...Ayn Rand begins the novel Anthem with the quote, “It is a sin to write this.”. In the society that the main character, Equality-2521 lives in, individualism is a crime. The people of the society are very obedient and never rebel because they do not realize how corrupt their community is. Equality-2521’s morals transform throughout the course of the novel and by the end of the book he has a completely different view and opinion on his sin. At the beginning of the novel Equality is portrayed to be very loyal and obedient to his government. Growing up Equality had always been very smart and much more advanced than people of his age. Due to his intelligence Equality had always had a great desire to be a scholar. Although he wanted to be a...
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...Equality’s discovery of electricity was an incredible feat considering the complexity of society Ayn Rand depicted for Anthem. Rand’s portrayal of society contrasts with the quintessential dystopian society portrayed in many novels such as The Giver and Fahrenheit 451. The civilization in Anthem exists some time in the future, however, the intricacy of technology had declined to the point where citizens were using candles and torches as methods of illuminating their surroundings. The cause of this decline traced to the development of an intolerance towards individualism. Equality never fit in his community because of his strong nonconformist personality. He had preferences and objects of joy, a sin he called “the great Transgression of Preference” (6). He had a bias for science during his schooling and had a tendency to commit transgressions, which foreshadow his experiments in the tunnel. His...
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...unattainable ideal: equality. The societies that embrace these totalitarian political forms, including that of Ayn Rand’s Anthem, intend to become the paragon of parity by having their citizens sacrifice their own happiness for that of their brethren. The leaders of Anthem’s supposedly egalitarian society justify this subtly sadistic method of rule with the ideals of equality, fraternity, and selflessness. The principles that blinded Equality 7-2521’s brethren to the grim reality they faced too often imbue members of modern society, especially as these standards are broadcasted by religious, social, and governmental groups. The...
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