Archetype In Anthem Hero's Journey

The hero’s journey archetype has appeared in many forms of literature and will most likely continue to do so for as long as long as literature exists. The story of Equality 7-2521 and his journey to find the true value of individuality is one example of this very commonly used archetype. The hero’s journey usually follows the same basic plot. There is a hero with a place to go and a stated reason to go. Usually the stated reason to go is not the hero’s own choice. As the hero continues on their journey they will usually come across several obstacles and challenges that they must overcome. By the end of the journey the hero must have found out the true purpose of the journey and learned a lesson from the experience. The plot in Anthem fills these requirements very well.

He longs to be a scholar but he growing up he was too smart and because of that he many disliked him. His wanting was considered a sin in the dystopian society he lived in, so when he was assigned the job of street sweeper he accepted it as he saw it as a way to make up for his sin. The job as a street sweeper can be be considered Equality 7-2521 place to go and the reason to go would be to atone for his sins. As with most journeys this one was not the protagonists choice. He wanted to be a scholar more than anything in the world. He desired to put his intellect to use and help make things that could better society. When the time came to get a job he couldn’t choose what he wanted to do. Jobs were assigned to people by the government. When he was assigned to be a street sweeper he had no say in the