ipl-logo

Individuality In Society

786 Words4 Pages

Individuality’s Role in Society Anthem is a dystopian novel written by Russian author Ayn Rand in 1937. Ayn Rand was avid about the importance of the individual, and she supported a hands off government, where the people define and sustain themselves. Ayn Rand’s interest in the government’s effect on society certainly led into her creation of Anthem. At the start of the novel, Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, writes from a secluded tunnel and shares about the dystopian society he lives in which prevents education, and individualism. The society prevents individuals from learning on their own, having questions, doubting their elders, and threatens any sort of rebellion or individuality with extreme punishment. The main concept that the novel …show more content…

Equality 7-2521 has slowly been piecing his ego together the entire novel, and at this point he declares his intentions to fight for man’s right to their own ego. His declaration states the following: “And here, over the portals of my fort, I shall cut in the stone the word which is to be my beacon and my banner. The word which will not die, should we all perish in battle. The word which can never die on this earth, for it is the heart of it and the meaning and the glory. The sacred word: EGO” (Rand 105). Equality 7-2521’s journey to individuality has finally reached an acme where he discovers his true purpose. He has discovered the importance of the word I, and his discovery helps him question the life he has been living, and envision a world free from oppression. Anthem by Ayn Rand details the scary, yet feasible possibility of a world without individuality, education, and questions. The protagonist, Equality 7-2521, lives in a world where freedom of speech is a sin, curiosity is viewed as a curse, and the sense of an ego is completely lost. Equality 7-2521 eventually learns about his desires for education, curiosity, and an identity. Anthem shows that even in a world completely devoid of flavor and individuality, man’s birth characteristic of never settling and constantly exploring will eventually lead to the trailblazing of an individualist

Show More
Related

  • Equality 7-2521 Quotes

    493 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Ayn Rand's Dystopian/Philosophical novel “Anthem” we are given the chance to witness Equality 7-2521 flourish and bloom as a character in the first chapter alone. Despite living in a society where his rights as a human being are overly oppressed, Equality began to bring forth his uncoerced mind by the end of chapter 1 through his desire to know more about himself and the world around him. At the beginning of the story Ayn Rand portrays Equality 7-2521 as a defiant yet compliant person, Accordingly Equality states that “... there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone … The laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so. May we be forgiven!”(Rand 3).

    Read More

  • Theme Of Equality 7-2521 In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    1083 Words  | 5 Pages

    However, before any satisfaction was achieved, Equality 7-2521 needed to go through rejection and humiliation from the World Council of Scholars before reaching his precious fate. After running blindly into the Uncharted Forest and spending a few days alone, Equality 7-2521 was met with yet another external conflict which proved to be in his favor. After hearing steps behind him in the forest, “We leapt forward, we ran to them, and we stood looking upon the Golden One” (Rand 81). This changes Equality 7-2521’s perspective completely, because now he must not only worry about himself in the Uncharted Forest, he has his companion with to worry about as well. There are no negative emotions towards this conflict, because Equality 7-2521 feels she was the only part missing in the next chapter of his new life.

    Read More

  • A Sinner's Journey In 'Anthem' By Ayn Rand

    682 Words  | 3 Pages

    A Sinner’s Journey Anthem a dystopian fiction, by Ayn Rand takes place in what seems like the future. Equality 7-2521 is surrounded by plain old buildings, in which contain certain types of councils. Equality bent the rules, he was different and did not know how be like his brothers. Thinking alone and thinking outside the box were prohibited. When Equality and International 4-8818 went out one day they stepped upon a underground tunnel, and for the first time experiencing the works of electricity.

    Read More

  • Equality 7-2521 In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    829 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Rebirth In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    1006 Words  | 5 Pages

    How Does One Lead a Rational Life in the Great Rebirth Ayn Rand is an illustrious writer, known for many of her works including the short novella Anthem and her short essay How Does One Lead a Rational Life in an Irrational Society. In Anthem, she speaks of a dystopian world set in the future with primitive technology. The Council expects everybody to look, act, and generally be the same as one another; however, Equality, the main character of Anthem, does not conform to the social norm. He rebels from the cookie-cutter system and learns to see the deep err in the way of the Council and finally realises the effects that the abusive treatment of the citizens creates.

