Even in the civilization Ayn Rand creates in the book Anthem, where individualism is a transgression, there are some people, even if the slightest amount, that are afflicted by the wounds that the government’s rules create. A person, who stands out between this “misfits” is Equality 7-2521. Since Equality was an infant, he was considered evil. In all the places he lived, he was treated worse than everyone else. When it was his turn to be chosen for a job, he was given a profession that would stop him from further developing a passion for education. This action was a failure, as Equality didn’t want to continue learning to help mankind, but because it was his desire in life to know more. Through unorthodox methods, Equality starts experimenting …show more content…
“I am a man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before!” (Rand 1, 36) This description that he makes of himself is basically the qualities individualists need to have, per The Soul of an Individualist. “The creators were not selfless. It is the whole secret of their power - that it was self-sufficient, self-motivated, self-generated. A first cause, a fount of energy, a life force, a Prime Mover. The creator served nothing and no one. He lived for himself.” (Rand 2, 1) Prometheus ego was what motivated him while making his …show more content…
men have no cause to exist save in toiling for other men” (Rand 1, 27) Prometheus revels against this laws because of his ego. He contradicts everyone and everything he knows because he refused to be another parasite in his society. “The man who attempts to live for others is a dependent. He is a parasite in motive and makes parasites of those he serves.” (Rand 2, 1) His ego in this situation is not only good, it is necessary. By discovering self-esteem and self-importance, he was able to break away from his oppressive society, and he began to form a new civilization, where individualism would be the moral compass. “For the coming of that day I shall fight, I and my sons and my chosen friends. For the freedom of Man. For his life. For his honor.” (Rand 1, 47) His new world conceived in this method, will bring creators that will produce gifts that will benefit every man’s individual needs. Prometheus is the perfect example of what being an egoist is. He overcame the government’s brainwashing that repressed almost everyone’s individuality; his egoism helped him realize the value of every human being. His new awareness of self-importance helped him break away from the chains of slavery that were created for the “good of humanity”. Today people are told that it is wrong to be selfish, but sometimes putting your interests ahead of other people is necessary if
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 is different from the other men in his world, and because of this he has lived most of his life concealing his emotions, being outcasted and punished by the leaders and teachers of his society, and stripping himself of his talents and uniqueness, therefore he has every right to criticize the leaders who kept the real Equality trapped inside for so very long. Equality expresses his love for science and aspiration to be a Scholar throughout the book and talks of how he wished to be sent to the Home of Scholars so badly his hands trembled under the blankets at night and he had to bite his arm just to stop the pain of wanting something so much (Rand 24). To want something so badly and have to conceal it everyday with no one to share it with is a very difficult thing for someone to have to do. Equality also struggled with concealing his friendship,“International 4-8818 and we are friends.
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
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.
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, a contentious woman, the new favorite author to multiple people’s list. People who have read her magnificent book, Anthem, understand how exquisite and meaningful her words are. Books like Anthem are worth reading because it gives the reader more knowledge about controversial topics and it takes the reader to experience new places and new adventures. Equality, the main character, is a symbol. He represents many people today, living in countries like his society. Equality has to find his true identity first before helping the others. People are not allowed to believe in individualism, they should not have a identity of their own. Each person has a monotone routine to follow every single day of their lives. Each step a person takes
Before he went on his endeavor to start a new society, Prometheus used to live in a society that worshipped collectivism and the mindset that being as your peers is crucial. Prometheus even quoted himself, "We strive to be like all of our brothers men, for all men must be alike." Although this was a value instilled in Prometheus since he began living in the Home of the Infants, he still felt the drive to be independent. Even though Prometheus had this drive of independence, he still refused to start his society and tried to allow his intelligence to be bound again. Prometheus offered his invention to the world council, who reacted poorly to his invention. One of the
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 beginning of the story opens with Equality being chastised because he is too tall and too smart. He noticed that “to be free, a man must be free of his brothers” (Rand 101). This quote shows that when society controls him, and he relies on everyone else, a lack of progress is inevitable. Even the higher powers control their city with aggressive strength; the Council of Vocations assigns Equality to be a street sweeper even though he wants to be a scholar. Out of curiosity, he finds a tunnel while on duty. He begins to write about himself, even though “it is a sin to think words no others are to see” (Rand 1). Having no obligation to others allows one to work towards their own goals, Equality is able to pass his previous instinct where “all men are one” (Rand 20). With the revelation of himself as being a separate indiv...
Like at the end of the book Ayn Rand portrays the importance of human EGO.
He wanted nothing but the best for his favorite creation and he "resolved to do whatever was necessary to insure man's survival." ("Prometheus" 104).
In the novella, one must abide to there not being freedom of speech or thought. One example of this is how one is simply punished for voicing an opinion of his own self and not of his brothers and sisters. This is due to how this society is run on Collectivism. When Equality writes, he clearly states how it is a sin to write one’s thoughts as such a thing is a crime in the eyes of the government.
Ayn Rand's classic story of one man's desire to become an individual in a nameless society presents a compelling refutation of collectivism in all forms. The hero, labeled "Equality 7-2521" by the State, chooses to challenge conventional authority as he learns the joys of experimentation and discovery, the ecstasy of human love, the challenge and fairness of liberty, and the happiness of self-interest. Equality 7-2521 writes three unique phrases in his journal: 1. "My happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the means to an end. It is the end.", 2. "We know that we are evil, but there is no will in us and no power to resist it.", 3. "The word 'We' . . . must never be placed first within man's soul.". These phrases will be discussed individually in the remainder of this essay.
Throughout the incredible courage and bravery of Equality and Liberty, mankind is free from going through the ideal of communism. Their sacrifices that they have chosen to do showed them their corrupt society and led them to discover the most important part of human spirit and individualism. Prometheus (Equality) and Gaea (Liberty) will find a society that, shows everyone, the world for mankind by celebrating individual human spirit, a thing have freedom, and removed out of the fear that they had. Their discoveries put a stop to the corrupt society of selflessness and humility of true moral of freedom and, in act of selfishness.
The definition of “ego” according to Sigmund Freud, a former psychoanalysis, “ The ego is the psychological component of the personality that is represented by our conscious decision-making process” (Roundy, Lisa. “The Ego: Definition & Examples). In both Anthem and Planet of the Apes, examples of ego are shown a great deal of times. The main character of Anthem, Equality, and Taylor from Planet of the apes strive to be remembered in years to come, both fearing oblivion. Equality and Taylor posses extremely strong egos, believing they will positively impact their society. For instance, Equality tries to contribute to society when he shows the Council his discovery of electricity. After being sent to the Palace of Corrective Detention, Equality realizes that men will never give up on their needs, “I understood that centuries of chains and lashes will not kill the spirit of man nor the sense of truth within him” (Rand 98). Overall, the lashing that Equality undergoes symbolizes his sacrifice for others freedom and their right to think as an individual. Likewise, Taylor shows the orangutans his writing ability after they assume humans are not intelligent. However, unlike Equality, Taylor flees when the apes threaten to castrate him. Furthermore, these two characters have a sense of becoming the creator of a new, advanced and better world. Equality achieves his goal of becoming a