In 1917, Vladimir Lenin staged a revolution in Russia and established a communist regime. Following the death of Lenin, the historic city of Petrograd was renamed Leningrad commemorating him and the communist revolution he led. Ayn Rand, living in Russia then, experienced the changes caused by the Russian Revolution, and the people now had to live in fear of the government and abide by the rules they passed. To criticize the authoritarian government in Russia and the acceptance of the people being oppressed, Rand wrote the book Anthem. Equality 7-2521, the main character, starts Anthem by living in a collective society until he uncovers knowledge forbidden by the government which leads him to rediscover the individualism that his society has lost. As Equality goes through the process of rediscovering …show more content…
During Equality’s reflection on his childhood, readers can see early on what he desires. As Equality puts it, “... [I] might be like them, like Union 5-3992” (21, 22). His childhood establishes a starting point for Equality, showing his desire to be the same as all his brothers. This desire is reflective of his name ‘Equality’ as equality means to be equal, equal to all his brothers and to be like all of them. As Equality grew older, his differences became more pronounced despite his desire to be equal and he couldn’t help but want more for himself, like a spot on the Council of Scholars to explore the world’s mysteries. At sixteen, Equality was wracked by guilt over his preferences when he was assigned a job, as all men are. “‘Street Sweeper’” “...our head rose higher to look upon the faces of the council and we were happy”(26). Equality’s acceptance of the decision made by the council shows him being accepting of the government's oppression, and Equality is fine with this as he is guilty of being different from his brothers and wants to be the