Equality 7-2521: The Individual In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Equality 7-2521: The Individual

“No one should part with their individuality and become that of another” (BrainyQuote 5). William Ellery Channing, a poet and preacher, stresses the significance of staying true to oneself and not being succumbed to be another being. Similar to Channing’s statement, Equality 7-2521 found the importance of embracing the freedom to think, isolation, and individualism in the midst of being in a collective society. In the end of Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, Equality 7-2521’s assessment of solitarily expressing his thoughts is that it is not a sin anymore; he is correct because he is free to believe whatever he wants to, learns that he is an individual with purpose, and realizes that no one can control him. To begin,

One example of Equality 7-2521 finding his individuality is when he thinks about his future job in the collective society. He records these thoughts in his journal saying, “[s]o we wished to be sent to the Home of the Scholars” (Rand 24). In a collective society, people are not allowed to have their own preferences because they are part of a group, but Equality 7-2521’s preference of becoming a scholar shows how he is starting to see himself as an individual. Therefore, Equality 7-2521’s thoughts on committing a sin are correct because he is an individual with his own opinion. Another example is when Equality 7-2521, still standing on the summit of the mountain in the Uncharted Forest, adds to his monologue by writing, “[m]y happiness is... its own purpose... I am a man” (Rand 95). Upon standing on the mountain, Equality 7-2521 learns that his happiness is all that is important. He realizes who he is and acknowledges himself as a man and an unyielding individual. Equality 7-2521’s epiphany justifies his assessment of expressing his thoughts because he is an individual, and individuals are entitled to their own opinion. Thus, Equality 7-2521 is correct to think that communicating his thoughts to himself is not a sin because he is an individual who can have his own assessment of a certain