The Collectivist Society In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Imagine living in a world where people are unable to think for themselves and can only carry out actions that will better everyone else. That world is a collectivist society in which Ayn Rand forces her characters to live in her book. Anthem can be defined as a dystopian book because of the setting characterization, and the amount of government control. Anthem is set in the future. Equality writes in his journal saying, “They whisper many strange things of the towers which rose to the sky in those unmentionable time,” (Rand 19). ‘Towers that rose to the sky’ are skyscrapers. He continues by writing, “and of wagons which moved without horses,” (Rand 19). When Equality says ‘wagons without horses’ he is referring to modern day cars. Equality also uses the words ‘which moved’ meaning in the past not the future. This evidence proves that they are living in a time beyond now where technology has regressed a great deal. Dystopias are set in the future to be warning which is what Ayn Rand is doing with Anthem. Now

Every night they repeat, “We are nothing. Mankind is all," (Rand 21). When the citizens repeat this mindlessly every night they are giving the government what they want; power. And with this power the government can make these individuals do whatever they please. This can be seen when Equality says, "and each of the men have one of the women assigned to them by the Council of Eugenics," (Rand 41). This proves that the government wanted something a certain way, made a law, and everyone accepted it as a way of life. Because the citizens in the book are puppets to the government, they live in a dystopian society.

Anthem is a dystopia because of setting, characterization, and government control. Dystopias are set in a distant time as a warning, have miserable characters, and an overload of government control. All three make up the foundation for Rand's novella. Ready for the