The Role Of Individualism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

The answer to this question would most likely be no. Equality 7-2521 now known to be Prometheus had been living in the same collectivist city his whole life. He had been committing transgression after transgression because he wanted the individuality he never had. He wanted nothing more than to be “I” instead of “we”. In his new society, Prometheus will have his people be free to be who they want to be.

Once Equality read the books, he learned about Gaea and Prometheus. They renamed themselves those names, which shows that they will allow individual names in their new society, rather than keeping the names they were given in their old society, which were ordinary names to make sure nobody was more important than the other. Originally, Prometheus was named “Equality 7-2521” and Gaea was named “Liberty 5-3000.” The numbers suggest that other people had the same names, which means that they didn’t have their own individual names while living in their society of total equality. For the future generations, Prometheus had created a new way to live--a better, more equal way of life. Since Prometheus and Gaea chose their own names, they started to create a new sense of individualism for the future generations to come.

What exactly inspires people to create great things? Because they are doing it for their own benefit. In the novella written by Ayn Rand titled, Anthem, Equality 7-2521 is motivated to experiment and discover, but not because he is intending to assist his brothers and all of the population. Equality, although he had hoped to join the Home of the Scholars, works as a street sweeper trapped in a collectivist society where all of forms of individuality are banned. At the beginning of the story, Equality discovers a secret, underground tunnel where he slowly starts to discover technologies from the unmentionable times.

To begin, Equality nurtures individuality. He and Liberty created new names for themselves, as to separate themselves from each other and the old society. Equality became Prometheus and Liberty became Gaea. “There was a time when each man had a name of his own to distinguish him from all other men.” (Rand 99). Once Equality found the word “I” he vowed never to speak “we” again, unless it was his own choice, thus praising individuality.

The word “I” establishes one’s distinctiveness. A society that encourages and enforces the binding of men together, therefore forming a collective unit is Ayn Rand’s idea behind her novella Anthem, a story set in a dictator-like dystopian world. The government in Anthem enforces “the great WE”, which reveals the selflessness of the citizens living in that society (19). Simply using the plural pronouns “we”, “they”, and “our” shows the unity of the people, that individuality is a crime, and that the goal of their labor is for the good of everyone else. Once a person turns 15 years of age, their lives are well planned out for them until their deaths.

And to earn my love,my brothers must do more than to have been born.”(96)As you can see towards the end Equality totally becomes independent from the society and starts to have his own opinions.I think this is a big part of information for Aye Rans message on how you should just care about yourself. In the end of the book,Equality and The Golden One realize how they don 't need society anymore and go to live up in a house in the woods where they can become independent.Then he talks about all he has discovered about himself and how his brothers have to earn his love to be apart of his life and how everybody should not be equal.I think how Aye Ran ends the story is very interesting because she goes over a lot of life messages and her opinions on life.Also I think this message is a huge part of Equality and The golden ones relationship and it changes the outcome of the book a

The King of Salem also reminds Santiago that everyone should pursue their personal legends. After Santiago had been distracted of the the items in the thieves village with no money, he checks his bag and finds the two stones, Urim and Thummin, the narrator says, “An omen. The boy smiled to himself. He picked up two stones and

Tom Parsons is the Unknown Citizen. Victims of the government, Parsons and the Unknown Citizen live to serve their commanders. The parallels between Parsons and the Unknown Citizen can be drawn through the lack of influence they have on society, their vigorous work for the Greater Community, and their consent to the ways of the higher powers. In the first place, Parsons and the Unknown Citizen have no influence on any aspect of society, even the education of their children. While talking about the children of the Unknown Citizen, the poem states “And our teachers report states that he never interfered with their education,” (line 27).

He listens to what everyone tries to tell him like when Widow Douglas tells Huck about the “spiritual gifts” and explains to him the he “must help others, and do everything I could for other people, and look out for them all the time, and never think about myself…but I couldn’t see no advantage about it”(LitCharts). Hover, he just wants to roam free and do whatever he feels like doing that day. He loves just sitting down and letting his mind go round and round thinking about life and its adventures. To Jim the only freedom he wants is to be he own person and not be bossed around. Him and his family was sold and separated to due to slavery.

He didn’t fit in the society as well as his brothers, which made him strongly disliked. He stood out in the crowd which showed that he was extremely different and Anthem didn’t like different. One thing that made him stand out was that he was built differently than his brothers. “Ever have the teachers and the Leaders pointed to us and frowned and said ‘There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has grown beyond the bodies of your brothers.” (Rand 18). Equality was also highly intelligent, smarter than his brothers, and he had potential to be an amazing member of the city, but he was never given the chance to be great.

The way that he begins to look at the world and his life in the closing of the novel certainly points toward his ultimate acceptance of his true name and identity and the reader can argue that he eventually does come to make peace with the name he is given. Initially Gogol feels ostracized by his unique bengali name in american culture. When he first begins school his father pushes him to go by Nikhil but it is revealed to the reader that he is scared; "he is afraid to be someone he doesn 't know, and someone who doesn 't know him" (Lahiri 3.19). This is not something unexpected by anyone growing up in a foreign land, but that does not make it any easier to deal with. In effect this causes Gogol to retreat more into himself, into Gogol.