“The sacred word: EGO” These were the last words of Equality in the book Anthem. In the novella by Ayn Rand, Equality lives in a society where he is forbidden to be an individual but has difficulty fitting into these standards. Slowly Equality gives up trying to fit in and changes throughout the novel. \u890Equality has a great change in his view of the society from the beginning of the book to the end of the book. I the beginning of the book, equality does everything in his ability to fit in with the standards that the Council of Scholars set. “We tried to forget our lessons, but we always remembered. We tried not to understand what the teachers taught, but we always understood it before the teachers had spoken.”( 21) Equality he was different and “strived to be like all [his] brother men” to the point where he tried hard not to know anything to be equal with his brothers. What triggers Equality To become himself is finding the tunnel. One day equality comes from an underground tunnel from the “unmentionable times”. This is when he first disobeys the rules of his society, but yet feels no shame. “We say to ourselves that we are a witch and a traitor. But we feel no burden upon our spirit and no fear in our heart.” (37) Although equality has committed a crime he is excited to have a safe …show more content…
When he discovers electricity and is abused by the council, he runs into the uncharted forest and finds a home from the “unmentionable times”. Along with the golden one they live in the house and soon, by reading the books that came in the house, discover the word “I”. “I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts for them. I ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. [ … ] For the word ‘WE’ must never be spoken, save by one's choice and as a second thought.”(96) By finding the word to replace “we” he is able to finally break apart from the society that he's been struggling to be a part
The rules do not allow him to explore his intelligence, in fact they hold him back, but at the end of the book, he is able to overcome these challenges. He does not agree with the idea that the government has put into place. A quote to support this idea is “And they answered: ‘Since the Council does not know of this hole, there can be no law permitting to enter. And everything which is not permitted by law is forbidden. ‘But we said: ‘We shall go, nonetheless.’” This quote shows that equality tries to find ways around the rules so that he can enter the
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.
Equality is different from the other men in his world, and because of this he has lived most of his life concealing his emotions, being outcasted and punished by the leaders and teachers of his society, and stripping himself of his talents and uniqueness, therefore he has every right to criticize the leaders who kept the real Equality trapped inside for so very long. Equality expresses his love for science and aspiration to be a Scholar throughout the book and talks of how he wished to be sent to the Home of Scholars so badly his hands trembled under the blankets at night and he had to bite his arm just to stop the pain of wanting something so much (Rand 24). To want something so badly and have to conceal it everyday with no one to share it with is a very difficult thing for someone to have to do. Equality also struggled with concealing his friendship,“International 4-8818 and we are friends.
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
One day, Equality is supposed to be in the theater, but he is not there. Consequently, Equality is imprisoned to the Palace of Corrective Detention. Oddly, the prison does not have many restrictions, so easily Equality escapes. After his departure, he goes directly to the Council of Scholars, which is where a group of people have a job to gain more intelligence. Intentionally, Equality goes here because he wants to reveal his new discovery of electricity to the scholars. In effect, they denounce him for carrying out a discovery because it is contradicting to the laws of their society. After this happens, Equality bolts to the Uncharted Forest, he begins to actualize that people should live as individuals instead of one group. Liberty follows Equality and, eventually, catches up to him. In the Uncharted Forest, they find a sublime house on top of a mountain. Once they examine the house, Equality and Liberty decide to live in it. Uninhibited, they develop a more profound relationship along with a newly-founded liberated life. As an individual, Equality wants to free the people of his society and eventually begin his own. Equality says, "We matter not, nor our transgression. It is only our brother men who matter. Give no thought to us, for we are nothing, but listen to our words, for we bring you a gift such as has never been brought to men. Listen to us, for we hold the future of mankind in our hands" (70; ch. 7). Equality's life dramatically changes as he extends his life as a
In a word where the past is the future and every individual strives to be like all their brother men, there is no room for difference. From the time he was five, Equality knew he was different from his classmates. However, he was not the only one who knew of his difference. The teachers and the leaders of the community frequently reminded him that he was not like everyone else. They “ frowned and said: ‘There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has grown beyond the bodies of your brothers’ ”. (Rand 18). He was taller and much smarter than everyone, and this was considered a burden. When the Council of Vocations decided to make Equality a Street Sweeper, their choice was not due to error or incompetence, but fear. They were frightened of what could happen to their society if Equality became a Scholar. There were many reasons for the choice they had made.
