Comparing Collectivism In Ayn Rand's Anthem And Catch-22

Without a system of government or leadership, the world would crumble into an anarchic chaos, leading to a dangerous environment for its citizens. However, often times governing bodies lean the other direction, with laws and enforcement so strict its people become oppressed. The novels Anthem and Catch-22 by Ayn Rand and Joseph Heller explore the fine line between anarchies and oppressive dystopias in their books about two men and their struggle against their governments. Ayn Rand, staunchly against collectivism in her own life, wrote the allegory Anthem to reflect her anti-collective sentiment. In Anthem, the central character, Equality 7-2521, describes growing up in a collectivist society at an unspecified point in the future in his secret,

and illegal, journal. In this society, all personality is relinquished to the rulers, singular pronouns are banned, and people are split into houses based on occupation to maintain order and reinforce the strict set of legal codes everyone is required to follow. Equality 7-2521 chronicles the struggles he faces with the Council, the ruling body, and his meeting of Liberty-3000, a farmer in the House of the Peasants and the female protagonist. Joseph Heller’s novel, Catch-22 is a similar story, but takes place in Europe during World War II. The main character, Yossarian, is a captain in the 256th squadron of the Air Force, but despises his missions and dreams of being released home, leading to issues between him and his superiors. Throughout the story, Heller reveals corruption in the government and the restrictions it often places on the individual, causing conflicts in the story and exposing problems with collective-style governments. These two authors seem to have a similar purpose in describing a conflict between the main characters and the hierarchical systems that enforce them. The novels Anthem by Ayn Rand and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller demonstrate the flaws in the collective, due the fact that it restricts citizens’ freedoms, often destroying individualism and personal ideas.
The strict set of social and legal codes implemented by the ruling systems in Anthem creates an environment of constant fear that one might be breaking one of the rules, causing the citizens to be more conservative and therefore restricting themselves.

A fear of punishment causes the public to act cautiously and not take potentially beneficial risks. For example, while Equality 7-2521 is working a new invention, the light bulb, in his secret cellar, he is constantly afraid of his punishment and what they might do to if he is discovered. He describes his secretive work as a “supreme transgression” and a “crime of crimes hidden…under the ground” (Rand 20). The fear of punishment may have led him to not follow his scientific curiousity or share his invention with his community, consequently harming everyone and further proving the collective is destroying a personal idea and freedom of expression. Moreover, a fear of standing out in an otherwise equal and regulated society forces people to conform to a specific standard. Throughout the novel, Equality is persecuted for being too tall, too smart, et cetera, rather than being accepted and appreciated for his differences, which eventually contribute to his success. He explains, it “is a great sin, to be born with a head which is too quick” (Rand 21). Although Equality’s intelligence leads him to new innovations and eventual success, the collective in Anthem believes that any deviation from the norm, even a positive one, is wrong,

and discriminates against these individuals. All of these fears cause constant stress in the lives of the individuals, so in addition to restricting their personal freedoms, collectivism is also detrimental to their general well-being.
The fast-paced and dangerous environment created by the war and the leadership of the men leads to a perpetual feeling of terror, causing the troops to limit their actions and individuality in order to stay alive. In Catch-22, Yossarian hates flying missions because of the potential death he faces each time he goes out. He describes his experience on one of the missions, saying “his heart was hammering against his chest and arching in terror” (Heller 170). Consequently, the fear these missions cause force Yossarian to associate a hatred with them. In addition, even though Yossarian’s missions are intended to bomb cities and contribute positively to the American war effort, his intentions are much different because of the fear the missions create. Due to Yossarian’s fear, he decides “his only mission each time he went up was to come down alive”, a goal much different than his leaders had in mind (Heller 33). The fear instilled in him by having to confront his mortality every time he flies leads to prioritize survival over success, hurting his generals. Walter McDonald agrees, claiming Yossarian “deserves to escape, deserves better surely than the tragic end...justified also by this American code of individualism” (McDonald). Rather than be killed in one of the many combat missions Yossarian is forced to fly, he should be able to follow his own spirit and be freed from the restrictive government tasks, which rob him of his individualism by only allowing him to follow his leaders’ orders, rather than his own interests. The terrifying combat missions the soldiers are forced to fly on, which may benefit the collective efforts, hurt the troops involved by instilling a constant fear in them, leading to them being more conservative with their actions and limiting individualism to stay alive.
By manufacturing a lack of freedom in the employment fields, the government system in Anthem restrict personal talents, goals, and potential advances in the fields they desire to pursue.

Due to harsh rules and regulations, most or all employees are unable to select their jobs, leading to a decreased sense of freedom in the employment sector. Additionally, because of the government selecting peoples’ jobs rather than themselves, they are often dissatisfied with the job they end up with and become unhappy or unsuccessful. When Equality was young, he always dreamed of joining the coveted Council of Scholars, and he was qualified to do so, thinking “we wished to be sent to the Home of the Scholars” (Rand 24). However, since the government did not tolerate Equality’s differences, like his height or talents, he was instead chosen to be a street sweeper, making him extremely depressed. In this scene, the Council decides “Street Sweeper”, and Equality “felt the cords of [his] neck grow tight”, reflecting his grief and sadness (Rand 26). After the decision, Equality is extremely disappointed and his dreams are crushed when he is not chosen to be in the Home of the Scholars. His personality and individuality are stifled as a Street Sweeper and his talents are not used to their full extent. Furthermore, placing someone in a job they aren’t suited for or are not as skilled at as others may have been can be harmful to the collective. For example, Equality would have been much more

helpful and it would have been better for his town if he had been in a job tailored to his strengths. Because of the government’s controlling role in their citizens’ employment process, freedom and choice are destroyed by the elimination of free job selection.