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Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem

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“Rules are made to be broken”, is an influential quote, well known in our society. It symbolizes rebellion and breaking free from authority. Ayn Rand’s dystopian novel, Anthem, is an anthem for that phrase. Anthem explores the dangers of conformity and subjectivism, and urges readers to follow the beat of their own drum, to be their own leader. She uses Equality 7-2521 to showcase the idea of the natural human tendency that people have to be selfish. People have three stages in their journey to individuality, and that is discovery, realization, and purpose. Ayn Rand’s goal is to warn readers about sacrificing oneself to others, and she yearns for others to go on a journey of self-discovery. Anthem is a message that warns others never …show more content…

The society regulates names, work, and even friendships. Here, originality is brought to shame, as no one can be better than the other. At first, Equality is seen writing, which is against the rules, and yet, he does not feel guilty. Rand highlights humanity’s innate propensity to rebel and to fall into their own desire. The society that Rand has created in Anthem is a clear reflection of what she thinks is a destruction to humanity. With this knowledge, one can analyze her symbols and see that there is a first step that one must take to go on the path of individuality. And that is discovery, which Equality finds to be light. His discovery is a symbol of self-realization. Ayn Rand plants a hidden message to shed light on the first and only step to independence, and that isself-discoveryy. Once one discovers their uniqueness, one longs to share it with others. This is why once Equality discovers light, he doesn’t want to keep it to himself, he wants to share it with the rest of the world, “We must not keep our secret to ourselves, not buried under the ground. We must bring it to the sight of men” (Rand 60). Though the society in the novel is heavily exaggerated, the idea of breaking through from the public’s expectations still stands in our society today. All in all, Rand shows readers through symbolism, that the first step on the staircase of selfishness is

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Though Equality 7-2521 was kept in an obedient, collectivist state of mind by the City, he was different than the others. Equality was curious to learn things he wasn’t supposed to know, he possessed his own thoughts and wasn’t afraid to act alone. After defying societal laws and discovering electricity, he escaped the collectivism in which he lived and was imprisoned. Equality ran to the only place he knew others wouldn’t search for him, a place strictly forbidden- the Uncharted Forest. In order to survive in his new and unknown surroundings, Equality learned to make his own decisions, learned to act for his own benefit, discovered individuality and “ego”.

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In Ayn Rand’s book “Anthem”, we see a world where everyone has to be the same. Individuality doesn't exist, and people must follow strict rules. The main character, Equality 7-2521, shows us what happens when society pushes conformity too far. Rand’s story warns us about the dangers of having too many rules. In this essay, we’ll look at how “Anthem” shows these dangers and why it’s important to let people be themselves.

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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.

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The Prime Directive In the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand the society that she portrays lives under one injunction, or prime directive, for everyone to be equal. There are numerous rules and controls instituted to help keep the citizens’ in order and while some of them seem to be beneficial, others are constricting the basic rights that every person should have. The one thing that all of the rules do share in common is the restriction of a person's freedom, individuality, and life in general. Ayn Rand knew that by writing this novel, it would spark many conflicting views about equality and liberty in today's world.

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In Ayn Rand’s book Anthem, the main character Equality finally learns the word “I.” He finally begins to think for himself after years of living in a society where the word “I” was banned. The people in the society that Equality lived in could never think of themselves, but could only think of what would benefit everyone. In an excerpt of a novel titled The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, she talks about individualism versus collectivism. Anthem deals with this topic as well.

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The novel "Anthem" by Ayn Rand explores the concept of individualism versus collectivism through the story of Equality 7-2521, a young man living in a dystopian society where the word "I" does not exist. In one particular scene, Equality expresses his happiness in living for his brothers, to which they respond, "Indeed you are happy. How else can men be when they live for their brothers?" This statement plays a crucial role in the story and its themes, as well as its relevance to our own lives. Brotherhood is a central theme in "Anthem," as it is the driving force behind society's collective mentality.

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In the novel Anthem, Ayn Rand creates a society where individualism is a sin. The protagonist, Equality 7-2521 disagrees with the government’s beliefs of a collectivist society and supports the idea of individualism. Like on page 101, Equality 7-2521 realizes that "To be free, a man must be free of his brothers.” By this, Equality 7-2521 finally understands that he must be independent and different in order to succeed in his society. He displays Rand’s belief of egoism by his discovery of electricity, the way he stood up to the government, and how he shared his belief of individualism with Liberty 5-3000-also known as the Golden One-the beautiful peasant in which he fell in love with.

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Equality reluctantly pursues his ego, as he cannot deny his inherent solitary nature. Equality finally tastes his first experience of freedom when he discovers a tunnel hidden underground with a friend. As Ayn Rand describes, “It was old and rusted by many rains. We pulled

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In Ayn Rand’s novella “Anthem” the story which holds no plot but rather philosophical lessons takes place in a primitive authoritarian future world “dark ages of the future” where individuality has been suppressed in favor of collective identity, in the world of Anthem, the characters are taught to not think independently and not be pursue their own thoughts, their own goals, their own values, but rather be held by the power of collectivism “there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone.” In the novella the villain, by contrast, do not hand, who allow themselves to be run by others, and are in a literal sense selfless. The theme of the novella Anthem by Ayn Rand is the power of individualism, selfhood, collectivism verse individualism,

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Commonly mistaken as being an ideal way of life, Anthem, by Ayn Rand, emphasizes the negative impacts collectivism has on society. Collectivism, an oppressive concept of prioritizing a group over each individual in it, is practiced and enforced by the Council of Vocations and few citizens question it. The protagonist, Equality 7-2521, rebels against his collectivist society as he discovers individualism, the belief that “individual’s needs are more crucial than a whole society’s needs” (), and its enlightening effects. He quickly recognizes that he is different from others in terms of intelligence and that he is in fact an individual, not just a fragmented piece of a group like he was led to believe. Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, highlights the

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He is also told that joy must be shared with everyone, yet his greatest joys belong solely to him, the greatest of which being Liberty (Rand 86). Equality’s love for Liberty drives him to reject society and fight for individual freedom, giving him the courage to take action against oppression and make sacrifices for love and

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One of those reasons may be that society discourages individuality. Forcing others to fit the predesigned mold of what a person should be whether that be intelligence wise, personality, or physical appearance. Society would want that all to be the same, and Anthem shows how this aspect of society can upset people. This is seen when the novella states, “It is a sin to think words no others think…” (Rand 17).

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Moral Assessment of Anthem In Ayn Rand’s novel, Anthem, Equality lives in a communist society that believes everyone must work for and be exactly like one another. For much of the novel, he believes what the Council of Vocations tells him, despite his intelligence and independence. By the end of the book, he realizes that the idea that everyone is the same and must work for each other is flawed. He deserves to live his own life and enjoy himself.

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“We say to ourselves that we are a wretch and a traitor,” (Rand 37). Rand provided the inner thoughts of Equality to show that society has ingrained being different as a sin into its citizens. Equality struggled with a moral dilemma of what is truly correct. He had to choose between what he was told to feel and what he truly felt. Equality was supposed to feel ashamed, in actuality, Equality felt clarity.

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Imagine general uproar, mass confusion, and uprisings that were daily parts of the Russian Revolution. Visualize a young girl growing up in the midst of utter chaos. These events did indeed happen to a woman named Ayn Rand. Conflict and anger caused Ayn Rand to become very opinionated; hence, she authored the book Anthem. Making waves in the view of the public, Ayn Rand used extreme situations to illustrate the difference between the Collectivism and Individualism in her book.

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