Equality 7-2521 In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Alex Lin
Mrs. Cattolico
LA II Honors
15 February 2023
Anthem Essay Sometimes, an action, while not legally acceptable, can still be considered morally acceptable. The rebellious actions of Equality 7-2521 in Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem portray this exact situation. Frustrated by the extreme collectivist laws of his society, Equality breaks them and bases his behavior on his personal beliefs alone. The monotony of the conformist culture pushes Equality to deviate from his brothers and create his own identity. Despite his awareness of the many transgressions he commits, Equality chases his desires and defies authority. Through his doubt regarding the society, his egocentric outlook, and his love for both knowledge and the Golden One, Equality

For example, Equality realizes that although he was “born with a curse” of being different, he possesses “no will…to resist it” (Rand 18). Unlike everyone else, Equality does not try to fit in; instead, he accepts—and even prefers—his peculiarities. Rand uses Equality’s stubbornness to argue her point against conformity, as his situation shows that having differences is not a reason to be forced to change. When Equality discovers electricity, his skepticism towards the society multiplies because it becomes clear that the Council of Scholars, despite their claims, does not know everything. Upon this epiphany, Equality begins to understand that his leaders are either dishonest or ignorant; therefore, neither their words nor their laws should be believed or followed. Through this, Rand supports her stance on independent thinking, highlighting the idea that no statements, even those from authority figures, should be trusted blindly. By reasoning that the society’s demands are nothing more than outrageous, Equality is able to clear his conscience and find resolve in his

After experimenting with electricity, a field completely unexplored by anyone else, Equality has a realization that he “possess[es] greater wisdom than the many Scholars” and thus “forget[s] all men, all laws and all things” (54). To reach his full potential, Equality differentiates himself and chooses to ignore the restrictions imposed by the society. Because he believes that his intelligence is greater than that of his leaders, Equality does not feel obligated to obey their rules. While people of greater power should almost never consider themselves to be above the law, there are rare situations, like Equality’s, in which doing so is justifiable and even beneficial. In the same way, Equality decides to interrupt the World Council of Scholars to share his glass box of light, motivated by his pride in himself and his accomplishments. From Equality’s point of view, his desires and fulfillment are of more importance than the society’s excessive restrictions. Individuality, Rand claims, is necessary for one’s contentment; thus, the individual must always weigh themselves greater than all else. By emphasizing his independent priorities, Equality is able to rebel against the regulations he believes are