Literary Analysis: Ayn Rand's Anthem
Written in 2017
2. Bibliographic Information: Rand, Ayn, and Leonard Peikoff. Anthem. Caxton Printers, 1946
Originally published in 1937, Anthem pronounced the spirit of an individual against the social tides of extreme collectivism. Ayn Rand published the novella in the United Kingdom, receiving both commentaries and criticisms as it had before as a form of short-story in the magazine. She had originally settled upon the name of the book as “Ego”, for the actual representation of human. While the author had conceived the plot of the story in Soviet Russia in her teens, she did not base the story’s setting as Russia but of a collective name: “the society”. The influence of the historical era, namely, the period of self-discovery and growth (1925-1941) and modernism, mimics the style of writing in Anthem. As an ode to the human spirit, Anthem cherishes the basic acknowledgement of self, the craving of knowledge, and openness to express dispositions.
3. Quote Analysis:
“You shall do that which the Council of Vocations knows in its great wisdom where you are needed by your men, better than you can know it in your unworthy little minds” (22).
In context with plot, Equality 7-2521 describes his position in the society by introducing the process of selection of the Council. This quote excessively express the central intelligence role to the individuals. The importance of the council of vocation in the story is that it distributes occupations to the people so that they will not have competition in the financial or social standards. The essence of the council, is a jest from the author toward the system of collectivism because it does not support the true ideology. The greater wisdom from the higher power overshadows the unworthy small identity. Since no character says this, it is implied that the people of the society all acknowledges this concept. While the protagonist does not directly respond to this statement, he has subtle rebellious initiatives. This quote reflect the concept that “the ones who can not think by themselves usually get dictated over”, social darwinism, or the pawns versus player theory. Our world is unjust to those who are suppressed by the lack of knowledge or power. Value, does not ever get distributed equally.
“If that which we have found is the corruption of solitude, then what can men wish for save corruption? If this is the great evil of being alone, then what is good and what is evil?” (85).
After Equality 7-2521 discovers that he has corrupted solitude and the society’s boundaries, he then questions himself for the topic of corruption and morality itself. Due to his past experiences, he had genuinely accepted that the faith of the communal good is his own faith. However, he must defy not only the society’s standards, but his own personal standards. He now reconsiders what it means to be good and what it means to be evil. This quote is crucial to the story because this generation of people faces constant doubt against the society’s norms and regulations, yet they are unable to speak out and withdraw from the falsehood. This philosophical quote implies that sometimes when people choose to abandon the mental state of limbo and take on the debate of corruption, good and evil, and more into their subjective accounts.
“I am done with the monster of “we”, the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame” (97).
After the discovery of the pronoun, I, Equality 7-2521 resides in the study of ancient records, languages, and thoughts. He triumphs on the knowledge he is given and reflects on the past experiences. His response to the gross interpretation of “we” is that he links the word with all the grotesque forms of subjugation such as melancholy. This quote is especially highlighted due to its contribution to the value of the “self” because now Equality 7-2521 can think freely without the restriction of that of the collective society. It gives Equality 7-2521 a voice of himself and not the voice of the government since he can singularly speak in opposition. Objection in the 21st century is crucial for the population because conflict brings both positive change and negative change. Without objection, the common crowd would suffer through the above situations: serfdom, plunder, miser, falsehood and shame.
4. Title Significance:
Pronunciation of ideas:
An anthem hopes to achieve the goal of putting forward an idea. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the author does not include an actual song, but the main character strives to put forward an idea. He believes that this idea, strong and firm, shall resonate in each and every person. The main character, essentially, is singing an ode to discovery, to courage, and to individual bonds. Truthfully, the author puts an emphasis on the process of pronunciation, sometimes even more than the emphasis on the idea of collectivism. What is the idea? The idea of oneself as a separate being, apart from the we, to take his own initiatives, to write his own ideas, to express love, to juxtapose the right from wrong, to discover something of his own. These are the basics that the author wish the readers can understand by changing the title from Ego to Anthem.
Contradiction to nationalism:
As anthems are often sung in the objective of praising a country, an identity, or a group, the title of Anthem may have been chosen due to the author’s irony. Since the author strives to express the greatness of individual ego and to condemn a collective world, an anthem is the direct contradiction of the celebration of self–– it is a celebration of the nation and often sang together. An image of a successful anthem is an expression of love, devotion, sense of belonging, and patriotism. Sometimes, while singing an anthem, the individual gets overwhelmed by the voices of the millions next to him or her. In contrast, the main character refuses to follow the collective identity but rather to follow his own sainthood. He constantly debates the system by showing defiance.
Singing in an age of silence:
One particular line that draws my attention conveys the silence of the time, that “Solidarity 9-6347, who are a bright youth, without fear in the day; but they scream in their sleep, and they scream: “Help us! Help us! Help us!” into the night, in a voice which chills our bones, but the Doctors cannot cure Solidarity 9-6347” (47). This signifies the disagreement amongst the many selves and the society, between the desire for silence and connection. Secondly, the protagonist, Equality 7-2521, name himself Prometheus, the giver of light and intelligence to the human race. In such perspective, the readers can connect that Prometheus gives the voice to the population, in the time of silence. An ode, an proclamation, and a song for the purpose of cherishing, Anthem brings out the human dignity and the desire of speech.
