what path to take in life. Figurative language is used often in this book and in a variety of quotes that have great importance to the theme, plot, and conflict of the novel.
The Protagonist, Equality 7-2521 or Prometheus, is not like the other children in his generation and starts thinking and doing things more selfishly such as pick men among other men that he thinks as friends, noticing one female than all the females and talking to that female when he is supposed to be working, and preferring to have one specific job rather than not giving it much thought to the type of job he gets to work and just do the job he was assigned which are considered crimes. Prometheus accepted to work as a street sweeper to atone for his sins and later finds a tunnel where he experimented and made discoveries that the Council of Scholars hasn 't been able to discover and he believes that the Council of Scholars would accept him as one of them if he demonstrated one of his discoveries which was a light bulb. The climax is when Prometheus demonstrates the light bulb to the Scholars and they respond by scolding him and saying that since not all men believe in his discovery that it is worthless and must be destroyed. After calling the Council of Scholars fools, Prometheus jumps out the window with the light bulb and runs into the Uncharted forest and decides to stay because he knows no one is going to follow him into the forest. Åfter a day he realizes how good it feels to do things with his own hands and later meets the female that he spoke to and decides to take her with him to wherever he will go. They later find a house with things
There has always been a slight anxiety, a slight fear, of being alone or standing alone. Students rarely want to admit to having an answer different from the rest of their classmates; some people do not want to go somewhere and do something by themselves. Notably, with more shy or anxious people, they will often stick around someone they know, so they will not be alone in the crowd. Although that company might help them make it through those nerve-wracking moments, when is the right time for them to walk alone? Should a person ever walk alone? In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, Equality’s internal conflict of conformity versus individuality plays a role that Equality needs to overcome in order to complete their quest for freedom which helps create
The fiction novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, begins as equality takes a journey to individualism. He begins by writing how wrong he is to be writing what he is, how much of a sin it is. To be thinking as his own, and as an “I”. Ayn Rand is from Russia, which is a communist society. As Rand was growing up in this time frame, she had made the time to give herself an education which was frowned upon as she was a woman. She was not given a sense of “I” it was the normal thing for women to stand back and watch. To continue deeper into the book, Equality's eventual assessment of his writing on his own, changed from being a sin to being and individual activity, from the beginning to the end of the book.
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.
How could Ayn Rand’s Anthem have been altered if Equality and his society had been founded on Christianity? Throughout the story, beliefs and convictions were a significant factor in plot progressions. In addition, different doctrine also provided a huge contribution to character development. However, these various viewpoints established throughout the story, directly contrast with Biblical values. Looking closely at the development of society’s and Equality’s beliefs, a reader can easily distinguish his ideas from Christianity.
He is in a society where his knowledge is stifled and not encouraged to think for himself. Equality expresses, "We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike”(7). This had to be implanted into Equality's head by the council which is why it is natural for individualism to be what he wants most and why he should be able to follow his own ideology. Readers see not only in Anthem but in today's world how people are taught to only think of what they know. Equality wants the council to know of his accomplishments and as a outcome to show all men how it can help improve society. He wants the feeling of accomplishment and knowing that through his accomplishments he has uplifted others within the community.
In conclusion, Equality 7-2521 has executed a wrongdoing by writing his journal. Equality 7-2521 has traveled far to be able to continue his writing, showing he does not feel safe around others while actively committing this sin. He has also thought on his own and wrote without the Council of Vocations authorization, even though he has been raised to obey the laws. Through these actions, Equality has carried out a great
Throughout the novel, Anthem, and a speech from Fountainhead, written by Ayn Rand, it expresses the argument between individualism vs collectivism. An individual is a person who has control of his or herself, while a collectivist is someone whose hard work benefits their society. Although, another ideology that Ayn Rand mentions in her literature is egoism, throughout her books the significant meaning of being an egoist is considered a good thing, but in our modern society today we consider it a trait reflected by a selfish person.
“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.
“My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose” (Rand, 95). Anthem is written by American author Ayn Rand about Equality 7-2521 on his quest for happiness. The novel is set in an unspecified time and place in the future. Years after human civilization has gone through a deconstruction in which all knowledge was lost and a new society established with no concept of the individual. “The novel describes the efforts of the main character, Equality 7-2521, to reestablish a sense of personal identity and restore the knowledge of the past by objective scientific inquiry. In doing so, he must face many dangers and privations” (Anthem). Anthem is a dairy of the Equality
He excludes himself, writes a journal, keeps secrets, and many more. The reason the concil has these as laws or sins is because they let a person be an “I” instead of “we”. It allows you to be you instead of a group or a clan. Equality is free spirited. He likes being an individual and throughout this journey he goes through, he realizes a bunch of stuff the Council kept from him and the world. For instance, when Equality found electricity; that was banned from their society. They banned it because it was such a powerful image of power for mankind. “The power of the sky can be made to do men’s bidding. There are no limits to its secrets and its might, and it can be made to grant us anything if we but choose to ask.” (5.24) The world could find out that there was a possibility of taking over the council and being “I”s. That is why the have the “unmentionable times” and “useless ones”, because those hold secrets that could ruin the society and their “sins” or laws.
I think that in the book Anthem the character Equality has a motivation and Iand I think that he is motivated because he wants to know about the great rebirth and that he needs to find that out so he tries to make experiments and keep them secret until the coast is clear basically but then they freak out at him. I think maybe that