The natural desire of Equality 7-2521 is knowledge who is born with a curse of uniqueness. He abides within the walls of a collectivist society. The citizens of this society prioritize the good of society over the welfare of the individual. In the beginning of the novel, Equality confesses that “[He] have broken the laws. The laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so” (Anthem 17). Equality is asking for forgiveness and proves this by quoting “[I] strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike” (Anthem 19). Through Equality’s journey of self-discovery, he gradually starts changing his mind on how he perceives of how critical the Council truly is. He begins rebelling without a care and denounces
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
Equality 7-2521 embodies this essential idea throughout the story because of his eternal struggle with not quite being able to conform to society’s expectations. He is physically different from the others (Rand, 1946, p. 2) as well as mentally different as he disagreed with others even as a child (p. 4) and was smarter than the rest (p. 5), and this mental sharpness is carried into adulthood as he is able to discern the feelings of oppression and fear that weigh over all men in this time (Rand, 1946, p. 30). Rather than acting as a machine, he feels preferences and desires within himself. Equality 7-2521 enjoys science, dreams of being a Scholar, likes a pretty girl, and wonders about himself. Since these things are not shared by all, they are forbidden, and despite how simple they may be, they define
After Equality is sent into exile he comes upon the perfect place for him to live: the Uncharted Forest. Equality feels very safe in the forest and, he is happy because for the first time ever he does not wake up in the morning because he has to but because he rested well. He enjoys eating his food for the first time and realizes that he actually is happier when away from everyone in the city. Before he sees his reflection in the water, Equality says, “We knelt by the stream and we bent down to drink. And then we stopped. For, upon the blue of the sky below us, we saw our own face for the first time.” (Rand 80).Because he now knows how his image looks, he feels like he can trust himself and confidently adds, “And we thought that we could trust this being who looked upon us from the stream, and that we...
In the beginning of the book, Equality is part of the society and is not an individual. “It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see” (Rand #261). This quotation shows how Equality feels about sin and what he thinks a sin is. This perspective on sin is not correct because he thinks being an individual is a sin. “We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are we allowed our lives. We exist, by
Equality has discovered something all by himself and he’s the only one that knows it. Equality would help create a new idea of the period of invention and discovery but only if it was accepted by the Council. (Pg 53 Rand)“We put a piece of copper and a piece of zinc into a jar of brine, we touched a wire to them, and there under our fingers, was a miracle which had never occurred before, a new miracle and a new power.”
Every story has a quest and every quest has a hero from which one of them included the unconquered, Equality, who starts his journey from birth in the dystopian society of Anthem. Equality faces many challenges throughout the novel to prove and gain his true identity in the society but it does not come without difficulty. He was born different and better than others but in the end this difference became his most dangerous enemy.
He wanted to know more and explore. Equality was all about knowledge and wanting to know more. In his society is was shamed upon someone to think for anyone other than his brothers. The excerpt from Fountainhead tells about someone standing up and telling how it really is. Showing that knowing yourself and believing in yourself is not bad. Being selfish was seen as a bad thing in the collectivism because it showed that one person cared more about themselves then the group as a whole. Growing up with his mind, Equality tried his hardest to fit in. As an adult, Equality was sentence to the lowest in society, street sweeper. Through all of that he still wanted to learn more. Being from his society, he was ashamed of having those thoughts. “The laws say that none among men may be alone, ever and at any time, for this is the greatest transgression and the root of all evil,”(17) even still when Equality has found his tunnel, he was still by himself and was happy having a place for himself to explore and learn