Pursuit Of Knowledge In Ayn Rand's Anthem

When one is confined to society and held captive against their ego, it is imperative that they learn to eulogize their own individuality, and learn to improve themselves. In Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, Rand uses Equality 7-2521 to communicate the importance of the individual. Equality has always had his own sense of individuality that causes him to stand out and defy the social norms. His individuality allows him to persevere and diverge from collectivist society.

“Anthem”​by Ayn Rand takes us on a journey through the eyes of a young man named Equality 7­2521 living in the future in which people have lost all knowledge of individualism and where all decisions are made by committee ­ the Council. Equality 7­2521 struggles immediately from the beginning of the story because he is “cursed” by being intelligent and inquisitive and having individual thought, which is against the society in which he lives in. Growing up as a young boy, his dream is to become a scientist and work on new discoveries and inventions. Instead, at fifteen years old, Equality 7­2521 is assigned by the Council to a menial job of being a street sweeper. His day­to­day life is very routine and mundane and he rebels against this life and starts conducting research in a secret tunnel where he discovers and re­creates electricity.

Could you imagine living in a world where you were not your own individual? In the book Anthem, by Ayn Rand, everyone is the same and no one can be “better” or more intelligent than each other. In this book, the characters can not even speak the word “I” without getting executed. Think about having rules that restrict individuals from having their own thoughts, ideas, and opinions. In the book Anthem, the readers will discover that these rules and restrictions become a reality.

Ayn Rand’s Anthem gives an interesting take on what a society without a sense of individualism would look like. The main character of this book, Equality 7-2521, struggles with his life when he wants to take off on his own path and express his personal ideas, however everyone else meets these ideas with anger and skepticism. Everyone has been persuaded to believe that everybody is equal and no one has the right to have individualised thoughts. Equality 7-2521’s thirst for knowledge helps him break out of these chains. His desire to learn leads him to branch out and explore new things, helping him form new individualised thoughts.

Robert Frost once said, “If society fits you comfortably enough, you can call it freedom”. Most people can relate to this quote, but what if an individual does not agree or feel comfortable in his or her social system? In the novella Anthem, Ayn Rand shows her willingness to leave an unjust society through Equality leaving his community, purposefully breaking laws, and pursuing his discoveries. The first way Rand proves that she does not agree with her society, is through the main character of the book, Equality, running away from his society. Rand states that Equality’s actions that she will do what it takes to leave her society.

The story of Equality 7-2521 begins with the words of “It is a sin to write this.” ( ) Throughout the story, Equality’s views and mindset changes a lot , he is no longer thinking of his brothers and is only thinking of himself. He changes throughout the story due to his curiousity; he also replaces the word “We,” adopting it with the word “I”. By doing this he progresses it towards his true self. His journey begins with a mysterious hole in the ground that he finds.

In the novel, Anthem by Ayn Rand, conveys a deep understanding of collectivism. Collectivism is when you give a group priority over yourself as an individual. The main character, Equality 7-2521, does not have an identity and cannot express himself as an individual. In Equality’s world they can not be self-centered and always have to think about others. Anthem takes place in the future, and the citizens are unaware of the past.

In Anthem by Ayn Rand, there are many uses of symbolism throughout the entire novel. Specifically, the quote (found on page 52) “The secrets of this earth are not for all men to see, but for those who will seek them.” is a great example of this. Equality 7-2521, a street curious street sweeper discovers a new way to create light and control electricity while working underground late at night. Equality then returns several times, experimenting and improving this newfound power.

Who Am “I” Dee from the short story Everyday Use, by Alice Walker and Equality from the book Anthem, by Ayn Rand share similar motivations throughout their stories. Both Equality and Dee are motivated by their desire to discover themselves in different ways. The short story Everyday Use begins with the narrator, Ms. Johnson, and her daughter, Maggie, on the yard they have just cleaned.

The Great Corrupter “The great corrupter of public man is the ego. Looking at the mirror distracts ones attention from the problem” (Dean Acheson). Anthem by (Ayn Rand) illustrates that people, in general, are egoistic, she demonstrates this through the book Anthem. Near the End of the book Equality uses a new set of rules for him and the Golden One, they just got away from a controlling gov’t, but Equality is now controlling the Golden One. What the Council doesn’t understand is that everyone has a personality, and they often have very different personalities, a few characters stand out, their ego is very large, the world council and Equality.