“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,” (Page 10). Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, portrays an individual against a society that refuses to favor an individual’s value, also known as a collectivist or communist society. Equality 7-2521 is given the title street sweeper, but he recognizes that he is meant for more. Equality 7-2521 is an intelligent and ambitious innovator that dares to go against the society that has influenced him since birth. Equality 7-2521 dares to violate the rules of his broken society and in the midst, discovers the forbidden word. Equality 7-2521 discover the value of the individual outside of the collectivist idea of “we”. The discovery of a hidden world leads Equality 7-2521 to name himself Prometheus and his love, Liberty 5-3000, Gaea, after the epic Greek myths. Equality does this in an effort to …show more content…
Equality learns that although his society has taught him that to be alone is evil and to work for others is substantial, he must actually work for himself and take pride in what he aspires to be and to do in order to achieve happiness. Ayn Rand does not clearly use the word “egoism” in Anthem, but the actions Equality achieves expresses the idea of egoism. “…he broke their chains…he broke their chains…he broke their chains…” (Page 165). The use of the phrase “he broke their chains” symbolizes the respect Equality gives to his fellow brethren. Equality realizes that he must break away from the chains of the government in order to truly live. Toward the end of the novella we receive the “forbidden word” that had been hinted at throughout the entire book. “The sacred word: Ego,” (Page 171). Ego is the theme of the story because it breathes life into the alternative theme of
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.
In Anthem, Ayn Rand is constantly using characters and emotion to set the mood and tone in the book. In the book, everyone is equal and do not have their own self rights. But of course one character in Anthem does not agree with the rules and goes awol. Throughout the book, characters like Equality 7-2521 become dynamic and learn more about two people in their group of one hundred kids. Every year 100 babies are born because men and women are sent to the City Palace of Mating. Among these two people were International 4-8818 and Liberty 5-3000. Both of these characters causes some of the choices Equality made in the book. Ayn broke down the book with mood and tone into three categories; characters and their feelings, challenges dealing with the setting, and society such as the Council.
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 word "We" is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages” (Rand 66). Anthem is a science fiction book written by Ayn Rand. This book takes place in a futuristic time in which freedom and individual rights have been demolished and substituted by collectivism. Equality 7-2521 has a different perspective on reality than the rest of society and therefore searches to find his way despite many hardships. Within Equality 7-2521’s exploration, he is able to
In the book Anthem by Ayn Rand the main character, Equality, lives in a collectivist society, but he leaves because he does not agree with these values. Anthem is a prime example of the hero's journey because the novel is very similar to what criteria the hero's journey contains. This essay consists of how the Equality experiences the Apotheosis, Master of Two Worlds, and the Ultimate Boon.
The book, Anthem by Ayn Rand, is a story that is written about a man named Prometheus, or otherwise known as Equality 7-2521, who chooses to be different in a society where everyone was meant to be the same. Throughout most of the book, he has trouble finding the meaning of his life. As he realizes that he can be different, he discovers the power of his own mind so towards the end of the book he turns into a more proud and independent individual. He learns the wrongs of his society, so as a result he rebels against them. Ayn Rand represents the cruelty of collectivism in Anthem by portraying a society that is oppressed by men.
In Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, from the beginning to the end, the two main characters both have been called with three different names. The narrator has the names: Equality, Unconquered and Prometheus. The narrator’s lover has the names: Liberty, Gold One and Gaea. The utilization of three various names can be seen as the reflection of transition of Equality from collectivist in the city to objectivist in the forest through the shift of self-recognize, emotion and purpose of life.
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.
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.
Basic summary: The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand is a dystopian science fiction novel that is set in the future where there are no rights or freedom there is no such thing as “I”. Everyone is equal to each other; they work and live in collective groups everyone is thought as one. The narrator, Equality 7-2521 has always stood out from everyone else, he was much smarter, later on, he vows to use his new knowledge to build a society based on individual freedom.
“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
equality in society, which is ironic because it is totally the opposite in the society. Ayn Rand, the author, is a woman who believes in the idea of objectivism, which is the philosophy of individualism. Ayn had one task in the book of Anthem, and that was to show her philosophy. Ayn wanted to tell her readers that the Saint of The Pyre foreshadows things that Equality 7-2521 does to tell us that life is all about one thing- ego.
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.