5. Setting:
Set in the far future, Anthem gives the readers a subtle prediction of the egalitarian world where the sense self only resides in certain individuals. This future holds a great mass of population although it holds only one collective individual––we. This setting is related to the historical time period in which the work was written because the author feels the suppression of voice, ideas, and freedom under the rising eminence of the fascist and communist regimes globally. As a intellectual, she explores the potential of the fascist regime under extreme nationalism, deploration of self, and indoctrination of backward/false ideas. The setting gives the reader a perspective, a glance into the future, and a chance to introspect the society they live in currently. One can reasonably infer that the author intends to provide the setting as a futuristic glimpse rather than a depiction of the 1930s because she knows, the fading of self can only happen through progression. Given the time, the readers can examine the perspectives or political stance at the moment. The setting is significantly important because it examines the geography of the character’s psyche. For example, the forbidden forest hosts Equality 7-2521’s forbidden acts, his secret imploration of the society, and his love for “the Golden one”. As his desires elongate, the setting around him changes. His final resolution to the uncharted forests exemplify his final exploration of ego. The association of the plot and the setting can be seen through the change of environment, the change of self- perception, and the growing despise for the society he lives in, the attempt to turn back the clock by reading history books. For example, the geography turns from the silent halls of beds to the empty streets, from the wilderness of the uncharted forest to the dark hole, and finally from the cellars of the punishment center into the wild again to find a deserted house. Undoubtedly, the initial setting’s purpose is to mock at the current society’s situation, so it is not very different from what readers see today.
6. Themes:
The individualistic nature of man will always defy a collective means of government:
It is the rebellious nature of men that make Equality 7-2521 not bond to anything to the government, not fear of the government, not love of the government. There is no better description of him than his inward folding of himself, layers and layers turned outwards, upon an endless cycle which will not falter. This theme shows human civilization at its finest form, after rounds and rounds of confinement. Light now always shines into his eyes, the darkness of the universe now blinds the truth. Although the collective regime have dictated nature and all that comes with it, the story implies that the individual’s battle had not begun. As soon as Equality 7-2521 seeks his knowledge about his construction with wires and metal, he wants to share it with the society. This action demonstrates how the mankind is lenient toward his own ego and his own desires, and this quote illustrates that mankind will not give into the collective knowledge, that “we must not keep our secret to ourselves, not buried under the ground. We must bring it into the sight of men” (60).
Second message: If the society can not provide emotional security and reasonable satisfaction, then that society will be uprooted by its people.
The society that Equality 7-2521 lives in gives little to no freedom of thought and personal exercise of power. The regulations included the restriction of writing, the restriction of possessions, the restriction of individual thoughts, and restriction in traveling to uncharted places. The author projects the message in the form of criticism. In this context, because of the amount of suppression the individual receives and the lack of emotional security the society provides, the society therefore strip of the fundamental rights of human beings. This is evident because the author wrote the night as “filled with unspoken horror”, one can reasonably imagine a night without any uproar, without entangling thoughts, without the soft chirping of crickets, without the simple fluttering of eyelids that open and close. These men in the society live lives undistinguishable by day nor night. Their mouths still pronounce words, but the words had long been pounded into thin sheets of tin. Rigid movements, restrained by frightful emptiness has become the norm. The similarity of the collective “we” makes the men vulnerable to the society because every bite of the tongue, every eye movement in the dark, every tinge of the fingers, every impulse out to the world shows how delicate this identity is. Since there only one identity exists, if this one identity falters, everything will collapse. In the story, Equality 7-2521 defies the regulations of the society in actions such as writing, stealing candlelight, falling in love with another individual, and going into the uncharted forest. Near the end of the story, the narrator indicates that he will soon create an empire that cherishes individuality. For example, “here, on this mountain, I and my sons and my chosen friends shall build our new land and our fort… And all my brothers, and the Councils of my brothers, will hear of it, but they will impotent against me” (104). One can reasonably infer that this empire will clash with the Society in the future.
Third message: Any eradication of the past or history is a suppression of thinking
To think, to contemplate, and to express serves as a freedom of mankind. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the population lacks the ability to delve into introspection. Secondly, the population lacks the ability to learn about history. The Councils, the leaders of the society, have purposefully eradicated the basis of the history and titled them the “Unmentionable times”. One example of the repressed history, can be discovered through the lines, that “hundreds of years ago men knew secrets which we have lost” (32). In this story, Equality 7-2521 recognizes that a boundary restricts the spreading of historical records. A tempting and dangerous thought set in Equality 7-2521 when he knows he can think, he can discover history, and control his own actions. This is related to our contemporary world because the ideology of a revolution stems from these three aspects: the ability of free thinking, the suppression from the above, and the realization of some sort. The causation, now that historians alike look in retrospect, seemed almost inexplicably justifiable: it all seemed too obvious. Free thinking with the consideration of suppression, realization with the consideration of indifference, and the establishment of standards in a society of a completely different status quo or social norm. By limiting the knowledge of history, the people cannot know about people’s reaction before the current generation.
