Anthem By Ayn Rand: An Analysis

“Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” was written by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. In this quote, Jefferson idealizes that everyone has the right to make their own decisions to achieve happiness. It is a widely spread thought in the United States, which is why freedom of speech, press, and religion exists. The American Policy supports these rights, unlike many countries that judge harshly for certain opinions. For these reasons, the States are looked upon as the ‘Land of Opportunity and Freedom,’ that showcases the happiness that can be earned in this country. This idea can be seen in the dystopian novel, Anthem, as Rand analyzes the theme that self-importance is needed to obtain ultimate happiness. With self-importance, people can think more about their own needs, bringing happiness. This can be seen when Rand wrote, “And both these joys belong to us alone, they come from us alone, they bear no relation to our brothers…” (86). As the story goes on, E-7 ignored what other people said about individuality and only went for what made him happy. The

Rand explains this as she tells, “-we have discovered it alone, and we are alone to know it.” (52). As E-7 began to find what it means to be an individual, he becomes more devoted to do different things his brothers don’t do. The need to become an individual makes a person be more eager to meet their own goals since this would make them happy. This can lead to greater success in life than a person forced to do something. Aiming for the goal would not feel like working, resulting a higher performance in their job. An eager person is also more likely to do bonus work, to overachieve from their goals to feel completely fulfilled about it, rather than a person who did not pick what they wanted to do. They would only do exactly what was asked and can possibly put less