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Comparison Of Flaws With Collective Governments In Anthem And Catch-22

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Flaws with Collective Governments in Anthem and Catch-22
Without systems of government or leadership, the world would crumble into an anarchic chaos, leading to a dangerous environment for its citizens. However, oftentimes governing bodies lean the other direction, with laws and enforcement so strict their people become oppressed. Ayn Rand and Joseph Heller explore the negative consequences of oppressive dystopias in their novels Anthem and Catch-22, respectively, which describe two men’s struggle against their governments. Ayn Rand, staunchly against collectivism in her own life, wrote the allegory Anthem to reflect her anti-collective sentiment. In Anthem, the central character, Equality 7-2521, describes growing up in a collectivist society …show more content…

In this society, all personality is relinquished to the rulers, singular pronouns are banned, and people are assigned to houses based on occupation to maintain order and reinforce the strict set of legal codes everyone is required to follow. Equality 7-2521 chronicles the struggles he faces with the Council, the ruling body, and his relationship with Liberty-3000, a farmer in the House of the Peasants and the female protagonist. Joseph Heller’s novel, Catch-22, is a similar story, but takes place in Europe during World War II. The main character, Yossarian, is a captain in the 256th squadron of the Air Force, but he despises his missions and dreams of being released home, leading to issues between him and his superiors. Throughout the story, Heller reveals corruption in the government and the restrictions it often places on the individual, causing conflicts in the story and exposing problems with collective-style governments. The two authors describe a similar conflict between the main characters and the hierarchical systems that control them. The novels Anthem by Ayn Rand and Catch-22 by Joseph Heller demonstrate the flaws in the collective system of government, with its closed ruling body that emphasizes equality yet ultimately restricts citizens’ rights to

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