7. Character:
Equality 7-2521: A peasant man who had dared to write, to think, and to discover the boundaries of the society that bound him to withdraw the sense of self. It is evident through the introduction, that he recounts how his teacher once told him that he has evil in his bones. He later changed his name to Prometheus, in honor of the titan who transcend the boundaries of obligation to steal fire for the human. Symbolising the primordial parenthood of mankind, Prometheus gives the light to his lesser beings, trespassing his moral duties and is punished forever in desertion. However, Ayn Rand’s final depiction of Equality 7-2521 brings forth a perfect ending as they discover both their paradise and their fruit of knowledge. Equality 7-2521 serves as the protagonist in Anthem, corrupting the equilibrium of the society. In the society, although he believes that he possesses intellectual strength, he is downgraded to the city’s street sweeper.
The Golden One, Liberty 5-3000:
This character serves as Equality 7-2521’s female counterpart, a necessary character in the biblical terms. Hosted in the Home of the Peasants beyond the City, the Golden One or Liberty 5-3000 has a distinct response to the protagonist’s request. Ayn Rand exerts this relationship because all great heroes needs embracement, support, and adherence. The female identifies herself as the first follower, first pursuer, first adherer of the thinker. She names herself Gaea in honor of the mother Earth in greek mythology, who will bring forth offsprings and populate the land. She is marked by her beauty, her persistence, and her loyalty to Equality 7-2521. Unlike the bible, the final depiction of Equality 7-2521 and the Golden one brings forth a perfect ending as they discover both their paradise (garden of eden) and their fruit of knowledge.
International 4-8818
This shows initial failure to comply to the idea of individual action. A strong, tall youth and their eyes are like fireflies, for there is laughter in their eyes. Categorized in the House of the Street Sweepers, he does not comply to Equality 7-2521’s request to explore the secrets of the time. Frightened to go into the old iron grill over a black hole, he remained behind in the collective world. He had initial impact to the protagonist but had a diminishing effect as the plot proceeds.
Union 5-3992
This shows the variety of people that inhabits the society, contrary to the belief of equality in the society. This shows that people does not born equal and does not regulate themselves as the others. This shows the intellectual inability to perform the process of individualisation. This individual has a mental deficiency and is identified by the protagonist as “half-brain”, or a sickly lad and sometimes stricken with convulsions. He does not have much addition to the plotline nor the protagonist.
The Council and Collective 0-0009
These two characters represent the society’s effort restrain all possible rebellious result. Collective 0-0009 is the oldest and wisest individual in the City. Their response shows the highly superficial Council of Scholars who does not want to share their knowledge. The power of the state reside upon these men, who does not believe in the creation of light or any use of knowledge. Their plan, stands superior to all other plans, and it is implied that the sun would not rise without the implication of the candles. The meeting with the intruder marks Equality 7-2521’s last straw against total desertion of the “civilization”.
8. Conflict:
Person vs. self: Equality 7-2521 constantly doubts his own situation and his own state of righteousness. From the beginning of the novel, Equality 7-2521 has pronounced his dissatisfaction with himself and his distinctiveness. Equality 7-2521 draws reminiscence from the years as a student, under of which the banners of the State controlled his every move. Initially, he is determined to fight this difference of intellectual because he learns too quickly and is not prone to forget. This curse, he titled, shall follow him unto the Transgression of Preference. Subsequently, Equality 7-2521 pursues the occupation as a Street Sweeper with a conflict of duty. While he wishes to become like his brothers, he also wishes to become an intellectual being with great knowledge. He describes himself as a yearner of the science of things, and constantly debated on the questions that the Teachers forbid to ask. This battle within Equality 7-2521 shows the conflict between morality and the social norm, the decision that he should make require more than a voice.
Person vs. person: Equality 7-2521 combats The Council and Collective 0-0009 at the World Council of Scholars to bring forth the glass box invention that portrays the light of the century. While Equality 7-2521 believes that men are simply not enlightened, he is defeated when he learned that men and The Council are ignorant and nonchalant to knowledge and the world. His jurisdiction on the population is established after this conflict, and he settles on his departure from this society. Passion drives Equality 7-2521 to enact on this forbidden act to appear in front of the Council of Scholars.
Person vs. society: The entire story revolves around the constant abrasion between the society and the individual. This is mentioned the most in the story because no distinct plotline can be illustrated around this theme. Throughout the story, Equality 7-2521 struggles to sustain his ideology and find the ego within himself. The Palace of Corrective detention can also be seen as a major person versus society factor in Anthem, as he was imprisoned and punished for his transgressions. Combatting the social conformity, Equality 7-2521 eventually succeeds on overcoming the society’s pressure by escaping the society. He promises to return and defeat the collective means in the world. I believe this conflict is mentioned most in the story also because of the author’s volition on the failure of communism, fascism, or any type of collectivism.
