Individualism And Collectivism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Individualism and collectivism are two different, controversial social theories. The theory of individualism favors the freedom of action over the control of a state. On the contrary, the theory of collectivism favors the group and security of state control over individual actions. Politically, the novel Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, depicts a completely collectivist society. The state controls every aspect of the citizens’ lives. These aspects range from the occupation of the individual to an individual’s free actions. To quote The Soul of the Collectivist, “If you learn how to rule one single man’s soul, you can get the rest of mankind. It’s the soul Peter, the soul.” The rulers of the collectivist society have one goal: to control one’s action

to the extent that an individual becomes mindless and dependant upon the group or state to provide for his or her needs. This allows for the state to rule the collective group like a sheepherder rules a flock of sheep and thus rule “the rest of mankind”. This social theory is often advocated for in today’s society by politicians and other leaders alike. Anthem allows the reader to see how extreme forms of collectivism impact the individual rather than the targeted group.
Collectivism is displayed and enforced in today’s society.

For example, the United States is based around a two party system: Republicans and Democrats. Individuals affirming to one party or the other often are tied to the other party’s official beliefs, and not the other way around. Republicans and conservatives may always be pro-life and independent. Democrats and liberals must be pro-choice and dependant on the government. Labels used to collectively define a group are harmful to thoughtful discussion. Simply going off the stereotypes a label of the individual brings is counterproductive to spreading individual ideas and making progress in today’s society. Not only do these labels quell the differencing of opinions, it is an efficient method of crowd control. It is simply not enough to have different opinions than the majority, but one needs to believe in them wholeheartedly as the truth and nothing but the truth. To not do so would result in scornful actions from individuals of social circles. In simple terms, an individual receives backlash from society if he or she does not conform to the norms and beliefs set forth by the majority and its leader. This forces the individual to make a decision: join the majority and preach the words of the group’s rulers, or simply be treated as a social outcast. This is effective in pressuring the individual to fall under a leader’s

control.
Another form of social collectivism is working for the state instead of the individual.

This is advocated for by the society the state creates. For example, John F. Kennedy states: “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” This quote tells the citizen to work for the collective group without expecting anything beneficial from said group towards oneself. This refers back to The Soul of the Collectivist, in which the ruler needs to instill the need to sacrifice for the greater collective good in an individual. The main goal is to sacrifice individual needs in order to work for the betterment of the group and its leaders. In reality, the individual is sacrificing himself or herself for the betterment of the leaders of the group. This is the ultimate goal of the leader. These theory exists even in corporate situations. The individual works to increase the revenue of the company and ultimately the CEO. Granted, the individual is allowed to be ambitious and climb up the ladder; however, this is rarely allowed and most of the employees are stuck making sacrifices so the top leaders can recieve

money.
Ayn Rand’s Anthem teaches me a lot about the atmosphere of a collective society. Before Anthem, I always knew the ramifications of a collective society. However, the extremes of such a society have never been exposed to me. I grew up thinking individualism is a bad, selfish, destructive theory. However, I know now that individualism helps me thrive in a society designed around sacrifices. I can go so far ahead on my own rather than wait for others to provide me with opportunities. Individualism helps me realize that my destiny is my own and not part of the collective group, and it doesn’t need to be. These ideas stem from Anthem. I owe some of my realizations about how society works to Anthem, and I am glad to have read it.