In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the society in which Equality 7-2521 and his fellow brothers live is one where all must be the same. The epitome of an altruistically collectivist society, it not only discourages but punishes any deviance whatsoever from the standard man. It is a widely accepted belief in this society that “We exist through, by and for our brothers who are the State” (21). Equality 7-2521 has been taught this from birth, and knows well the values of his civilization. However, Equality 7-2521 was always different. He was “born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts which are forbidden … We know that we are evil, but there is no will in us and no power to resist it. This is our wonder and our secret fear, that we know and do not resist” (18). Every day he explores a mysterious tunnel that seems to have been left from the Unmentionable Times, a forbidden age long …show more content…
He has been deprived of the essential right of all men to be himself. He was not living, but simply surviving. Making the type of discovery that he did was unheard of in his society, and by doing so he frees himself from the ideological shackles he has been in. The world would be a much better place if everyone was motivated like this. Competition is a healthy part of all scientific development, and the growth mindset associated with an individualistic motivation to succeed has been proven in many cases to cause great success. Competition can help in all fields, even ones like space transportation where different companies (SpaceX, Orbital ATK, etc) compete to get a contract. Cooperation is virtuous when voluntary, but corrupt when compulsory. A historical example is the Soviet Union, where mandatory equality caused oppression. In Anthem, Equality 7-2521’s joy comes from not an unconditional desire to live for his brothers but instead a longing for individual achievement and discovery; a core facet of the human
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a world where everyone was forced to be exactly alike? Well in Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem she directly confronts this topic through the main character named Equality 7-2521. Equality 7-2521 faces challenges directly relating to the issue that the government has been trying to address for many years. Equality 7-2521 is not like his brothers, he is smarter, wiser and even taller, therefore, his brothers think that he has “evil in his bones” (Rand 18). The book Anthem is the firsthand account of how Equality 7-2521 finds the word “I” amongst the word “We”. He does not agree with these rules that the government has put into place, these are the rules that held him back for a time, but in the end, pushed him forward to be his own person.
Equality 7-2521 is rebellious. If a person is rebellious, he shows a desire to resist authority. This authority is most commonly a government that runs its territory in a way which the rebellious person does not support. Rebellious people argue for changing or replacing this authority because they often view it as corrupt or ineffective. Due to their desire for change, these people are often the most dangerous to governments that wish to retain power and control. Equality 7-2521 shows this desire to defy authority in Anthem. The society that he lives in forbids writing unless it is first approved by the Council of Vocations. However, he has done exactly
In the book Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 had never seen his physical appearance. He was surprised to see such a strong individual staring at him. One day after escaping into the woods, he finally met himself at a flowing stream and gained new confidence. This was an essential part of the theme of "Anthem." This shows how Equality finally found himself as an "I" in order to help others see themselves as an "I." This is an important part of "Anthem" since it reveals Equality 7-2521's determination, bravery, and development as a person.
A society where people lack individualism and the government has suppressive control, ultimately restrains its citizens. Those who rebel from oppressive authority and redefine themselves are those who remain unconquered. To be unconquered is to be uncontrollable, undefined, and in no form abide by social normality. In the poem, “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley, and the novella Anthem, by Ayn Rand both protagonist, Invictus and Equality portray determination and vigor.
In the tale, this thought drives the entire actions of Equality 7-2521 as he progresses in his attempt to become an individual. His happiness is not satisfied when he must share it universally with all men. Not every man can be as happy as the next, and therefore the forced brotherhood of all men will only deplete the spirits of those who are successful. In Anthem, Rand tells of Equality's joy when he "discovers" electricity. At that moment he knows that the joy of discovery is only his to relish, and that it cannot be shared or manipulated by any other man. In that regard, his own well-being is the end of his striving; he has fulfilled his wishes. To say that his happiness was only the means to, say, world peace would be to abolish his status ...
Ayn Rand, in Anthem, illustrates a futuristic, socialist society. In the novel, Rand destroys any sense of individuality and describes the social setbacks endured after living ‘only for the brotherhood’. The individual person fails to exist and is but a ‘we’ and recognized by a word and a series of numbers rather than a name. Additionally, she describes the horrors encountered within this different system of life: from reproduction methods to punishments. Through the life of Equality 7-2521, Rand demonstrates a person’s journey from obedience to exile in this socialist society. Throughout the entire novel, Rand criticizes Marxist theory as she demonstrates socialism’s failure to suppress revolution, thwart material dialectic, and its detriment to humanity.
