Dystopian Society In The Handmaid's Tale

Dystopian novels are used to convey themes and ideas that revolve around societal control. 1984, The Handmaiden’s Tale, and The Maze Runner; these are all examples of dystopian societies, which clearly, and expressedly convey the idea of extreme government controls, and its effects. Anthem, attempts to convey the idea of government control but falls short in the actual execution. Anthem lacks the ability to properly convey the theme, because its main points are repeated excessively, the societal control in the novel is taken to an extreme, and no reasonable explanation is given for these extremes, which makes the entire book less believable and unrealistic.

Anthem for such a short novel, is ridiculously repetitive. Exaggerated use of the

word we, not only makes the novel harder to understand, but also drives home a point that is unnecessary. It attempts to demonstrate how deeply this society is entrenched in the idea of the “collective”. However, the entire book does that. “What is not done collectively, cannot be good” (Rand 73).
Basing an entire society on this premise, a sure way to decimate any advancements that could have been made.

This point is made multiple times throughout the novel. The individual is perceived as evil. The word I is unknown. Everyone works in groups, without communication. Everyone has a number, not a name. As Arthur Koestler stated, “This point is made ad nauseam in Ayn Rand's execrably written but mercifully brief dystopian fiction, Anthem” (208). In reference to the idea of collectivism, Koestler points out both the problem and its severity. Repetition in a long novel, over three hundred pages, or so, is less of a problem. In those cases, some repetition can be useful. However, when the story is only around one hundred pages, a theme repeated ad nauseam is not helpful, rather a downright hindrance. The repetition of a theme which is overstated and unrealistic in it’s portrayal of a functioning society, sends a very unbelievable message, and makes the reader very unlikely to feel the need for strong development of individualism or objectivism because the extreme scenario doesn’t seem

possible.
The entire society in the novel, is a gross exaggeration of a possible collectivist society. No one remembers the word I. No one questions any orders given. No one has opinions, or friends or special abilities. In no reality could a society like this function. “It is forbidden,” (Rand 31). The people living in this society have been conditioned to an extreme of which it is unlikely the human psyche could last very long. Equality tries to get one of his fellow workers to come with him down into the bunker, and he replies with a conditioned response (Rand 32). Humans require some form of socialization and stimulation to be healthy. This society, could simply not function the way it is depicted. The society also, has regressed back to a dark age, where candles are used for light, cars been forgotten, and it more closely resembles a pre-Renaissance society, than a modern one. Even if major disasters had decimated most of the world’s population, the likeliness of almost every major modern advancement being forgotten, is slim to none. It simply doesn't make any sense that people just up and forgot about electricity and transportation and modern weapons. While all of this exaggeration probably served a purpose in her mind, it does not do so on paper. “Ayn Rand believed that an individual's pursuit of his own rational self-interest and happiness is life's highest moral purpose.” (Taneja). The idea of self interest being the highest moral purpose, is exaggerated a great deal, by showing what it is like when no one acts for themselves. Rand’s attempt at this persuasion, however, falls short, because it seems plausible to no one. Everything in the novel is exaggerated to a point beyond belief.
In addition to the repetition and exaggeration, the overall unrealistic characteristics of the novel, (both exaggeration and repetition play a part in this), renders her delivery of her ideals to be completely inadequate.
... a dystopia located in an unspecified future dark age in which society has complete control over the lives of its citizens. The children are brought up by the state, identified by numbers and subsequently classified and assigned suitable vocations in the interest of the state. The first-person singular I is forbidden in the City. Individuals have no right to "think" for themselves, nurture innate tendencies, or make choices. (Taneja)
The idea that people could learn to not think, and simply to function based on orders, is extremely implausible and unrealistic.

Even in chattel slavery, where people are considered objects and degraded constantly, they retained the ability of basic thought. Though they had few choices, they could still make some, their humanity was never completely taken from them, it is impossible to remove the human instinct from the human. Maybe, had the society been more advanced or technological, it would be more conceivable. But, in its depicted state, the level of obedience and weak will is simply not possible. All of these factors, make the reader less likely to empathize with the characters or their problems because it simply isn’t imaginable to anyone living in this day and age. Also, the idea that Equality and Liberty just happened to stumble on a house in the woods containing individualist ideas is insane. Supposedly the world had been so destroyed that huge losses of knowledge occurred. No one remembered the word I. Then, suddenly a house appears with all of this information? The world Rand created, this seems impossible. In this house they discover, “The sacred word: EGO” (Rand 105). Not only is it unlikely that they should find the house at all, but that they are able to grasp understanding of concepts they have never heard of. How does a man who referred to himself with the word we, and a man lacking in basic education understand a concept that baffles people today? The

thought that he could understand the idea of an ego isn’t realistic in the slightest. The idea of an or the ego, is an irrational concept. All of the exaggeration, repetition and general nonsensicalness of the book, make Rand’s point of the value of the self, seem unimportant, and downright confusing.
To sum up Anthem in a word, irrational. The entire plot and background of the story is irrational. The setting could not truly happen, and survive anywhere, for any length of time. The characters, are brainwashed to an implausible extreme, but yet, when the time comes, they are capable of understanding complex concepts of which they have no prior knowledge of. Repetition, of the idea of the “evil collective” practically hits you over the head again and again. Almost every detail is exaggerated to radical proportions and contributes to the unbelievability of the novel. Finally, the overall believability of the novel is poor, which creates a hole in the fourth wall for the reader, making it very unlikely that Rand got her point across effectively. So, unfortunately, the idea of objectivism, is not truly conveyed in this attempt at political literature.