Anthem By Ayn Rand: Character Analysis

Every individual’s motivations can vary in numerous ways. All the characters in Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, face many struggles, but have their primary sources of motivation to help them continue through the hard times. The main character, Equality, accidentally creates an invention without knowledge that it would lead him towards his new style of life. Although his creation isn’t his primary motivation, it opens up his eyes about other aspects of life that are missing from his lifestyle. Equality himself, and his curiosity are his own primary motivation, he has the right to be motivated in this way because his curiosity is what ables his mind to wonder what his life could be like if it wasn’t controlled by other people.

Equality’s curious thoughts about his controlling society lead him to

ponder about what his life would be like if he had the capability to make his own decisions. His everyday life was to get up, work and follow the laws that his strict society set for every person under their authority. His curious mind is what opened up his eyes to what potential his life had. “It was not that learning was too hard for us. It was that learning was too easy. This is a great sin to be born with a head that is too quick” (Rand 21). He was intelligent and strong, which were inferior characteristics in his society, due to the fact that the council strived for everyone to be equal. In order to view the world around him freely, his main objective was to be accepted by the Home of the Scholars. Sadly, because he was more curious than his brothers, he was given a life long job of street sweeping. “This is the only thing which moved, for the lips of the oldest did not move as they said: “Street-Sweeper”” (Rand 26). He was content with his job, based off of the thought that he had sinned and now was atoning for it. Equality had no idea that there was nothing wrong with being a curious person, but put himself down anyways for “sinning”.
The question stands, did Equality have the right to be motivated by his own curiosity?

He had every right to let his mind wander outside the barriers that were put up by the council and all other forms of authority. His curiosity and new occupation led him to find a tunnel where he can study and do as he pleases, unwatched and uncontrolled. Equality then creates his main creation, electricity or the light bulb. This makes him wonder what else he can create if he sets his mind to it. “We Equality, have discovered a new power of nature. And we have discovered it alone, and we are alone to know it” (Rand 52). Although he can’t tell anyone about his new invention, it gives him the confidence that he can create more without the council finding out. If Equality encountered a different mindset in Anthem, the storyline would be completely different. His curious mindset is like how food gives people energy, it gives him the energy to continue studying the Unmentionable Times and why his society is the way it is. Equality’s curiosity led him to form his new creation, electricity. Today’s world uses electricity like it has always been around, very different from

Equality’s.
If today’s world were motivated the same way Equality was, there would be more creations and inventions everyday. In other words, he was motivated to create and form new things based on his curious thoughts about society. The world today has riots, protests and many other negative activities going on. Once everyone had the same sense of motivation that Equality does, there would be new machines, cures and other new, helpful creations. Also, some people in society today, feel as if they aren’t smart enough to even think about making something that could help the whole world. Having curiosity like Equality's would motivate them to think about making something new. Everything would be so much easier based off of the new creations brought to the world, that could help everyone. The people would be kinder, happier and there would be very little negativity left in the world thanks to the new inventions that would bring new opportunities to everybody. For example, if someone found a cure for all diseases, more lives would be inspired to help others create more. Lifespans would grow larger, unlike Equality’s society where people would die between ages forty and forty-five. After using his curiosity to discover his own invention, he was motivated to find out and create more.
All in all, Equality’s curiosity motivated him to do and discover new things. His world had been flipped upside down in the best way possible. His life went from being controlled by other people, unable to make his own decisions in life, to using his curiosity to discover a place where he could study and create inventions of his own. His curious thoughts made his world a hundred times more interesting and impacted his life by making it better than ever. Equality’s world had been changed by his own mind, which led to a life long of new inventions and uncontrolled decisions.