Consequences Of Collectivism In Anthem By Ayn Rand

Hasmitha Kanugula

Mrs. Cattolico

Period 2

15 February 2023

Setting/Society

Imagine a society where the way someone looks, dresses, and behaves is controlled. It is like a jail cell where nothing but air can escape, allowing only the authorities to control the prisoner’s behaviors and actions. Similarly, through the novel Anthem, Ayn Rand portrays this type of collectivist society with strict norms towards their appearances, thoughts, and behaviors. Rand uses this dystopian realm to portray the negative impacts of collectivism by making someone afraid to live independently, thus preventing them from leading a fulfilling life. One of the major consequences of collectivism is how it makes one afraid to lead a fulfilling life. In the society

For instance, after Equality gets caught and punished for his inventions the World Council scolds him by saying, “How dared you think that your mind held greater wisdom than the minds of your brothers… how dared you think that you could be of greater use to men than in sweeping the streets” (71-72). These words of the authorities indicate they do not allow Equality to use his inventions, as it would make him superior to everyone else. Through the constraint of Equality’s inventing abilities, Rand proves that conformity limits the opportunity for citizens to distinguish themselves from one another. Likewise, in other cases like these, individuals are also restricted to how they dress. This phenomena is seen when Equality and the Golden One escape to start a new life and find, “White tunics, not white togas; they were of all colors, ‘no two of them alike” ( 91). Through Equality’s discovery of a new society, Rand proves the phenomena that societies function smoothly without adhering to conventional norms. Specifically, Rand uses Equality’s thoughts on the difference of clothing to prove how the society of Anthem overemphasizes the importance of conventional dressing; while in reality, it does not make or break a society. Finally, the leaders of Anthem limits the behaviors of its society, by limiting them to the use of the word “we.” Equality describes it to be “as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone and crushes all beneath it and that which is black and white are lost equally in the grey of it” (97). Like many of its other norms, the use of the word “we” is another way for the leaders of Anthem to have their citizens adhere to specific conventions, such as language. The excessive control of one’s language, brings the effect of Linguistic relativity; where the words included in one’s language can affect the speaker’s view of society and