The Theme Of Equality 7-2521 In Ayn Rand's Anthem

“I am done with the monster of ‘We,’ the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame.” (Anthem page 97). Anthem written by Ayn Rand is a story about a dystopian society in which collectivism and going against conformity becomes the life of a male individual, the protagonist- Equality 7-2521. Equality 7-2521 was born in a collective society, a society in which a group of people are treated as a single being, and right from the beginning was considered a threat to the entire “perfect” system, or what was thought to be a perfect system. Later, Liberty 5-3000 is introduced and she becomes Equality’s lover and “partner in crime” when it came to leaving and/or straying away from what was socially correct, yet even when they've broken

This is what happens in Anthem; Equality 7-2521 was prevented from freely exercising his full academic potential, he was restricted from having curiosity about the world, and was kept in the shadows of the illusion of a flawless society. Although these laws were originally put in place to limit the amount of discrimination and egotistical minds, they became oppressors and obstructors to the freedom of thought, self-achievement, and the right to wonder. Thus, this serves as a great example of what conformity and collectivism could become when they are used solely to govern people's lives. “We are one in all and all in one, There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever.” (Anthem page 19) This excerpt showcases the mentality the leaders of this society have and how well they've implemented it to make it seem as though collectivism and abolishing individualism is for the greater good, but just because their forefathers had the right intention does not mean to say they had the right way to do it. It's perfectly fine to have rules to keep people in line, but when it starts to kill the soul of a person and it keeps them from doing something so human as asking questions, these rules become simply cruel

This made Equality 7-2521 run away not only from his birthplace but what would have eventually become his death sentence, and he went into the uncharted forest where no man is said to come back from. Here his “darling”, Liberty 5-3000, met with him after she had heard of his discovery and followed him into the forest. This becomes the “falling to action” of the story because Equality 7-2521, alongside Liberty 5-3000, discovered a house with many books to which would become the start of something new. After reading every book, Equality 7-2521 found a word lost throughout time that held so much power and so much influence that he literally could not help himself and felt the need to use it. The author beautiful expresses Equality’s excitement by using two whole chapters dedicated to him finding self worth, and in the end uses a single word to close the story- “EGO.” (Anthem page 105). “For the word ‘We’ must never be spoken, save by one's choice and as a second thought. This word must never be placed first within man’s soul, else it becomes a monster, the root of all the evils on earth, the root of man's torture by men, and of an unspeakable lie.”(Anthem