Anthem by Ayn Rand is considered a dystopian novel. The characters live in a society where everything is bad, and they have no control over their life or destiny. The book is about a man, Equality 7-2521, who breaks all the laws of his society and dares to be different. The book is in first person and designed to seem like journal entries.
Equality 7-2521 lives in a futuristic society where people have no knowledge of individualism, and the words ‘I’ or ‘me’ do not exist. All members of the society live in groups ruled by councils. The main character desires to study and learn, but was punished while growing up because he was smarter, different, and curious. Throughout the journal it seems that Equality 7-2521 struggles with his natural desire to learn and discover.
There is a distinct symbolism of light in this novel. While growing up Equality 7-2521 wanted to be assigned to the House of Scholars, but instead was made a street sweeper. While doing his daily job he discovers a tunnel from the Unmentionable times. He ran away to his secret tunnel every night where he rediscovers the light bulb. His invention represents his curiosity and the beginning of his individualism. Light is used again when giving Liberty 5-3000 a private name of “The Golden One” and his final name “Prometheus” at the end of the novel. Prometheus is the Greek God that brought fire to men from the Gods. Equality 7-2521 feels the name fitting for himself because of his rediscovery of the light bulb.
Equality 7-2521 believed the Council of Scholars would thank him and make him a member of their council when he would present the light to them, but instead he was condemned and the council was frightened. The council wanted to destroy his creation so he fled t...
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...s considered a sin.
Sin is not tolerated in this society. A key character and a foreshadowing event of the entire plot is the burning of the Transgressor. Equality explains that while being burned alive it seems that he suffers no pain because he discovers the meaning of individualism. This directly relates to the joy, and lack of pain Equality 7-2521 feels while being beaten because he had not revealed the secret of the light bulb. Pain did not matter to either character because their ideals were worth the pain. The Transgressor of the Unspeakable Word is an important detail and memory in his life because it foreshadows Equality 7-2521’s destiny to escape, his time in the Palace of Corrective Detention, and the value of “martyrdom,” the willingness to die or suffer for an ideal or belief.
Like at the end of the book Ayn Rand portrays the importance of human EGO.
Equality 7-2521 never gave up, even after the brutal punishment he experienced. Equality 7-2521 seeing his will to fulfill his dreams was another reason he began to trust himself as he saw his reflection for the first time. More ideas flowed through Equality 7-2521's head with interest of the "Unmentionable Times. "And when we put our wires to this box, when we closed the current the wire glowed! It came to life, it turned red, and a circle of light lay on the stone before us." Equality 7-2521 discovered the secret of the light bulb made in the "Unmentionable Times." This was illegal since no one was to reference that time, much less try to recreate it. This was Equality 7-2521's purpose in changing the world so everyone could be free and live the life they want to live. The creation of the light bulb was more than just an object, but it was apart of his body. "For this wire is as a part of our body, as a vein torn from us, glowing with our blood.
Ayn Rand, in Anthem, illustrates a futuristic, socialist society. In the novel, Rand destroys any sense of individuality and describes the social setbacks endured after living ‘only for the brotherhood’. The individual person fails to exist and is but a ‘we’ and recognized by a word and a series of numbers rather than a name. Additionally, she describes the horrors encountered within this different system of life: from reproduction methods to punishments. Through the life of Equality 7-2521, Rand demonstrates a person’s journey from obedience to exile in this socialist society. Throughout the entire novel, Rand criticizes Marxist theory as she demonstrates socialism’s failure to suppress revolution, thwart material dialectic, and its detriment to humanity.
“I am. I think. I will” (Rand 94) Equality 7-2521 is learning how to be individual and that he doesn’t have to equal with anyone. Anthem and The Giver are both about characters who learn about the past and leave the space they are at to discover new and life experiences. Dystopian literature and film are popular among teens because the genre shows a reality that might be possible in the future. Anthem by Ayn Rand is an example of popular dystopian literature because it shows progression over time with people and technology. The Giver is a dystopian film that shows how the world has changed over time. Both the book and the film have a character that breaks the rules of their society and runs away.
