Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Collectivism and individualism at the fountainhead
Collectivism and individualism at the fountainhead
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Collectivism and individualism at the fountainhead
In The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand achieves in giving her characters such powerful personalities and depth that the reader can actually fall in love with their fictional thoughts and souls. The love story that takes place between Howard Roark and Dominique Francon is disparate than any other that has been written before. Although Dominique loves Howard Roark, she seeks to destroy him throughout the book and Rand leaves us with the lingering question; why?
Howard Roark is selfish and the most hard headed individualist in the book. Although he has the talent and power to create, he refuses to build anything for anyone but himself; it must be exactly how he wants it to be with no alterations. He is the author’s version of an ideal man and an example of free will; quite the opposite of Peter Keating. He is an independent character who doesn’t change in the slightest bit throughout all of the hardships he endures. Rand illustrates Roark’s individuality by emphasizing his hostility for institutions. He gets expelled from the Stanton Institute because his designs are too different and he refuses to conform to the conventional standards. Keating finally convinces him to work at Francon & Heyer, a conventional design firm, but Roark is entirely uninterested and begins to work for the individualistic Henry Cameron. At the Stoddard Temple trial, Roark puts astonishing little effort to win the case. The legal system is irrelevant to him and he cares only to defend the integrity of his work. He also cares very little about marriage because it is an unnecessary formality. He is hardly concerned when Dominique informs him that she had married Keating because he sees no point in becoming jealous over something so meaningless.
Dominique Francon is ...
... middle of paper ...
...d that does not appreciate Roark. The same night, Dominique tells Roark that she loves him for the first time. The marriage between her and Keeting is a scam and lasts a short amount of time. Dominique then decides to marry Gail Wynand, who is a character very similar to Roark, varying only in the fact that he depends on the public in order to be successful. Roark loves Wynand, but again commits adultery with Dominique because he loves her and cares about no values but his own.
Dominque loves Roark because he reaches his highest potential. However, her pessimism drives her to the despairing belief that he has no chance to succeed in a world utterly hostile to him. In an attempt to wreck Roark’s career, she joins forces with Ellsworth Toohey. He must die at her hand, because she is the one who loves him, rather than by the hand of a society that envies his greatness.
Describing archetypes are an easy way to allow yourself to connect with the character of whatever book you're reading. Many authors use this method to develop their character. In the book “Anthem” by Ayn Rand the author talks in third person limited knowing the thoughts and feelings of Equality 7-2521. Ayn rand was a very intelligent author who was able to make Equality’s qualities very subtle, Equality goes through many big struggles; which bring out his archetypes. I depict Equality as a young individual, scholar, and rebellious man. These archetypes are shown in many ways, and are portrayed without a doubt, but it does take a keen eye to catch the foreshadowing and infasicsim.
In the novel, Anthem, written by Ayn Rand takes place when mankind has entered another dark age. A man named Equality 7-2521 lives in a society where he struggles to live equal within the brotherhood. In the world he lives in people are told they exist only for the sake of serving society, and have no other purpose. Therefore, each individual is assigned a vocation as a permanent life career which determines who they socialize and live with. However, Equality being very different from his brothers, believes in individualism and rejects the collectivism society around him. The concept of individualism vs collectivism is portrayed in the story because individuality is unknown to the people where no one is unique or excellent in any way. The people
Anthem, by Ayn Rand, is a very unique novel. It encircles individualism and makes the reader think of how people can conform to society and do as they are told without knowing the consequences and results of their decisions. Also, it teaches the importance of self expression and the freedom that comes along with being your own person and having the power to choose what path to take in life. Figurative language is used often in this book and in a variety of quotes that have great importance to the theme, plot, and conflict of the novel.
Ayn Rand, a contentious woman, the new favorite author to multiple people’s list. People who have read her magnificent book, Anthem, understand how exquisite and meaningful her words are. Books like Anthem are worth reading because it gives the reader more knowledge about controversial topics and it takes the reader to experience new places and new adventures. Equality, the main character, is a symbol. He represents many people today, living in countries like his society. Equality has to find his true identity first before helping the others. People are not allowed to believe in individualism, they should not have a identity of their own. Each person has a monotone routine to follow every single day of their lives. Each step a person takes
Ayn Rand’s Anthem is about a man who overcomes the pressures of society to remain uniform, and breaks barriers in technology thanks to his individuality and hunger for more knowledge. The theme of the value of individuality in Anthem is developed through Equality 7-2521’s desperate need for knowledge, Equality 7-2521’s creation of the lightbulb, and Equality 7-2521 discovery of the word “I”.
Ayn Rand’s Anthem is a politically satirical novel is set in a future society that is so highly collectivized that the word “I” has been banned. The world is governed by various councils who believe that man’s sole reason for existence is to enforce the Great Truth “that all men are one and that there is no will save the will of all men together” (Rand, 20). Any indication of an individual’s independent spirit is swiftly and brutally put down, with the transgressors being punished with severe prison sentences or even death.
In Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, children are often seen living apart from their families. Unfortunately, it’s not their choice, but society is set up such that they are made to live apart. Children are forced to live like this because dictatorial leaders are committed to collectivism. Collectivism is an emphasis on collective rather than individual action or identity. Leaders enforce the separation between parents and children in order to maintain collectivism and ultimately have complete control over the children. You and I do not exist; government deems it so. We are one, a single body functioning for the collective good of society. Ayn Rand’s Anthem speaks to this collectivist doctrine while highlighting the implicit contradictions that impede its successful implementation.
Anthem by Ayn Rand is a soul-shifting and mind-blowing novella that explores the dangers of a collective, dystopian society. As a man named Equality 7-2521 stumbles through life, he realizes that he has a burning desire to learn and explore, traits discouraged by the society he lives in. In the City, there are many rules, and all of them shadow the idea that “we are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE. One, indivisible, and forever.” (3) Equality 7-2521, with his passion for learning and science, slowly breaks away from this iron rule set by society, and in doing so, learns of the importance of individualism and freedom. In Anthem, Rand’s use of literary devices such as symbolism, characterization, and imagery help develop and present the tone of the importance of individuality and the dangers of a collective society.
The word collectivism often makes people cringe. Overall, there is a general fear of not being able to make personal decisions in America. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, collectivism can be defined as; emphasis on collective rather than individual action or identity (“Collectivism”). In Anthem, Ayn Rand describes an extreme collectivist society. Although Anthem’s society seems extremely surreal, aspects of its collectivist society closely mirror today’s society.
There has always been a slight anxiety of being alone or standing alone. Students rarely want to admit to having an answer different from the rest of their classmates; some people do not want to go somewhere and do something by themselves. Notably, with more shy or anxious people, they will often stick around someone they know, so they will not be alone in the crowd. Although that company might help them make it through those nerve-wracking moments, when is the right time for them to walk alone? Should a person ever walk alone? In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, Equality’s internal conflict of conformity versus individuality plays a role that Equality needs to overcome in order to complete their quest for freedom which helps create their outcast archetype and gives significance to the final word of the novel.
Anthem is a short novelette written by Ayn Rand in 1937 and vividly expresses the Rand’s beliefs in praising the human being’s ego and rationalism that never changed during her life. From the literary point of view, Anthem could be compared with Neil Peart’s 2112 album as its basis can be observed in the song. Both works show a grim vision of a world of dark ages in the future where their main characters suffer from lack of free choice and struggle to find out their individuality in a fearful and ignorance society. Since there are many similarities between the novel and the song, this paper will compare and discuss the conflicts, discoveries, accomplishments, and the common theme of both works that involve the protagonists in their way to individualism and
Ayn Rand’s True Philosophy, and the People and Events Who Show It. “I worship individuals for their highest possibilities as individuals, and I loathe humanity, for its failure to live up to these possibilities.” (Ayn Rand). Ayn’s novel lives up to these possibilities by expressing her hope for independence and individuality in the world. Freedom can only be achieved by man’s own ability to think, feel, make choices, and form their own judgement, and that is exactly what the novel is about.
Ayn Rand’s Anthem is the story of a man’s journey to find freedom in a world based on equality. The novel’s protagonist, Prometheus, tries to find the meaning of his life. As he obtains independence and begins to care less about the laws, Prometheus also uncovers the power of his own mind. Prometheus learns the turpitude of the city and escapes from it. By the end of the novel, Prometheus becomes a true man. In leading Prometheus on his journey to find freedom, Anthem accompanies the bad side of collectivism by depicting a society of people, subdued under the needs of the common good. The rejections in his idea of electricity powering the city lead to Prometheus to the path of independence. Prometheus always broke
She is not quite as carefree and unburdened as the present day Sarah, who flits back and forth between her two suitors while seeming beholden to neither of them. However, Sarah is almost androgynous at times, with her less quintessentially feminine attire and pipe-smoking; with her refusal to conform to societal expectations and settle down with one boy or the other, she appears the perfect modern woman. But this accolade truly belongs to Marianne; at the beginning of the film, Marianne is relying on Isak to be her transportation to Lund and is quite literally a secondary character, a passenger, in their conveyance there. Abruptly, Marianne begins to be the driver, as Isak gets lost in his memories; it is she who tosses the bickering couple out of the car. She has decided her path: to keep the child, regardless of the repercussions the decision has on her marriage. In the end, Evald reluctantly accepts the child in an effort to stay with Marianne. This does not necessarily qualify as a happy ending for the couple; their continued union, in fact, seems quite tentative. However, Marianne’s relationship with Isak has improved tremendously; as he comes to terms with the mistakes of his past, she is able to recognize his genuine contrition and forgive him for how he has treated his son, and by extension,
He in the course of the narrative is initially introduced with word of his conflict with the Coast Guard of Delaware Bay, followed by women’s gasp at his mere presence. This introduction handily represents, in definitive Rand fashion, the belligerent relationship between the governmental authority, general society, and Ragnar. Moreover, it signifies their relationship to the philosophical principle he personifies as well as manifests in the world. Ragnar orates on his love, “Because my only love, the only value I care to live for, is that which has never been loved by the world, has never won recognition or friends or defenders: human ability” in the way that Atlas Shrugged characters are so wont. “The steel shipped across the Atlantic by the Bureau of Global Relief had not reached the People's State of Germany.