Anthem By Ayn Rand: An Analysis

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In the book Anthem, by Ayn Rand, Equality-72521 stood alone from the crowd of mindless slaves, and was frowned upon. I think that Equality is right to denounce his leaders because of the secrets that this society has kept from everyone, and the fact that he cannot live a life of freedom and individualism. I also believe that Equality-72521 would fully agree with Rand’s short essay, How Does one Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society. The society that equality lives in is full of mysteries and secrets that make him wonder what the purpose of mankind is. Equality knows that he is different, he describes his mind as a curse. There was a time before the great rebirth, called the unmentionable times. This time had many technological advancements, …show more content…

People are not individual, they are just beings working towards a common goal. There are many things that equality is forbidden to do that he wishes he could. To have any friends or relationships are banned. Equality breaks the rules when he admits, “International 4-8818 and we are friends. This is an evil thing to say, for it is a transgression, the great transgression of preference, to love any among men better than the others, since we must love all men and all men are our friends”(page 30). When Equality does this, he discovers that the morals of his society are unjust, this makes breaking society’s unfair laws much easier. There is a time in the story when Equality discovers the power of electricity. Frightened and then amazed, he decides to bring his discovery to the men of the council. He thought they would be enthralled and honor him, instead they snapped: “We have much to say to a wretch who have broken all the laws and boast of their infamy! How dared you think that your mind held greater wisdom than the minds of your brothers? And if the councils had decreed that you should be a street sweeper, how dared you think that you could be of greater use to men than sweeping the streets?(page 72)”. This event changed his mind about the leaders of his society, and he now knows that the rules of the council are wrong and evil, rightfully so. The harsh words crush Equality and cause him to run from the city, in a fit of rage, into the uncharted forest. Days pass in the forest and Equality admits: “And suddenly, for the first time this day, we remembered that we are the dammed. We remembered it, and we laughed”(page 80). Equality now knows that the city that he grew up in was unfair and cruel. If this had happened to me, I would have hatred for my society, and I think that the way Equality reacted was a very normal response. Even though the society has many bad qualities, the rules of this

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