9. Point of View:
Ayn Rand chose first person account because she wants to further emphasize the importance of expression of the self. There is only one narrator, who discovers himself as the sole narrator by using the word “I”. The author chose this particular point of view to narrate the feelings that took place inside the protagonist, such as this iconic and strong realization of the self, “I am. I think. I will… I am a man!” (89). By exploring the topic subjectively, the author clearly induces the readers to react in the contrary of a collective society. The author did not use the third person omniscient because there are only two main characters and their perspectives both mimic that of Equality 7-2521. The author did not use the third person limited because the characters does not have an intricate relationship to carefully dissect each personality or characteristic. The narrative is really dependent of the amount of information that the author wants to give, in contrast, the narrative is also dependent of the amount of inferences that the author wants the readers to realize themselves.
10. Beginnings and Endings:
The beginning of Anthem marks the first crime of Equality 7-2521 against the society. Already the author introduces the characteristic of the narrator, who follows the conformed society’s norms of using the “we”. Although the pronoun usage may be confusing to readers at first, but it would soon be clear that the inhabitants of the State has lost the sense of self, ego, and sense of thought throughout the years in the future. The author describes the depressing state of living from one distinct inhabitant’s perspective.
The final scene of the work displays the victory of mankind on the realization of his own ego. Equality 7-2521 stands on the crown of the wilderness and proclaims his dreams of empires that are yet to rise under his feet, the children of his race and the strength that will not be enslaved by the collective regime. The establishment of a new empire will forever preserve the sanctity of the selfish self. Equality 7-2521 resides in the house with Liberty 5-3000 and promises to die for the future generations of those enslaved, burdened, and suppressed by collectivism. This gives satisfaction to the readers as the main characters dwell happily and unharmed. Ending the novella as a contrast with the beginning’s gloomy mood, Ayn Rand wraps Anthem with a pleasing note.
11. Irony:
Verbal irony: the literary technique that the author uses to convey important contradictions in words to enhance the quality of their delivery. As the narrator recounts on his experience cleaning the gutters, the streets, and the sewers, he describes his experience as ‘the air is pure under the ground. There is no odor of men” (46). It is ironic because the odor of the sewers does not bother Equality 7-2521 as the corruption of the self emitted by the men.
Situational irony: the literary technique that the author uses to convey important thematic materials to enhance the quality of their delivery. This is ironic because the outcome of the plot is opposite of what one would expect. The irony strikes in when Equality 7-2521 bestows a great amount of effort in proving his invention worthy of the examination of the Council. The anticipation in the voice of Equality 7-2521 shows his passion of confession, but received strong criticism, “that what is not done collectively cannot be good” (73) and “he shall be burned at the stake” (72). Situational irony changes a situation’s intended meanings or context. This enhances the plot because this contradicts the reader’s perceived beliefs, therefore poking fun at the daily unexpectancy of events.
12. Literary Devices and Techniques:
Chapter 4: page 86-94
Diction: the diction in Anthem remain constant and formal throughout the novella. However, the intellectual depth of the main character, Equality 7-2521, ascends as the plot churns on. The author notices the intellectual journey and emotional journey of the main character, and appropriately incorporates formal writing in the story. This enhances the tone and mood of the entire novella.
Personification: The usage of personification enhance the depth of the author and switches the sentence structure of the novel. This technique describes the recipient as something similar to that of the qualities of a human being, for example, “the peaks were red and brown, with the green streaks of forests as veins upon them, with blue mists as veils over their heads” (88). The veins and the veils are the human possessions, showing the art of language.
Symbolisms: the author uses the symbolism of the Greek Gods’ names as the names of the main characters because she wants the readers to know the value that they hold themselves. Equivalent as the titans that once roamed the earth, Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 hold themselves as the bringer of light and the breeder of life, this quote shows the creation of names, “Gaea… for you are to be the mother of a new kind of gods” (92).
Imagery: Imagery triggers the sensory reception such as vision, hearing, taste, and smell. In this quote, the author wants to enhance her description of the house by adding “The sunrays danced upon colors, colors, more colors, than we thought possible, we who had seen no houses save the white ones, the brown ones and the grey” (90). This visual elaboration adds to the literary technique of an imagery.
Simile:simile is the literary technique that describes an item or an article with the usage of like or as, also a form of comparison. Ayn Rand describes the flame in the main character burns brightly, “the flame was unmoving, yet blinding as liquid metal” (89).
Flashback: The main character recounts his experience from the earlier days that was filled with contempt and suffering. In one account, he remembers how the transgressor of knowledge was burned at the stake and was put on public display. This flashback enhances the plot because it motivates Equality 7-2521 to reach out and escape the society, or else they society will punish him just as they did with “the transgressor, who was out into the square and they led him to the pyre… theirs was the calmest and the happiest face” (90).
Metaphor: metaphor is the literary technique that describes an item or an article without the usage of like or as, it is a form of comparison. In this quote, Ayn Rand gives the readers a grandiose view of the unborn empire of Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000, that “this spread of naked rock and peaks and moonlight is a world ready to be born” (92).
