Theme Of Human Nature In Anthem By Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand’s philosophy of human nature is perfectly exhibited in her outstanding novella ‘Anthem’. The central theme of the story, the individual versus the collective, is almost transpires in all her novels but Rand initiates the theme from this novella. This theme becomes an important element of her moral and political philosophy. The story takes place in a communist society that is unnamed where an individual has no rights of his own, and he has to live solely for the society and to serve it. The hero, Equality 7-2521 is a creative and innovative young man who longs to be a scientist but is condemned by the society and works as a street sweeper. In fact the government fears his independence of mind and restricts his development. This is the case of the society, and the citizens are treated only as pawns that have no rights and are able to move only by the orders of the government. They are born in state controlled hospitals, grown in nurseries under the control of the state, works in jobs assigned by the state, rests at nights in massive barracks allotted by the state. There is no right for a human being to love and have sex for their own interest and they should engage in state controlled breeding and the government decides who sleeps with whom and when. At its worst they should not have any individual names and they are named on collectivist slogans – Unity, Fraternity, International followed by numbers, and the word ‘I’ has been banned and erased from the