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The Theme Of Freedom In Anthem, By Ayn Rand

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The story “Anthem” by Ayn Rand is a dystopian novel that shows how freedom is an important right. The story is based on a character named Equality 7-521 and the society is all about being equal. There is no freedom, every choice is decided for you. You cannot speak for yourself and are not allowed to use the word “i”. If you think highly of yourself it is a sin. When Equality made the lightbulb and it showed him the truth, the truth of freedom, acceptance, and individuality. Freedom is a very important theme in Anthem, the lightbulb showed Equality the freedom he could have. At first, Equality wanted to show the Scholars what he has made but they disapproved and sent him away. (Rand 64) That made him realize how different he was and how wrong the society was so he left into the forest. (Rand 67) Liberty 5-3000/Golden One then found him and decided to live in the forest together, free from the rules of the old society, where Equality could read books without the discrimination of his brothers. (Rand 72-77) Equality soon found a name suit for him, Prometheus, he read it in the books he found and chose that name because that is the name of the Greek god that stole light from the other gods and gave it to mankind. For Equality wanted to give the lightbulb to his brothers but was shut down and …show more content…

When he showed the light to the Scholars and was shut out, that's when he knew that anything that he does will only be used against him. When he made that light he knew he was smarter than his brothers, his brothers knew it too and they did not like it. However the Golden One was always there for him, she accepted him for who he was. She found him in the forest and stayed with him, trusting him, accepting him. (Rand 72) The light goes back to everything, he found acceptance in the Golden One because he made the light, and got shut out because of

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He “fought with [his] brothers” (20) in the Home of Infants, his “head [was] too quick” (21) in the Home of the Students. As he grew older, his “questions [gave him] no rest” (24). Equality became more curious about the world than he should’ve been; he knew that there were “great things on this earth of ours, and that we can know them if we try, and that we must know them” (24). After discovering the light bulb and consequently being imprisoned, Equality escaped to the Uncharted Forest. He had not thought of going there, but his “legs had carried [his] wisdom” (75) and brought him to the place where no one would attempt to locate him, let alone have authority over him.

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Society tends to disagree with Ayn Rand’s political views regarding the concept of how a government should be controlled. Despite people contradicting with her beliefs, some politicians recognize her perspective and utilize her logic in debates. Of the politicians that support Rand’s political views, most derive their logic from one of Rand’s widely known novels, Anthem. This particular dystopian novel emphasizes a collective society where the simple thinking of individual choice is prohibited. Rand Paul, a Kentucky senator of the republican party, was influenced by Anthem in such a way that he utilized this book in a debate he took part in back in 2007 which lasted until 2013.

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Equality within the similar actions indicates in the novella Anthem, how his focus being on ways of changing his city and the thought process the council arranges for the city’s structure. Throughout the novella Equality begins putting himself first and letting his ego drive

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One of Equality’s main goals in the beginning of the novella was to become a scholar when he turned 15 years of age. Even though Equality received the mandate to be a street sweeper, he did the same work, if not more superior work, as the Scholars in his secret tunnel. When Equality was exiled from his city and found the house in the Uncharted Forest from the Unmentionable Times, he wanted to study it and all of the house's contents. Equality wanted to read all of the books that he found in the house so that he could learn the words that were lost in the Unmentionable Times. When Equality told Liberty about his findings and his discovery of the word “I”, Liberty’s first words that she spoke to Equality were, “‘I love you”’ (98).

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Equality invented the light bulb and took it to the Council of the Scholars but they didn’t except it, because he worked on it alone and broke many

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. Learning is what makes us human after all so it is only natural that Equality wished to learn. Intelligence normally equals to helpfulness and helpfulness creates a superior community which explains that from the very beginning Equality wanted to be a scholar. Helping people seems to be the main agenda for the towering male in view of the fact that when he reinvented the light bulb that he wanted to give counsel to help his peers. The fact that the male owned a large amount of helpful spurs seemed to drive him to success and to better himself as a human and learn more than he’d ever expect.

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This shows Equality distancing himself from the dystopian society and gaining greater freedom. Equality does this through his constant resistance and rule-breaking tendencies when searching for his own freedom. Freedom is something that both Equality in the Anthem, as well as its author Rand valued, as it is a frequent and recurring theme in the

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However, since the council fails to recognize this idea, Equality has two options: either face imminent execution or flee. By choosing the latter and fleeing into the Uncharted Forest, Equality finally is, in a physical sense, free from the rule of collectivist society. Now he is alone in the forest, alone with his thoughts. He decides where he goes, when he sleeps, what he eats. However, he is still not fully

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With all of his experience that nobody has known in at least a century he is extremely capable of deciding whether of his choices are right. His personality keeps him from giving up hope and giving up on his society and his companion but keeps him curious enough to keep searching for something better in life. Equality has aged to the point where he thinks he needs to change the world and will try to do so. Most would believe that Equality’s actions were righteous and could not contemplate that his actions were

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In the final chapters of the book, after Equality and The Golden One have discovered their new house and proposed to build a new life, they read books in its intact library and so discover the forbidden word, “I” (94). This discovery prompts Equality to radically overhaul his entire way of going through life, aligning it to Rand’s Objectivist philosophy. His focus on himself, illustrated through his obsession with the word I is show in the last two chapters of the book, where he latches on to the idea that devoting one’s life to only oneself is the only appropriate way to live life. Rand shows this with statements from Equality such as, “I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them”(96). Equality is proclaiming that his life will be best lived in a purely selfish manner, where he will not take care of anyone else, but will not ask anyone to take care of him either.

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Imagine living in a society where you had to be the same as everyone else, risking your life to fight for individuality. In the life of Equality 7-2521, that is exactly what he has to live through. The book Anthem by Ayn Rand, is about a young boy who goes by the name of Equality 7-2521 that is commonly referred to as just “Equality.” Equality is a little different than everyone, as he is taller than everyone else, smarter, and breaks the rules. Equality lives in a society where everyone is the same, and no one is to be different than one another.

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Soon, he learns that he had spent too much time in the cave, thus always believed the shadows in the cave were real. After spending time in the new world he acknowledges that everything he knew was true,

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