Anthem By Ayn Rand: Character Analysis

Ayn Rand taught the principle, “One must never fail to pronounce moral judgment.” The grade of morality fluctuates depending on the time, place, and society. While today’s society will compose the portrait that we are continually growing stronger and improving, the politics of men cannot overcome simple flaws such as controlling the people of their society. This is no different in the novella Anthem. The ironic name given to Equality gives the indication that perhaps society is not as equal as they would fancy. Equality has an internal conflict within the novella, which is, the mind must be free to act and think about its own findings. In Anthem, Ayn Rand shows her character, Equality 7-2521, of being critical of the totalitarian society

He thinks to himself, “I have learned that my power of the sky was known to men long ago; they called it Electricity…. I have found the engine which produced this light. I shall learn how to repair it and how to make it work again. I shall learn how to use the wires which carry this power” (Rand 100). America’s society, one of the freest in the world, teaches its people the importance of thinking for themselves and encourages its people to make discoveries. This is why America has such a high standard of living. While free societies progress through time, Equality 7-2521 lived in a regressive society due to strict rules and stifling freedom of thought. In Rand’s short essay, How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society?, she teaches, “There is no escape from the fact that men have to make choices; so long as men have to make choices, there is no escape from moral values.” Equality had to make the choice of following the rules or breaking the rules for something that he believed to be greater. He saw the endless possibilities of science at his disposal, and knew that it would be wrong to ignore the opportunity to