Equality Conquered In Ayn Rand's Anthem

In Ayn Rand's story Anthem, the protagonist Equality 7-2521 has a power unlike no other within their collectivist society. One day when Equality was working as a street sweeper, he finds an old abandoned underground railroad tunnel from the Unmentionable Times long ago. This is where he conducts his experiments that fill him with pride and joy. Equality dreams how his new invention that he brought into existence can change the world, but helping mankind is not his true motivation behind his passion to create. Throughout the story, Equality's true motivation is him trying to find his inner self and his identity as an individual.

Equality possesses gifts despised by the government: intellectual and psychological strength. He aspires to work at the Home of Scholars, where there is some perceived semblance of education and discovery (9). However, knowing Equality possesses talent, the Council of

“We seized our box, we shoved them aside, and we ran to the window. We turned and we looked at them for the last time, and a rage, such as it is not fit for humans to know, choked our voice in our throat” (Rand, Anthem 74-75). The expert from the text shows Equality is deposed to do anything that would save his box from destruction. He is protecting his right to own property as a citizen. Equality is willing to oppose his leaders to enunciate everything that he believes in; being oneself and staying true to all one’s rights and morals. He is unequivocally denouncing his leaders by going against everything that his society believes in, like creating inventions as a whole and not by oneself. Rand’s statement, “But in no case and in no situation may one permit one’s own values to be attacked or denounced, and keep silent,” substantiates Equality’s actions in trying to defend all of his rights (Rand, “How” 84). Both Rand and Equality are elucidating that people have to fortify everything that they believe in or it can all be appropriated. Equality and Ayn adage that if people don’t protect their rights then someone will come along that will confiscate people of all virtues and standards. Citizens will wholeheartedly follow anyone that will give them a sense of purpose though once a leader shows unethical morals, citizens should

Anthem is a dystopian story, it is a story about how society itself is the antagonist; it is a society that is working against the people to benefit the society and not them as individuals. “ We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever.” The society sees that the people 's purpose is to solely serve the needs of the society. Equality 7-2521 wants to be an individual but he will not betray the values that are important to him even though he will be punished. He accepts being excluded from the society , being banished, and everything else from his ‘ brothers.’ He would rather do all of this than give up who he could become and who he is. He wished for people to understand that they

Throughout the story, Equality’s views and mindset changes, he realizes that he is different from his brothers and its ok to be different. He discovers that if something is legal it is not certainly right. His eager for knowledge taught him the word “I” abandoning the word “We”. This made Equality find out who he is and gave him the chance to be an individual.

Equality's motivation is to prove that he bears the same intelligence that the scholars bear to the Home of Vocations. We can see that is his primary motivation for him making the light bulb. He spent so much time and effort making

“We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever” (Rand 19). How can an individual be a hero in a collectivist society? In The Anthem, a novella by Ayn Rand, the protagonist, Equality 7-2521 is portrayed as an archetypal epic hero. Equality 7-2521 exhibits the characteristics of an epic hero because he is capable of great deeds, he has a nemesis, and he experiences an event that leads to a quest. During the novella, Equality 7-2521 undergoes a journey to express individuality.

Equality’s individuality is the second step to rediscovering the lightbulb. He has his own individuality, and his individuality is what makes him

The book Anthem by Ayn Rand is a book with many strict rules and consequences. The City was very particular in how they do things. If you lived there, you never made one decision for yourself. They had a set group to decide your job for you and everything else for your life. You was not allowed to say certain things or even talk the way you want. You was not allowed to use ‘I’ or even talk to other certain people. You could not go outside the ‘City’ and you was not even allowed to go into the woods. The main people had to know every place and time you are somewhere. If you did any little thing that was not allowed you was punished majorly. Some of the punishments were a ‘jail’ type thing, even burned alive and even being whipped.

