What Is Equality's Motivation In A Dystopian Society

Whether discussed in Anthem or found in reality today, the idea of what is right in different societies can be found as completely different when briefly analyzed. While examining Anthem in a simplistic way, one can find the contrast between Equality’s hopes for the future and the society of Equality’s past at the end of the novel, as a contradiction that has no medial perspective. In the excerpt, “Galt’s Speech” from For the New Intellectual, Rand illustrates a view similar to Equality’s thoughts near the

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.

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.

This novel displays exactly what Ayn Rand’s theory of Objectivism does not support in order to expose the weaknesses of her opponents ways and express the importance of self improvement. She puts forth for the reader the faults of a collective minded society as the leaders and society within Anthem attempt to control mans body and mind. Towards the close of the novel, as Equality 7-2521 discovers the sacred word he also comes to understand the perks of self improvement and striving to advance as an individual. The leaders and society attempt to accomplish the tyrannical end to their dictatorship through their control of mans body and mind by hiding the past and maintaining a collective

“I understood the blessed thing which I had called my curse. I understood why the best in me had been my sins and transgressions; and why I had never felt guilt in my sins” (98). This quote is about Equality’s epiphany about his curiosity he had had his entire life, proof of the twisted logic the collectivist society used on civilians to make them identical. Since Equality was feeling the best he had ever felt once being free from the collectivist reigns, he was bewildered with the reality of being ‘shunned’ or as his civilization would call him, ‘damned’. Equality laughs, “For the first time this day, we remembered that we are the Damned. [...] We are writing this on the paper we had hidden in our tunic together with the written pages we had brought for the World Council of Scholars, but never given to them” (80). Equality assesses that running away from the law didn’t come with any consequences that he isn’t willing to live with. He was no longer scared to be judged on his thoughts or creations. He comes to the conclusion that nothing is worth giving up

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

The story of Anthem takes place in dystopian future in which freedom and human rights have been obliterated. Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, is a street sweeper who finds a tunnel where he conducts his science experiments which are considered a sin. Throughout the book we see him change and discover how capable he is through a multitude of literary devices. In the novella , Anthem, Ayn Rand utilizes vivid imagery and a profusion of diction to frenetically emphasize the idea of love.

The world had never looked more beautiful than through the eyes of the ignorant, but the ignorant never stay that way. They will always seek to grow, to learn, and this is never more obvious than in Ayn Rand’s Anthem. In her book, ignorance is the defining feature of her futuristic yet primitive society. Until Equality 7-2521 begins exploring his own individuality the society is stagnant and unchanging; doomed to never move beyond candles and broomsticks. The ideas only an individual, like Equality, can produce are necessary for science and technology to progress.

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.

When Equality 7-2521 begins the novel by saying, “It is a sin to write this.” he has a different moral assessment of writing than at the end of the novel. Throughout Anthem, Equality’s actions affect how he views his society and the people around him. By the end of the story, Equality begins to realize that the government and society that he lives in might not be so perfect, and it might not be a sin to write. Equality’s eventual moral assessments of his sins are correct and are supported by; his growth throughout the story, the themes of independence developed in the novel and Ayn Rand’s concepts concerning communism. These are the three ideas that will be developed and explained in this paper.

As the story goes on, Equality 7-2521 commits another crime by falling in love with a woman. Her name is Liberty 5-3000, who he later nicknames the Golden One, and he met her in a field while on duty sweeping the streets. Love is another forbidden thing in society because they’re not supposed to care for anyone more than another. In this part of the novel the reader also learns about something called the Unspeakable Word. It is a word from before the Great Rebirth and if anyone were to even whisper it, they would be immediately punished by death. The novel keeps progressing and when Equality 7-2521 writes his thoughts again, the reader finds out that he had been experimenting with some items he had found in the tunnel and created a source of light by using wires. He makes up his mind and decides to show the Scholars from his community and from other communities his invention and he hopes that his job will be changed from Street Sweeper to Scholar. However, he loses track of time and when he remembers to check, it’s way past the hours given for free time. He gets out the tunnel and hopes to sneak back into town unseen but unfortunately he is caught. When asked about where he was, he did not give up his location and as punishment he is whipped. When he was asked again, he still refused to tell them where

Lionel Messi once said “you have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it. Equality discovered electricity in Ayn Rand’s book “Anthem”,Just like Prometheus, The god who stole fire, sacrificed a lot to show the world there discoveries. They did not fail at what they created and what they did.Although they had different outcomes equality felt a bond with prometheus, Because of how alike they were and how different they were.

“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

In Anthem by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 is a very curious, intellectual young scientist with great ideas. He discovers the power of electricity without making a fire. He believed that he was helping the society when actually the council members never really cared for new technologies they wanted to control their citizens and in order to do that they must cut off all ties with the more advanced people. In other words ‘ dumb down the smart’. After discovering electricity he decided he was going to tell them about the creation, “ We shall put before them the greatest gift ever offered to men… ,” Equality wanted all the members to try and work together to better the society, “We shall join our hands to theirs, and we shall work together, with the power of the sky,” Equality thought the council would appreciate his discoveries but instead the council reacted harshly

A population deprived of its liberty and its senses. Only following the commands of a group that claim to have authority over others.Not allowing a taste of freedom. A sense of injustice classified as right rather than wrong. Equality facing the daily struggle of craving freedom yet being tied to a dystopian society with no clue on how to achieve independence made it impossible for him to be free.