Individuality’s Role in Society Anthem is a dystopian novel written by Russian author Ayn Rand in 1937. Ayn Rand was avid about the importance of the individual, and she supported a hands off government, where the people define and sustain themselves. Ayn Rand’s interest in the government’s effect on society certainly led into her creation of Anthem. At the start of the novel, Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, writes from a secluded tunnel and shares about the dystopian society he lives in which prevents education, and individualism. The society prevents individuals from learning on their own, having questions, doubting their elders, and threatens any sort of rebellion or individuality with extreme punishment. The main concept that the novel …show more content…
Equality 7-2521 has slowly been piecing his ego together the entire novel, and at this point he declares his intentions to fight for man’s right to their own ego. His declaration states the following: “And here, over the portals of my fort, I shall cut in the stone the word which is to be my beacon and my banner. The word which will not die, should we all perish in battle. The word which can never die on this earth, for it is the heart of it and the meaning and the glory. The sacred word: EGO” (Rand 105). Equality 7-2521’s journey to individuality has finally reached an acme where he discovers his true purpose. He has discovered the importance of the word I, and his discovery helps him question the life he has been living, and envision a world free from oppression. Anthem by Ayn Rand details the scary, yet feasible possibility of a world without individuality, education, and questions. The protagonist, Equality 7-2521, lives in a world where freedom of speech is a sin, curiosity is viewed as a curse, and the sense of an ego is completely lost. Equality 7-2521 eventually learns about his desires for education, curiosity, and an identity. Anthem shows that even in a world completely devoid of flavor and individuality, man’s birth characteristic of never settling and constantly exploring will eventually lead to the trailblazing of an individualist