Originally published in 1937, Anthem pronounced the spirit of an individual against the social tides of extreme collectivism. Ayn Rand published the novella in the United Kingdom, receiving both commentaries and criticisms as it had before as a form of short-story in the magazine. She had originally settled upon the name of the book as “Ego”, for the actual representation of human. While the author had conceived the plot of the story in Soviet Russia in her teens, she did not base the story’s setting as Russia but of a collective name: “the society”. The influence of the historical era, namely, the period of self-discovery and growth (1925-1941) and modernism, mimics the style of writing in Anthem. As an ode to the human spirit, Anthem cherishes the basic acknowledgement of self, the craving of knowledge, and openness to express dispositions.
3. Quote Analysis:
“You shall do that which the Council of Vocations knows in its great wisdom where you are needed by your men, better than you can know it in your unworthy little minds” (22).
In context with plot, Equality 7-2521 describes his position in the society by introducing the process of selection of the Council. This quote excessively express the central intelligence role to the individuals. The importance of the council of vocation in the story is that it distributes occupations to the people so that they will not have competition in the financial or social standards. The essence of the council, is a jest from the author toward the system of collectivism because it does not support the true ideology. The greater wisdom from the higher power overshadows the unworthy small identity. Since no character says this, it is implied that the people of the society all acknowledges this concept. While the protagonist does not directly respond to this statement, he has subtle rebellious initiatives. This quote reflect the concept that “the ones who can not think by themselves usually get dictated over”, social darwinism, or the pawns versus player theory. Our world is unjust to those who are suppressed by the lack of knowledge or power. Value, does not ever get distributed equally.
“If that which we have found is the corruption of solitude, then what can men wish for save corruption? If this is the great evil of being alone, then what is good and what is evil?” (85).
After Equality 7-2521 discovers that he has corrupted solitude and the society’s boundaries, he then questions himself for the topic of corruption and morality itself. Due to his past experiences, he had genuinely accepted that the faith of the communal good is his own faith. However, he must defy not only the society’s standards, but his own personal standards. He now reconsiders what it means to be good and what it means to be evil. This quote is crucial to the story because this generation of people faces constant doubt against the society’s norms and regulations, yet they are unable to speak out and withdraw from the falsehood. This philosophical quote implies that sometimes when people choose to abandon the mental state of limbo and take on the debate of corruption, good and evil, and more into their subjective accounts.
“I am done with the monster of “we”, the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame” (97).
After the discovery of the pronoun, I, Equality 7-2521 resides in the study of ancient records, languages, and thoughts. He triumphs on the knowledge he is given and reflects on the past experiences. His response to the gross interpretation of “we” is that he links the word with all the grotesque forms of subjugation such as melancholy. This quote is especially highlighted due to its contribution to the value of the “self” because now Equality 7-2521 can think freely without the restriction of that of the collective society. It gives Equality 7-2521 a voice of himself and not the voice of the government since he can singularly speak in opposition. Objection in the 21st century is crucial for the population because conflict brings both positive change and negative change. Without objection, the common crowd would suffer through the above situations: serfdom, plunder, miser, falsehood and shame.
4. Title Significance:
Pronunciation of ideas:
An anthem hopes to achieve the goal of putting forward an idea. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the author does not include an actual song, but the main character strives to put forward an idea. He believes that this idea, strong and firm, shall resonate in each and every person. The main character, essentially, is singing an ode to discovery, to courage, and to individual bonds. Truthfully, the author puts an emphasis on the process of pronunciation, sometimes even more than the emphasis on the idea of collectivism. What is the idea? The idea of oneself as a separate being, apart from the we, to take his own initiatives, to write his own ideas, to express love, to juxtapose the right from wrong, to discover something of his own. These are the basics that the author wish the readers can understand by changing the title from Ego to Anthem.
Contradiction to nationalism:
As anthems are often sung in the objective of praising a country, an identity, or a group, the title of Anthem may have been chosen due to the author’s irony. Since the author strives to express the greatness of individual ego and to condemn a collective world, an anthem is the direct contradiction of the celebration of self–– it is a celebration of the nation and often sang together. An image of a successful anthem is an expression of love, devotion, sense of belonging, and patriotism. Sometimes, while singing an anthem, the individual gets overwhelmed by the voices of the millions next to him or her. In contrast, the main character refuses to follow the collective identity but rather to follow his own sainthood. He constantly debates the system by showing defiance.
Singing in an age of silence:
One particular line that draws my attention conveys the silence of the time, that “Solidarity 9-6347, who are a bright youth, without fear in the day; but they scream in their sleep, and they scream: “Help us! Help us! Help us!” into the night, in a voice which chills our bones, but the Doctors cannot cure Solidarity 9-6347” (47). This signifies the disagreement amongst the many selves and the society, between the desire for silence and connection. Secondly, the protagonist, Equality 7-2521, name himself Prometheus, the giver of light and intelligence to the human race. In such perspective, the readers can connect that Prometheus gives the voice to the population, in the time of silence. An ode, an proclamation, and a song for the purpose of cherishing, Anthem brings out the human dignity and the desire of speech.