    Read More

  • Anthem Collectivism Quotes

    321 Words  | 2 Pages

    Anthem is a dystopian novel by Ayn Rand, set in a society where individualism is banned and people are stripped of their personal freedoms. The protagonist, Equality 7-2521, struggles to reconcile his own desire for freedom with the restrictions placed upon him by his society. Throughout the novel, Rand uses powerful quotes to highlight the importance of individualism and the dangers of collectivism. One of the most striking quotes from the novel is "I am.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Anthem By Ayn Rand

    1150 Words  | 5 Pages

    From the past to the present, society has struggled with the concepts of conformity and individuality. Often times, people find comfort and safety in being like everyone else because they don’t feel alone. On the other hand, individuality seems to be encouraged by society by telling everyone to be themselves, yet people are ridiculed for standing out. In the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, the conflict between conformity and individuality is present in Equality’s quest for freedom when he convinces International 4-8818 not to report their discovery of the tunnel, when Equality meets the Golden One, and when he presents his invention to the house of scholars.

    Read More

  • Evil In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    733 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the book Equality 7-2521 challenges the idea that everyone is and must be the same. Instead he acts on his own. In the book everyone is supposed to be equal alongside their brothers. That means that no one is more important, intelligent, and so on than their brothers and by being so it is an evil in the world.

    Read More

  • Equality In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    967 Words  | 4 Pages

    He is extremely motivated to establish a world where information isn’t limited and people are able to live as they please. Equality has finally uncovered his purpose and is not only willing to defend, but also promote it. Equality’s mindset generated a reaction from the nurture he received, resulting in him to discover his identity. A monumental point in one 's life is when they remove the toxic and unveil their true self.

    Read More

  • Ayn Rand's Anthem-The Virtue Of Mortality

    1042 Words  | 5 Pages

    The Virtue of Mortality Ayn Rand’s story of Anthem takes place in an oppressive, Communist-like society of the future, where there is no individual - only the great “WE.” Subjects of this dreary civilization have no rights - existing solely to serve the state for a lifetime in their assigned position. The protagonist of the story, Equality 7-2521, is a gifted young man who is different from his fellow brothers. Equality desires to be a scientist, but instead, the government commands him to be a Street Sweeper out of fear of his mind and curiosity.

    Read More

  • Difference Between Collectivism And Individualism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    796 Words  | 4 Pages

    Imagine general uproar, mass confusion, and uprisings that were daily parts of the Russian Revolution. Visualize a young girl growing up in the midst of utter chaos. These events did indeed happen to a woman named Ayn Rand. Conflict and anger caused Ayn Rand to become very opinionated; hence, she authored the book Anthem. Making waves in the view of the public, Ayn Rand used extreme situations to illustrate the difference between the Collectivism and Individualism in her book.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Anthem By Ayn Rand

    1067 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Ayn Rand's Anthem: A Collectivist Society

    608 Words  | 3 Pages

    Anthem Essay Topic 1 Ayn Rand's Anthem depicts a collectivist society where each person is stripped of his/her individuality and forced to do only things that work to better society. The protagonist, Equality 7-2521, has just invented some sort of lighting creation similar to the common lightbulb. Equality knows that his new invention may have a huge, and positive, impact on mankind. However, his knowledge of the prosperity that his creation could have on society is not what causes him to experience feelings of satisfaction and pride while constructing it. Equality's main source of motivation for creating the lightbox is to feel like he has something all to himself that another person is yet to have, and to experience a sense of accomplishment.

    Read More

  • Ayn Rand's Anthem

    891 Words  | 4 Pages

    He now understands loyalty to one’s self and total individualism, making him a round character since the reader gains so much knowledge about him. As well as a flat character, the reason being is that he maintained the same individualism mindset throughout the whole movie. So excited, Equality gives himself the name “Prometheus,” and The Golden One “Gaea” from gaining knowledge of the books. In the end of the book, the forbidden word is revealed, and ends up being Ego. Which goes along with the title, she chose it to reflect how the book is an anthem to humanity's ego.

    Read More

  • Normal Day In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    757 Words  | 4 Pages

    This essay will be about a book with a very different world from ours. In Anthem the "Normal" day is very opposite from ours, in many ways physically and mentally main character Equality is a man very much like us in a society that shuns him for being so. His average day consisted of waking up, eating breakfast and working until it was time to attend the theater. Then inevitably starting the process over each day until the age of 40. For them in their age of evolution the age of forty is the verge of the end for them and they sit in a retirement home till the end.

    Read More

More about Individuality In Society

Open Document