Implications Of Egoism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Ego. A word shamed upon in western society, because of negative implications. Men who have become wealthy through their hard works and sacrifices are depicted as “self-centered”. Since, society is angry toward people with huge amounts of wealth. Although egoism is portrayed as a bad thing, it should be a reward and gift. In our world today and language, the word “I” is significant, because it presents individualism. Everyone has knowledge that no one is the same, everyone has unique characteristics. However, to live in a collectivist society, individuality is impossible, as everyone is oppressed under a leader or government. Sadly, a person cannot challenge authority or meet goals, because of the limit to one’s thoughts. Moreover, a collectivist
society is like a movie with no sound; bland, boring, dark, and depressing. Thus, confusion arises on how to follow a path in life, with thoughts forbidden. Such a society exists in Anthem, a novel by Ayn Rand, which depicts a man named Prometheus, or Equality. He ultimately challenges collectivism and stands against it, which is frowned upon. Through his racing thoughts and questions, he learns value of ego and its importance. The underlying message says that ego is not necessarily a bad thing. To elaborate, one can turn ego into a negative or a positive implication. Equality presents egoism in several instances, such as when he forbiddenly uses the word “I”, independent thinking, and when he decides to challenge authority. Similarly, among many of Ayn Rand's novels, she depicts her idea of egoism. Another instance lies in the Fountainhead, specifically in a speech called “The Soul of an Individualist”, which tells that a man's ego is the road to progress. Prometheus considers the word “ego” as holy and an idea that all should agree upon. He believes one must have self-confidence and self-thought. However, with his idea, society does not agree upon it, since a collectivist society is one where independent thought and self-importance is a topic unspeakable. Equality soon learns that although, his society taught him that being alone is evil and working for others is good, he must actually have pride in himself and work for the good of him to be happy. For example, in the beginning of the novel, Equality refers to himself as “we” instead of “I”. After proceeding his whole life, refering to himself as “we”, Equality finally mutters the word, “I”. For the first time, he experiences joy and freedom that accompanies this word. Thus, when he is able to effitively understand and use this word, he imagines a future for him and the Golden One. Not only does he say the word “I”, but he uses it in ways that are unheard of, for example, “I am. I think. I will”. The quote is saying that he is someone, he does think, and that he will persist. He does not work only for the good of others, but for the good of himself. This is the pivotal point where Equality, finally recognizes himself as a person, not a “we” or an object, but as someone. In Rand’s philosphy, “I” must be the primary thought of an individual, while “we” is the secondary thought. However, when these are reversed, society becomes opressive rather than liberating, such as in Anthem. Equality does not mutter the word “I”, to be selfish or stuck up; he says it to show he has purpose. In conclusion, by saying and refering to himself as “I”, Equality is an egoist at best, however, his egoism makes him different than society; this makes him normal. Egoism comes with negative implications, however, it does not always have to be negative.
In Anthem, Equality is for sure being an egoist, but he is using his ego for the greater good of himself and his domineering society. Ego is a word that describes ones self-pride and sense of accomplishment towards themselves. In theory, ego is a synomyn of self-esteem, which is ultimately what all must possess. It is always good to have a good self-esteem and a sense of worth and purpose in this scary world. Unfortunately, without a normal level of self-esteem, people will not progress in a natural and smooth pattern, as someone who believes in themselves. There are two sides to every ego, two different paths that can be taken. The first one is a negative impact, for example, using your sense of worth and ego to ultimately wreak havoc and misery on yourself or others. An example of this would lie in leaders, such as Hitler, who was in actuality very egostical and a brillant leader, however, he used his brillance and his ego to kill 6 million jews. That was his choice; his mind thought and processed his ego in a totally different way, a way that is understandable and unfanthomable by society’s standards. Furthermore, the second path of ego is the positive direction; the direction in which one uses their ego as motivation to help themselves or others. One who feels good about themselves, will not sit back and do nothing with their lives, as they are presented with a gift; a gift of good self-esteem which is worth the world. Nevertheless, Equality uses his ego to better himself and others, for example, he creates a lightbox, something that is unknown to his domineering society. This lightbox shows progress and motivation for his society, although it is not seen this way in the society’s mindset, itself. Equality has a gift, a gift that is worth as much as gold, a gift that is unknown to his society; he possesses an ego. His ego makes him progress, however, it scares his
society, because one is not allowed to think on their own, it is forbidden. But, his ego is what makes him normal; it is what makes him human. According to Ayn Rands philosphy, ego is one’s own interests, which does not include a moral aspect and does not depict whether it is good or evil. She believes, “It is the task of ethics to answer such questions”, meaning that what you do with your ego, is what determines whether your moral is good or bad. She believes a mans prime objective is to pursue his own wishes, not the wishes of others or the thoughts of others, but to be your own person. In conclusion, if you are human, you have a ego, it is another tool in your tool box, one in which guides you and helps you to set and make decisions. Everyone has an ego, but it is ultimately how you present and use your ego that shapes and effects yourself and others.