5. Setting:
Set in the far future, Anthem gives the readers a subtle prediction of the egalitarian world where the sense self only resides in certain individuals. This future holds a great mass of population although it holds only one collective individual––we. This setting is related to the historical time period in which the work was written because the author feels the suppression of voice, ideas, and freedom under the rising eminence of the fascist and communist regimes globally. As a intellectual, she explores the potential of the fascist regime under extreme nationalism, deploration of self, and indoctrination of backward/false ideas. The setting gives the reader a perspective, a glance into the future, and a chance to introspect the society they live in currently. One can reasonably infer that the author intends to provide the setting as a futuristic glimpse rather than a depiction of the 1930s because she knows, the fading of self can only happen through progression. Given the time, the readers can examine the perspectives or political stance at the moment. The setting is significantly important because it examines the geography of the character’s psyche. For example, the forbidden forest hosts Equality 7-2521’s forbidden acts, his secret imploration of the society, and his love for “the Golden one”. As his desires elongate, the setting around him changes. His final resolution to the uncharted forests exemplify his final exploration of ego. The association of the plot and the setting can be seen through the change of environment, the change of self- perception, and the growing despise for the society he lives in, the attempt to turn back the clock by reading history books. For example, the geography turns from the silent halls of beds to the empty streets, from the wilderness of the uncharted forest to the dark hole, and finally from the cellars of the punishment center into the wild again to find a deserted house. Undoubtedly, the initial setting’s purpose is to mock at the current society’s situation, so it is not very different from what readers see today.
6. Themes:
The individualistic nature of man will always defy a collective means of government:
It is the rebellious nature of men that make Equality 7-2521 not bond to anything to the government, not fear of the government, not love of the government. There is no better description of him than his inward folding of himself, layers and layers turned outwards, upon an endless cycle which will not falter. This theme shows human civilization at its finest form, after rounds and rounds of confinement. Light now always shines into his eyes, the darkness of the universe now blinds the truth. Although the collective regime have dictated nature and all that comes with it, the story implies that the individual’s battle had not begun. As soon as Equality 7-2521 seeks his knowledge about his construction with wires and metal, he wants to share it with the society. This action demonstrates how the mankind is lenient toward his own ego and his own desires, and this quote illustrates that mankind will not give into the collective knowledge, that “we must not keep our secret to ourselves, not buried under the ground. We must bring it into the sight of men” (60).
Second message: If the society can not provide emotional security and reasonable satisfaction, then that society will be uprooted by its people.
The society that Equality 7-2521 lives in gives little to no freedom of thought and personal exercise of power. The regulations included the restriction of writing, the restriction of possessions, the restriction of individual thoughts, and restriction in traveling to uncharted places. The author projects the message in the form of criticism. In this context, because of the amount of suppression the individual receives and the lack of emotional security the society provides, the society therefore strip of the fundamental rights of human beings. This is evident because the author wrote the night as “filled with unspoken horror”, one can reasonably imagine a night without any uproar, without entangling thoughts, without the soft chirping of crickets, without the simple fluttering of eyelids that open and close. These men in the society live lives undistinguishable by day nor night. Their mouths still pronounce words, but the words had long been pounded into thin sheets of tin. Rigid movements, restrained by frightful emptiness has become the norm. The similarity of the collective “we” makes the men vulnerable to the society because every bite of the tongue, every eye movement in the dark, every tinge of the fingers, every impulse out to the world shows how delicate this identity is. Since there only one identity exists, if this one identity falters, everything will collapse. In the story, Equality 7-2521 defies the regulations of the society in actions such as writing, stealing candlelight, falling in love with another individual, and going into the uncharted forest. Near the end of the story, the narrator indicates that he will soon create an empire that cherishes individuality. For example, “here, on this mountain, I and my sons and my chosen friends shall build our new land and our fort… And all my brothers, and the Councils of my brothers, will hear of it, but they will impotent against me” (104). One can reasonably infer that this empire will clash with the Society in the future.
Third message: Any eradication of the past or history is a suppression of thinking
To think, to contemplate, and to express serves as a freedom of mankind. In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, the population lacks the ability to delve into introspection. Secondly, the population lacks the ability to learn about history. The Councils, the leaders of the society, have purposefully eradicated the basis of the history and titled them the “Unmentionable times”. One example of the repressed history, can be discovered through the lines, that “hundreds of years ago men knew secrets which we have lost” (32). In this story, Equality 7-2521 recognizes that a boundary restricts the spreading of historical records. A tempting and dangerous thought set in Equality 7-2521 when he knows he can think, he can discover history, and control his own actions. This is related to our contemporary world because the ideology of a revolution stems from these three aspects: the ability of free thinking, the suppression from the above, and the realization of some sort. The causation, now that historians alike look in retrospect, seemed almost inexplicably justifiable: it all seemed too obvious. Free thinking with the consideration of suppression, realization with the consideration of indifference, and the establishment of standards in a society of a completely different status quo or social norm. By limiting the knowledge of history, the people cannot know about people’s reaction before the current generation.