In a year that remains undefined beneath a small city lit only by candles, a young man is working. He works without the council to guide him and without his brothers beside him. He works for his own purposes, for his own desires, for the dreams that were born in his own steady heart and bright mind. In his society, this is the greatest transgression. To stand alone is to stand groping in the dark, and to act alone is to be shamed by one’s own selfishness. The elegantly simple society that Ayn Rand has created in the novel Anthem has erased all segregation and discrimination by making every man one and the same with those around him; only Equality 7-2521 defies the norm with his ruthless
Ayn Rand’s Anthem is a politically satirical novel set in a future society that is so highly collectivized that the word “I” has been banned. The world is governed by various councils who believe that man’s sole reason for existence is to enforce the Great Truth “that all men are one and that there is no will save the will of all men together” (Rand, 20). Any indication of an individual’s independent spirit is swiftly and brutally put down, with the transgressors being punished with severe prison sentences or even death. It is this dysfunctional world that Equality 7-2521 is born into. The novel begins with Equality 7-2521 alone in a dark tunnel, transcribing his story.
The dystopia depicted in Anthem could quite easily be considered Ayn Rand’s commentary on society. It puts into perspective the downfalls of societal trends and putting others above oneself. The novella itself is a satire of Collectivism, which can be seen in examples of Communism. Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism includes ideas of immutable facts, rationalist mentality, self-prioritization, and a capitalist society (ARI, n.d.). Her ideas are shown in a variety of aspects throughout the novella. Oppression felt due to the collective mentality is the most prominent of the ideas shown. Another aspect that is important to note is Equality 7-2521’s natural tendency to struggle against the restrictions set upon
Anthem is a novella written by Ayn Rand, in which Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, struggles for self-identification living in a collectivist society. Equality believes that individuality is an eminent aspect of one’s life because individuality defines and outlines who man is. He endures all the hardships in his life living with people who support collectivism, and who reject his ideas. For example, when Equality 7-2521 invents and exhibits the light bulb, the World Council rejects it and tells him that it is selfish to work on something alone instead of working with his brothers. The World Council threatens to destroy the light bulb but Equality does not let that happen and rebels, so he is forced into exile from his society.
People in every Society are placed in categories according to gender, religion, race, and age from which one of these categories includes social class. In the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, people are placed in social classes according to the government's liking and instead of race, age, gender etc their social class depends on the job they are given by the government. This was done to treat everyone equally in order to keep peace in the society. However, sometimes equality can cause rebellion and this idea is portrayed through the protagonist of the novel, Equality 7-2521. Ever since the unmentionable times had caused destruction to the society of Anthem, the government had taken away all the free will and individuality of its people.
Ayn Rand and James Dashner each wrote a dystopian novel that was back set in the future. Ayn wrote a book called Anthem and James wrote a book called the Maze Runner. Both of these books have a lot of comparison and a lot of differences. These books have a little different writing style and Anthem is most definitely a harder read. The first American publication of Anthem was in 1946. The first publication of the Maze Runner was in 2006. The novels Anthem and Maze Runner, dystopian novels, are popular among teens because of the high expectations put among them and the oppression.
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.
In conclusion, those who try new things will have the ability to succeed rather than those who sit around and fail without trying. Equality expresses the theme of this book by showing that when you go try new things and express your opinion good things will happen if you have good intentions. Equality discovers electricity and when he show the group of scholars he is denied the use of electricity throughout the community. Equality takes his opinions and designs o make his own society that is based on oneself. In my opinion the world is a combination of both of these societies and this is how the world has accomplished what it has today.
STUDY GUIDE ----- The Anthem Chapter 1 1.a. What is the difference between a and a? The society that is represented in the novel is futuristic in terms of the actual date, yet incredibly underdeveloped to what we experience today. The political structure obviously works, because there doesn't seem to be much discontent among the citizens.
Anthem, by Ayn Rand is a classic novel about a man who struggles through life to try and show the positives about a life unknown, unlike the dark and wicked society that he lives in. It shows what collectivism can do to a society and how a community can not flourish without individual identities. Equality is shown as a extremely intelligent young man with great potential to the future of the society, but the Council of Vocations seems him in a different light. Looked down upon by everyone, Equality 7-2521 was given the job of Street Sweeper to make him equal to his fellow brothers and to erase any individuality he obtained.
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.
Anthem and Fahrenheit 451 both hit a very similar theme. The theme in Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury, and Anthem, by Ayn Rand can be connected to a universal theme, Equality has limits. Both books support this theme by supporting an idea of a utopia, and both failed in its own way.