Anthem By Ayn Rand: An Analysis

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,

while the society now is primitive. Equality writes, “But we must never speak of the times before the great rebirth, else we are sentenced to three years in the corrective detention. It is only the old ones who whisper about it in the evenings, in the home of the useless”(page 19).The older people of the society know its secret past because they were alive when the great rebirth happened. All people are told not to think about mysteries or be curious of the unknown. Equality tells what he was taught when he says, “We think that there are mysteries in the sky and under the water and in the plants which grow. But the Council of Scholars has said that there are no mysteries, and the Council of Scholars knows all things”(page23). These untold mysteries will soon get the best of him, making him despise the way his scholars teach. Mysteries make Equality very curious and restless. Equality confesses: “And questions give us no rest. We know not why our curse makes us seek we know not what, ever and ever. But we cannot resist it. It whispers to us that there are great things on this earth of ours, and that we can know them if we try, and we must know them”(page 24). Equality is now realizing that he cannot forget about his curiosity anymore, and he must do what he can to figure out what the wonders of the world are, regardless of what will happen. He knows that he has nothing to lose.
In addition to the many secrets, this society has no freedoms or rights.

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

society has caused the city to run smoothly for many years after the great rebirth. One of the council men realize: “No such crime has ever been committed, and it is not for us to judge. Nor for any small council. We shall deliver this creature to the world council itself and let their will be done”(page 72). The council’s rules must really keep the city running smoothly if just thinking as an individual has never been seen before. Even so, this does not make controlling all people just in any way.
The essay written by Rand has many real life topics used in Anthem that the character equality would fully agree with. One example was how one person cannot judge all people and make all of their life choices. Rand writes, “There is no escape from the fact that men have to make choices; so long as men have to make choices, there is no escape from moral values; so as long as moral values are at stake, no moral neutrality is possible”(paragraph 7). At the beginning of the story, all Equality wanted to do was be a scientist in the house of the scholars, but he was chosen to be a street sweeper. He knew that he was curious and excelled in science; but when you’re smart, you’re frowned upon. Talking about dictatorships in real life, Rand explains: “The answer is that even the humblest peasant of lowest savage would rise in blind rebellion, were he to realize that he is being immolated, not to some incomprehensible ‘noble purpose,’ but to plain, naked human evil”(paragraph 15). These “brothers” that he lives with are the blind slaves that aren’t aware of a problem with the society, and Equality was the only one to stand up, so he had to run away before being sent to corrective detention. Rand also makes a point to tell us that, “One must speak up in situations where silence can objectively be taken to mean agreement with or sanction of evil”(paragraph 11). This happens in the story when equality stands up for his discovery and is punished for it. Anthem is a reflection and example of Rands essay.
In short, Equality has given up on his society and denounced his leaders. I believe he has the right to do so because of how they dictate people. The secrets they keep, and the unjust laws and freedoms keep Equality from believing in his society. Also, the short essay by Ayn Rand shows real life problems that Equality has to deal with and would agree on.