7. Character:
Equality 7-2521: A peasant man who had dared to write, to think, and to discover the boundaries of the society that bound him to withdraw the sense of self. It is evident through the introduction, that he recounts how his teacher once told him that he has evil in his bones. He later changed his name to Prometheus, in honor of the titan who transcend the boundaries of obligation to steal fire for the human. Symbolising the primordial parenthood of mankind, Prometheus gives the light to his lesser beings, trespassing his moral duties and is punished forever in desertion. However, Ayn Rand’s final depiction of Equality 7-2521 brings forth a perfect ending as they discover both their paradise and their fruit of knowledge. Equality 7-2521 serves as the protagonist in Anthem, corrupting the equilibrium of the society. In the society, although he believes that he possesses intellectual strength, he is downgraded to the city’s street sweeper.
The Golden One, Liberty 5-3000:
This character serves as Equality 7-2521’s female counterpart, a necessary character in the biblical terms. Hosted in the Home of the Peasants beyond the City, the Golden One or Liberty 5-3000 has a distinct response to the protagonist’s request. Ayn Rand exerts this relationship because all great heroes needs embracement, support, and adherence. The female identifies herself as the first follower, first pursuer, first adherer of the thinker. She names herself Gaea in honor of the mother Earth in greek mythology, who will bring forth offsprings and populate the land. She is marked by her beauty, her persistence, and her loyalty to Equality 7-2521. Unlike the bible, the final depiction of Equality 7-2521 and the Golden one brings forth a perfect ending as they discover both their paradise (garden of eden) and their fruit of knowledge.
International 4-8818
This shows initial failure to comply to the idea of individual action. A strong, tall youth and their eyes are like fireflies, for there is laughter in their eyes. Categorized in the House of the Street Sweepers, he does not comply to Equality 7-2521’s request to explore the secrets of the time. Frightened to go into the old iron grill over a black hole, he remained behind in the collective world. He had initial impact to the protagonist but had a diminishing effect as the plot proceeds.
Union 5-3992
This shows the variety of people that inhabits the society, contrary to the belief of equality in the society. This shows that people does not born equal and does not regulate themselves as the others. This shows the intellectual inability to perform the process of individualisation. This individual has a mental deficiency and is identified by the protagonist as “half-brain”, or a sickly lad and sometimes stricken with convulsions. He does not have much addition to the plotline nor the protagonist.
The Council and Collective 0-0009
These two characters represent the society’s effort restrain all possible rebellious result. Collective 0-0009 is the oldest and wisest individual in the City. Their response shows the highly superficial Council of Scholars who does not want to share their knowledge. The power of the state reside upon these men, who does not believe in the creation of light or any use of knowledge. Their plan, stands superior to all other plans, and it is implied that the sun would not rise without the implication of the candles. The meeting with the intruder marks Equality 7-2521’s last straw against total desertion of the “civilization”.
8. Conflict:
Person vs. self: Equality 7-2521 constantly doubts his own situation and his own state of righteousness. From the beginning of the novel, Equality 7-2521 has pronounced his dissatisfaction with himself and his distinctiveness. Equality 7-2521 draws reminiscence from the years as a student, under of which the banners of the State controlled his every move. Initially, he is determined to fight this difference of intellectual because he learns too quickly and is not prone to forget. This curse, he titled, shall follow him unto the Transgression of Preference. Subsequently, Equality 7-2521 pursues the occupation as a Street Sweeper with a conflict of duty. While he wishes to become like his brothers, he also wishes to become an intellectual being with great knowledge. He describes himself as a yearner of the science of things, and constantly debated on the questions that the Teachers forbid to ask. This battle within Equality 7-2521 shows the conflict between morality and the social norm, the decision that he should make require more than a voice.
Person vs. person: Equality 7-2521 combats The Council and Collective 0-0009 at the World Council of Scholars to bring forth the glass box invention that portrays the light of the century. While Equality 7-2521 believes that men are simply not enlightened, he is defeated when he learned that men and The Council are ignorant and nonchalant to knowledge and the world. His jurisdiction on the population is established after this conflict, and he settles on his departure from this society. Passion drives Equality 7-2521 to enact on this forbidden act to appear in front of the Council of Scholars.
Person vs. society: The entire story revolves around the constant abrasion between the society and the individual. This is mentioned the most in the story because no distinct plotline can be illustrated around this theme. Throughout the story, Equality 7-2521 struggles to sustain his ideology and find the ego within himself. The Palace of Corrective detention can also be seen as a major person versus society factor in Anthem, as he was imprisoned and punished for his transgressions. Combatting the social conformity, Equality 7-2521 eventually succeeds on overcoming the society’s pressure by escaping the society. He promises to return and defeat the collective means in the world. I believe this conflict is mentioned most in the story also because of the author’s volition on the failure of communism, fascism, or any type of collectivism.
