Character Analysis of Equality 7-2521 in Ayn Rand's 'Anthem'

Equality 7-2521 aspires to be a self-proclaimed individual. In the novella, Anthem, Ayn Rand discusses of a dystopian society in which every man and women are set equal to each other. Equality is damned by the World Council after a discovery of light and electricity, and a contradictory belief in individualism. Freedom is an essential factor in the happiness of man. Equality is scorned for his different looks, mental competence, and independent beliefs but laughs when he recognizes that he should be glorified for understanding that his perception of life leads to contentment.
Equality 7-2521 is damned because his mental and physical attributes differ from those living among him. Equality is frowned up by his superiors who tell him that, “there

is evil in [his] bones..for [his] body has grown far beyond the bodies of [his] brothers” (Rand 18). Standing at nearly six feet tall, Equality towers above all other men and women, making him stand out as an individual. His teachers view this negatively and feel as though his abnormal height is a passageway for evil to seep into his body, even though height is a genetic trait that cannot be controlled or altered. Additionally, being born with a quick mind has made learning “too easy” for Equality (Rand 20). Each individual in the Home of Scholars is expected to have minds, memories, and learning abilities that all work at the same speed. But Equality violates this uniformity by being able to learn and retain new information more efficiently. Since Equality has a differing nature and appearance from the rest of society, he is perceived as a threat, therefore being banished. The World Council is too ignorant to realize that his abnormalities lead to individuality which separates one from society leading to overall happiness and success.
Furthermore, Equality 7-2521 ironically snickers at the thought of being damned because of the happiness and relief that he undergoes while subsisting on his own.

As Equality stops to devour the supper he caught, he notices a, “great satisfaction to be found in the food by which we obtain by our own hand” (Rand 80). For once, Equality puts the hunting skill he possesses to use, and the pleasure that comes with consuming an adequate meal made completely by him is far beyond that of meals prepared by others. And by residing in the Uncharted Forest, Equality experiences joy because he essentially is free and can pursue tasks he desires, like hunting, at any time. Furthermore, as Equality proceeds through his day he, “walks on til the sun had set” (Rand 80). Equality now does not have to conform his life to regulations, such as having a curfew, set by the World Council of Scholars. He has the power to choose where he wants to settle and the time at which he must be home, a decision that would not be left up to him back in the city. Ultimately, Equality for the first time broke the chains of uniformity that bound him since birth, and because of this he scoffs at the idiocy of the Scholars to realize that true happiness is achieved through liberty, not

rules.
Moreover, Equality 7-2521 lives in a society that believes that satisfaction comes from a collectivist culture over one that values independence. From an early age, it has been instilled in Equality’s brain that, “[he] is nothing. Mankind is all” (Rand 21). Individuality essentially does not exist in this type of civilization, and things are done in such a way that keeps everyone on the same playing field by not putting anyone a pedestal. But only after being banished and taking a look at this inhumane way of life from an outside perspective is when Equality realizes that absolutely zero happiness comes forth from it. Likewise, after rising from the slumber spent in the Uncharted Forest, Equality wishes to remain still and “thought [he] could lie as long as [he] wished” which made him “laugh aloud at the thought” (Rand 78). Equality finally was able to get a glimpse of what life without control looks like. He left his city doomed and brokenhearted, and awoke with vibrance and elation, ready to conquer at his own rate under his own rules. Equality for once experienced genuine joy after separation from the authoritarian ways of his previous community.
Equality 7-2521 is the only one in his society with the mental capacity to comprehend that the sought after well-being is not obtained by rules and similarity, but by individuality and self discovery. Equality is physically not like his brothers, but he can still appreciate the joy that comes with thinking for yourself, something that the World Council cannot grasp. Through Equality’s struggles and discovery of life and freedom, Ayn Rand wishes to demonstrate that just because a large group of people have the same mindset, does not mean that that way of thinking is one more beneficial to the good of the people.