From an archetypal lens, the novella, Anthem, is about a hero named Equality 7-2521, a
street sweeper who lives in a dystopia, and later goes on a journey of self-discovery. At first, the
reason for his journey was to run away from an oppressive government that tries to control his
life. However, the real reason for Equality to go was to find what he called “ego”. Along the
journey, Equality finds love, knowledge, and the significance of names and the importance of
individuality.
Equality 7-2521 is assigned by the government to be a street sweeper along with his best
friend, International 4-8818. Equality lives in a dystopia where the government is in control of its
people. There, the people refer to themselves as “we” instead of “I”
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It was a place that was left behind from Unmentionable Time. It was the time when
men used violence against one another and where there was a hierarchy. When Equality was
young, he witnessed a man being killed the Unmentionable Word, “I.” Upon this man’s death,
Equality began to wonder why using this word could justify death. While exploring the tunnel
one day, he found a box that contained wires. After exploring what it was, he figured out that it
could make light. This discovery made him late for curfew, which resulted in a punishment that
caused him physical pain. He was interrogated by the government, when he refused; he was
beaten to the point where he fainted. Even after hours of questioning, he refused to talk. After
this incident, he was put in a jail, where he escaped.
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After breaking out, he decided to go the Home of Scholars to share his discovery in the
tunnel. When he arrived, he entered a room where the scholars were meeting. His interruption
made them questioned his purpose for being there. He began to share his idea about the light, and
was surprised by their reactions. Ideas created by individuals do not count in their society.
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In this house, there were light bulbs- something they had
never seen before. They also found books, strange clothes, and mirrors throughout the house. For
the first time, Liberty saw her reflection in the mirror and was mesmerized by her appearance.
Their plan was to live in the house, and discover what life was like during the
Unmentionable Time. After reading every book in the house, Equality began to fully understand
the significance of individualism. His first response was to use “I.” Then, he gave himself the
name of Prometheus, and gave Liberty the name of Gaea. The reason he chose Prometheus was
because it was the name of a man who stole fire from the gods and gave light to man (Ryan 99).
For Liberty, he chose her name because it meant “the mother of the earth and of all the gods,”
(Ryan 99). Their life evolved as Gaea became pregnant and Prometheus vowed to raise his son
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as a man with free will. However, their life would not be complete without his friends. He
promised to go back to the dystopia and get his friends. Together, they would live in the house of
the Unmentionable Time with the knowledge of “Ego” and the power to have choice and
...e the instruction of their dishonest city and directed Equality to the finding of the largest part of the human strength, egoism. “Ego” is the forbidden word that The Transgressor of the Unspeakable Word suffered from. He was burned alive because he was one of little that knew what individualism was. Prometheus and Gaea modernized this human race for centuries and initiated a new kind of success and advancement. Equality and Liberty will make a society that could possibly help the planet for the creation of light by rejoicing the individual human spirit, a thing to be set free, not restrained and crushed out of terror. Their discoveries put to rest the corrupt preaching of selflessness and humility in favor of the truly moral philosophies of freedom and, in fact, selfishness. Those are the reasons that Ayn Rand named Equality, Prometheus, and Liberty, Gaea.
As Equality stops to devour the supper he caught, he notices a, “great satisfaction to be found in the food by which we obtain by our own hand” (Rand 80). For once, Equality puts the hunting skill he possesses to use, and the pleasure that comes with consuming an adequate meal made completely by him is far beyond that of meals prepared by others. And by residing in the Uncharted Forest, Equality experiences joy because he essentially is free and can pursue tasks he desires, like hunting, at any time. Furthermore, as Equality proceeds through his day he, “walks on til the sun had set” (Rand 80). Equality now does not have to conform his life to regulations, such as having a curfew, set by the World Council of Scholars. He has the power to choose where he wants to settle and the time at which he must be home, a decision that would not be left up to him back in the city. Ultimately, Equality for the first time broke the chains of uniformity that bound him since birth, and because of this he scoffs at the idiocy of the Scholars to realize that true happiness is achieved through liberty, not
Equality lives a great amount of his life as a follower because his conforming society establishes him to act a certain way. In fact, Equality follows the rules of his society as most men do. He follows the laws
The society that Equality 7-2521 was brainwashed in since birth was based on no individualism. Ayn rand in fact was the maker of the self individualist philosophy. She based Equality’s qualities on individualism. Which means putting yourself first and showing all qualities of individuality. Equality 7-2521 wanted to have certains thing like people, places, and the way he learned more than others. As well as looking different than others; taller, smarter and of different color. He was an Individual; which allowed him to want to be a scholar in the house of scholars.
The natural desire of Equality 7-2521 is knowledge who is born with a curse of uniqueness. He abides within the walls of a collectivist society. The citizens of this society prioritize the good of society over the welfare of the individual. In the beginning of the novel, Equality confesses that “[He] have broken the laws. The laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so” (Anthem 17). Equality is asking for forgiveness and proves this by quoting “[I] strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike” (Anthem 19). Through Equality’s journey of self-discovery, he gradually starts changing his mind on how he perceives of how critical the Council truly is. He begins rebelling without a care and denounces
unjustly put into jail. He accepts going to jail even though he was put in jail
...rself even though others can help you succeed. Equality proves this by venturing by himself and accomplishing his goals and then still be able to work together with the Golden One to do things as a group as we do in the world today.
In the beginning, Equality talks about the sins and what he remembers as child. Equality 7-2521 is a twenty-one year old and six foot tall young man, who is told he was born with an
In Anthem, Ayn Rand portrays the idea that risks may be scary and hard, but the risk may lead to an even better outcome.
Every story has a quest and every quest has a hero from which one of them included the unconquered, Equality, who starts his journey from birth in the dystopian society of Anthem. Equality faces many challenges throughout the novel to prove and gain his true identity in the society but it does not come without difficulty. He was born different and better than others but in the end this difference became his most dangerous enemy.
To be an individual, one must discover the trait of having an ego. An ego is someone’s self-importance and self-esteem. You can’t be an individual if you lack an opinion or self-esteem because these are the qualities of an ego. Equality possessed all of these qualities and more. In the novella Anthem, the unspeakable word, was ego. Using the text of the novella, one can infer that the word is ego because no one in the society can be alone, can be different, or can be an individual
custody, he was lynched. His body was mutilated by a White mob and his head was placed
Ayn Rand, the author of the novella Anthem, was born is St. Petersburg, Russia in 1905. The novella was written in 1937 and first published in 1938 in England. Anthem is based on a man named Equality 7-2521, who has found a secret tunnel and has hidden inside of it to write down his thoughts, among other things. In this dystopian society it is illegal to write, have a personality, or a sense of individuality of your own. One of the themes in this novella is the domination of one’s individuality. Equality 7-2521 discovers the importance of his existence when he realizes one is the center of one’s universe, and that one’s perception gives the world its meaning, the creation and component of a persons own identity and personality. In Anthem, the
The main character of Anthem, Equality, feels smothered by these rules and seeks to search out answers to questions he cannot ask. Some of the rules Equality objects to following are: writing down his individual
...but later the court said that he committed suicide. To this day, no one knows exactly