9. Point of View:
Ayn Rand chose first person account because she wants to further emphasize the importance of expression of the self. There is only one narrator, who discovers himself as the sole narrator by using the word “I”. The author chose this particular point of view to narrate the feelings that took place inside the protagonist, such as this iconic and strong realization of the self, “I am. I think. I will… I am a man!” (89). By exploring the topic subjectively, the author clearly induces the readers to react in the contrary of a collective society. The author did not use the third person omniscient because there are only two main characters and their perspectives both mimic that of Equality 7-2521. The author did not use the third person limited because the characters does not have an intricate relationship to carefully dissect each personality or characteristic. The narrative is really dependent of the amount of information that the author wants to give, in contrast, the narrative is also dependent of the amount of inferences that the author wants the readers to realize themselves.
10. Beginnings and Endings:
The beginning of Anthem marks the first crime of Equality 7-2521 against the society. Already the author introduces the characteristic of the narrator, who follows the conformed society’s norms of using the “we”. Although the pronoun usage may be confusing to readers at first, but it would soon be clear that the inhabitants of the State has lost the sense of self, ego, and sense of thought throughout the years in the future. The author describes the depressing state of living from one distinct inhabitant’s perspective.
The final scene of the work displays the victory of mankind on the realization of his own ego. Equality 7-2521 stands on the crown of the wilderness and proclaims his dreams of empires that are yet to rise under his feet, the children of his race and the strength that will not be enslaved by the collective regime. The establishment of a new empire will forever preserve the sanctity of the selfish self. Equality 7-2521 resides in the house with Liberty 5-3000 and promises to die for the future generations of those enslaved, burdened, and suppressed by collectivism. This gives satisfaction to the readers as the main characters dwell happily and unharmed. Ending the novella as a contrast with the beginning’s gloomy mood, Ayn Rand wraps Anthem with a pleasing note.
11. Irony:
Verbal irony: the literary technique that the author uses to convey important contradictions in words to enhance the quality of their delivery. As the narrator recounts on his experience cleaning the gutters, the streets, and the sewers, he describes his experience as ‘the air is pure under the ground. There is no odor of men” (46). It is ironic because the odor of the sewers does not bother Equality 7-2521 as the corruption of the self emitted by the men.
Situational irony: the literary technique that the author uses to convey important thematic materials to enhance the quality of their delivery. This is ironic because the outcome of the plot is opposite of what one would expect. The irony strikes in when Equality 7-2521 bestows a great amount of effort in proving his invention worthy of the examination of the Council. The anticipation in the voice of Equality 7-2521 shows his passion of confession, but received strong criticism, “that what is not done collectively cannot be good” (73) and “he shall be burned at the stake” (72). Situational irony changes a situation’s intended meanings or context. This enhances the plot because this contradicts the reader’s perceived beliefs, therefore poking fun at the daily unexpectancy of events.
12. Literary Devices and Techniques:
Chapter 4: page 86-94
Diction: the diction in Anthem remain constant and formal throughout the novella. However, the intellectual depth of the main character, Equality 7-2521, ascends as the plot churns on. The author notices the intellectual journey and emotional journey of the main character, and appropriately incorporates formal writing in the story. This enhances the tone and mood of the entire novella.
Personification: The usage of personification enhance the depth of the author and switches the sentence structure of the novel. This technique describes the recipient as something similar to that of the qualities of a human being, for example, “the peaks were red and brown, with the green streaks of forests as veins upon them, with blue mists as veils over their heads” (88). The veins and the veils are the human possessions, showing the art of language.
Symbolisms: the author uses the symbolism of the Greek Gods’ names as the names of the main characters because she wants the readers to know the value that they hold themselves. Equivalent as the titans that once roamed the earth, Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 hold themselves as the bringer of light and the breeder of life, this quote shows the creation of names, “Gaea… for you are to be the mother of a new kind of gods” (92).
Imagery: Imagery triggers the sensory reception such as vision, hearing, taste, and smell. In this quote, the author wants to enhance her description of the house by adding “The sunrays danced upon colors, colors, more colors, than we thought possible, we who had seen no houses save the white ones, the brown ones and the grey” (90). This visual elaboration adds to the literary technique of an imagery.
Simile:simile is the literary technique that describes an item or an article with the usage of like or as, also a form of comparison. Ayn Rand describes the flame in the main character burns brightly, “the flame was unmoving, yet blinding as liquid metal” (89).
Flashback: The main character recounts his experience from the earlier days that was filled with contempt and suffering. In one account, he remembers how the transgressor of knowledge was burned at the stake and was put on public display. This flashback enhances the plot because it motivates Equality 7-2521 to reach out and escape the society, or else they society will punish him just as they did with “the transgressor, who was out into the square and they led him to the pyre… theirs was the calmest and the happiest face” (90).
Metaphor: metaphor is the literary technique that describes an item or an article without the usage of like or as, it is a form of comparison. In this quote, Ayn Rand gives the readers a grandiose view of the unborn empire of Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000, that “this spread of naked rock and peaks and moonlight is a world ready to be born” (92).
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