Dystopian Themes In Ayn Rand's 'Anthem'
In our current age, adolescents seem to have an infatuation with dystopian tales.
This fascination leads the question; why are these tales so popular?
One theory would be due to the comparison of dystopian existence and the life of a teenager.
Many teens argue that they are oppressed or treated unfairly and, in a more extreme circumstance, dystopian stories share similar themes, Dystopian literature seems to mirror a teenager’s view of the world.
A famous dystopian novella called “Anthem,” by Ayn Rand, would be an example. the main character admits, “We have stolen candles...we have stolen flints and knives and paper, and we have brought them to this place.(Rand 35)” This reveals that this equipment isn’t available to the public, and that independent …show more content…
And yet I kept sitting there saying to myself, I'm not happy, I’m Not happy.(Bradburry 65)” This line means that in this world, being happy is a given, and anything else is portrayed as a sickness or an abnormality. Another line a from character named Beatty explains,, “‘With schools turning out more runners, jumpers, racers, tinkerers, grabbers, snatchers, fliers, and swimmers instead of examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators, ‘Intellectual” became to swear it deserved to be. (Bradburry 58) ”
This brings to light the fact that in this world, thoughts and ideas are heavily discouraged, and that conformity is better than intellect.
Between these two well-known dystopian tales, there are many similar themes.
In both books, emotions are considered redundant, save for happiness, and any other emotion is wrong or incorrect. In anthem, being “unhappy” is a sin, and may as well be a crime. In Fahrenheit 451, unhappiness is considered abnormal and weird. Another shared theme would be the lack of freedoms and discouragement of independent thought. In anthem, most “technology” such as candles and even paper is restricted to only the scholars, In Fahrenheit 451, intellect and curiosity is considered a terrible and dangerous thing. Both stories share themes of restriction and surveillance.
Today’s trend of dystopian stories with adolescents can be attributed to multiple things.
Many dystopian books share the common theme of restriction and
This fascination leads the question; why are these tales so popular?
One theory would be due to the comparison of dystopian existence and the life of a teenager.
Many teens argue that they are oppressed or treated unfairly and, in a more extreme circumstance, dystopian stories share similar themes, Dystopian literature seems to mirror a teenager’s view of the world.
A famous dystopian novella called “Anthem,” by Ayn Rand, would be an example. the main character admits, “We have stolen candles...we have stolen flints and knives and paper, and we have brought them to this place.(Rand 35)” This reveals that this equipment isn’t available to the public, and that independent …show more content…
And yet I kept sitting there saying to myself, I'm not happy, I’m Not happy.(Bradburry 65)” This line means that in this world, being happy is a given, and anything else is portrayed as a sickness or an abnormality. Another line a from character named Beatty explains,, “‘With schools turning out more runners, jumpers, racers, tinkerers, grabbers, snatchers, fliers, and swimmers instead of examiners, critics, knowers, and imaginative creators, ‘Intellectual” became to swear it deserved to be. (Bradburry 58) ”
This brings to light the fact that in this world, thoughts and ideas are heavily discouraged, and that conformity is better than intellect.
Between these two well-known dystopian tales, there are many similar themes.
In both books, emotions are considered redundant, save for happiness, and any other emotion is wrong or incorrect. In anthem, being “unhappy” is a sin, and may as well be a crime. In Fahrenheit 451, unhappiness is considered abnormal and weird. Another shared theme would be the lack of freedoms and discouragement of independent thought. In anthem, most “technology” such as candles and even paper is restricted to only the scholars, In Fahrenheit 451, intellect and curiosity is considered a terrible and dangerous thing. Both stories share themes of restriction and surveillance.
Today’s trend of dystopian stories with adolescents can be attributed to multiple things.
Many dystopian books share the common theme of restriction and