Chapter Summary Of 'Anthem' by Ayn Rand

Chapter 1-

The books starts out with someone writing a journal, he states that it is a sin to write what he is writing because it is a sin to have any thoughts that any of the others do not think. His name is Equality7-2521 and he always refers to himself as “we” or “us”. He explain how he and his “friend”, even though preference of one person over another is not permitted by the Council, find an old tunnel wile doing there job sweeping the street behind the theater. He tells Internationl4-8818 (his friend) to promise not to tell anyone about the tunnel. In this journal he tells how he was different growing up because he was smart, and would question things until his teachers forbade it. He explained how he wanted to be assigned to the Home of Scholars, who developed all the technology for the society, which would be his job for the rest of his life. Instead he was assigned to the House of Street Sweepers.

Chapter 2-

Equality7-2521 falls in love with a girl he sees working in a field for the House of Peasants. He calls her Golden One and learns her name is Liberty5-3000. He says how beautiful she is the first time he saw her. The day after they work closer to each other, they do not speak but they do gesture to get one another’s attention. After a few days they talk and begin to flirt. He tells her she is beautiful and she says she hopes he is not one of her brothers, and he says he hopes she is not one of his sisters. She makes him think of the City Place of Mating, where mature people are sent once a year to have sex with an assigned person, he is mad at the thought of seeing her there, but then finds out she is only 17, too young to go. Afterwards he is sent to the Council for singing out of joy, they asked why he sung and he said he sings because he is happy. They tell him he should be happy because he lives with his brothers. He thinks about what happy is and realizes his brothers are sad. Then he starts talking about the Unspeakable Word, that once said is punishable by death. He says someone being burned alive for saying the Unspeakable Word and said his face was not in pain, but he looked like a saint.