Equality deserves the right to be motivated in his own way, and the people in the world today would or would not benefit from being motivated in all the same ways. Firstly, the main character was creating electricity to finally be added into the House of Scholars. Next, he deserves the right to be motivated in this way because he is his own person. Finally, in today’s world if everyone was motivated in the same way we would not be our own person anymore. In conclusion, every man has his own
At the start of Anthem, Equality is a collectivist who knows there is something wrong with the world he lives in. This allows him to evolve into an individualist. Equality says , “It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil. It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears but our own” (Rand 17). Equality admits he has committed a transgression and hopes to be forgiven. Equality, at this moment, is living to the standards of others because he lives in a society where no man is to think differently than another. This contradicts Rand’s philosophy because she says that a man is entitled to his own happiness and that you are in charge of it, but since Equality is living to the rules of his society, he cannot find his own happiness, for he is almost forbidden to do so. Likewise, it states in the text, “I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man’s soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet” (Rand 96). Equality realizes that he is not to live nor commit himself to the standards of others. He has come to the understanding, as Ayn Rand says in her interview, “That he cannot demand that others give up their lives to make him happy, nor should he wish to sacrifice himself for the happiness of others.” Equality finds his own happiness because he has found himself, and he has learned that he cannot put his happiness in the hands of others nor put the happiness of others in his own hands. This allowed him to find himself, and to find
In a year that remains undefined beneath a small city lit only by candles, a young man is working. He works without the council to guide him and without his brothers beside him. He works for his own purposes, for his own desires, for the dreams that were born in his own steady heart and bright mind. In his society, this is the greatest transgression. To stand alone is to stand groping in the dark, and to act alone is to be shamed by one’s own selfishness. The elegantly simple society that Ayn Rand has created in the novel Anthem has erased all segregation and discrimination by making every man one and the same with those around him; only Equality 7-2521 defies the norm with his ruthless
It is this dysfunctional world that Equality 7-2521 is born into. The novel begins with Equality 7-2521 alone in a dark tunnel transcribing his story. He begins with a declaration that “It is a sin to write this… [because] men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so” (Rand, 17). Equality 7-2521 writes that he was born with a curse: He is different than the other men in his society. He laments that “the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be born with a head too quick” (Rand, 21). From the youngest age children were taught that ability is a vice, not a virtue. They were to be embarrassed of their superiority because “it is not good to be different from our brothers” (Rand, 21). Equality 7-2521 writes that he tried to stifle this fault but was unable to do so.
One man never gets to feel the sense of accomplishment that comes from doing things by or for himself. All will have been done collectively for him, thus something fundamental is missing from his life. This can be likened to the pride Equality 7-2521 feels after hunting and preparing his own food in the forest (Rand, 1946, p. 63). He finds happiness in doing things for himself. This idea can be found in many instances, such as while he is studying in the tunnel (Rand, 1946, p. 30). The invention he makes there becomes so important to him that he is willing to be beaten and later leave everything behind in order to protect it, and such is a testament to his desire for independence and strides toward acting on his own
He was able to say that he alone did this or whatever he put his mind too. He did not have to associate himself with others but could say he did it alone. He also realized that he did not have to worry about his other brothers because he that it is more to a brother than just following their rules but being able to discuss things went them and being able to make your own decisions. His also changed his name from Equality 7-2521 to Prometheus and Golden Ones’ to Gaea. Equality learned what it means to have something that yours. He proved that it does not take everyone to do something. a. He had to accept his way of thinking and turn it into something that he thought could make things better. That took determination to stay strong and the diligence to keep going. That why you have to keep your mind open and do not give up when it seem people are against
In the book Anthem the society has numerous rules put in place in the name of their safety. They are taught from birth that the rules exist to protect them and ensure sure they live for each other and not for themselves. However, the purpose of these rules is to oppress their individuality. The rules remove what makes them who they are. It is easier to control people that have nothing to fight for than it is to control those who have even the slightest reason to fight. These rules are unsuccessful with Equality. He finds his individuality and becomes his own man. Equality decides to build his own society and this time he gets to decide the rules.
In Anthem, Ayn Rand depicts Equality 7-2521 as a man whose intelligence surpasses that of his brothers. In the Home of the Students, Equality’s performance portrays a significant difference from his brothers’ learning capabilities. However, Equality lives in a collective society in which the Council of Vocations forbids one to have a higher level of intelligence than his brothers, for it is a sin to be intellectually superior to them. “It was not that the learning was too hard for us,” Equality explains. “It was that the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be born with a head which is too quick…The Teachers told us so, and they frowned when they looked upon us” (21). The society finds Equality’s outstanding academic performance to
American chemist and author, Linus Pauling once stated, “Satisfaction of one's curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.” In other words, by acting upon impulses of curiosity, one can achieve happiness. As for Equality 7-2521, the protagonist in Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem, this claim may hold true. Equality is a teenage boy living in a dystopian society, where the concepts of freedom and individual rights are eliminated. Society is controlled by the World Council of Scholars, who ensure that no individual stands out to maintain sameness. However, sameness can never be achieved because Equality always stands out, for he is intellectually and physically advanced compared to his fellow brothers. Equality’s different characteristics