Equality is right to be motivated by curiosity. Yearning for the answers to his constant questions are what motivates his creativity and discovery. The constant curiosity is what leads him to dissect animals, melt metals, mix acids, and rediscover electricity. His individuality motivates him to do what he wants even though it is not allowed by society. He knows that he is quicker minded than the rest of his brothers, “It was not that the learning was too hard…. the learning was too easy” (21). Thus, he is trying to achieve his full potential as an individual after being suppressed for so long. Furthermore, he wants to be recognized by the House of Scholars and join them in scientific discovery. He has always wanted to join the House of Scholars and discover the world around him, “We think there are mysteries in the sky…water...plants… We loved the science of things,” Now, being assigned as a street sweeper, he is not satisfied with the job he has been given, and Equality is looking for other creative outlets to express himself. Having been part of the great WE for so long, he starts feeling the need to do his own thing. His scientific endeavors bring him joy therefore, he continues doing so. If he did not have these motivations, he would still have been like everyone else and followed society like they were supposed

“How dared you think that your mind held greater wisdom than the minds of your brothers?” (Chapter 7, paragraph 14) said the members of the council. They did not want to believe what was in front of them because it was created on his own. As they continue to go on about their disappointment they bashed him with words, “to hold yourself as one alone and with the thoughts of the one and not of the many?”. (chapter 7, paragraph 15) The words that were coming from them showed him deny and pain. Although the members punished and refused to accept Equality’s invention, he never let that bring down his motivation. He was determined to express himself in a way that no one else did, even if it meant him getting in

For four years he was there. Within those four years he made a friend, International 4-8818. One day while they were sweeping they found an iron grill over a black hole. Equality wanted to go explore it, but International was afraid and it is forbidden to do that. Equality responded with “The council does not know of this hole, so it cannot be forbidden” (31; ch1). He was starting not to care about the laws at that point. They found a room left from the Unmentionable Times. After that Equality always sneaks out at night when the Street Sweepers are in the City Theater. He has stolen candles, flints, knives, glass and a lot more. Equality sins have become greater and he is starting to feel less guilty about it. In time Equality has become more intelligent while being down there. He has performed experiments and he made a great discovery, light. Equality wanted to do something with the light he made. In addition, he also found a girl, Liberty 5-3000, she is from the Home of Peasants. The girl and he have fallen in love with each other. They talk and walk together whenever they get the chance to. That is another transgression he broke, but he is starting not to feel guilty. Equality feels like the girl Liberty, thinks the same as he. They named each other, Liberty named Equality the Unconquered and Equality named Liberty, Golden

To Equality, being similar to his brothers was not equal, he believes that the meaning of “I” celebrates joy and peace within a society. In the beginning, Equality was devoted to the Council and their reasons behind the social structure. Equality begins to experience emotions that separates himself from his brothers and he

Ayn Rand depicts a communist world in her book Anthem, where the citizens live day to day identical to the one before. Equality 7-2521, a struggling man in the society, is set apart for his strive of wanting more than what the society gives him. Rand shows that in a world carried on in such a communistic matter, it leaves some struggling and at a loss to make do with what they have and to fit in. The book, Anthem gives a grand example of how others react to one’s differences, shunning them or giving a punishment. Equality 7-2521 has a compelling ambition to learn things which then helps him escape the society.

¨We do not wonder at this new sin of ours. It is our second transgression of Preference, for we do not think of all our brothers, as we must, but only of one, and their name is Liberty 5-300. We do not know why we think of them” (Rand 41). In Ayn Randś dystopian novel, Anthem, the citizens are forced to think that they cannot have any preference, this includes liking someone more than others. Randś protagonist, Equality 7-2521, started the book falling in love with the Golden One, but as he moves toward individuality he begins to be in “love” less as he realizes there’s more than just being in a group. Rand uses the the relationship between Equality and the Golden One to represent Equality’s journey from being obsessed with the Golden One when he feels he has to be apart of the group, to being ignorant to the Golden One because he has become utterly independent and selfish.