In the philosophical epic of Ayn Rand, entitled Atlas Shrugged, Rand allows much room for interpretation as to the meaning of the title of her work. As the reader progresses through the different stages of the book, their translation of the title and its relation to the story evolves. Through parts one and two of the book, one could interpret the title to represent two things: First, it suggests that, Francisco D'Anconia, a titan within the copper and mining industry, is Atlas. It was his strategic collapse of D'Anconia mines that seemed to shake the economy, with his rebellion creating a ripple effect that devastated the economy, as if Atlas used the rest of his strength to make the world suffer. It also, however, indicated to be in reference…
Ayn Rand’s novel Anthem is about the main character Equality 7-2521 who struggles to live in a communist society. Equality is an intelligent and very ambitious person who dares to break the rules of The City. By following his heart, he discovers that he is worth a lot more than what he’s been taught. Once he and his love, Liberty 5-3000, break away from their toxic home land, they discovering the idea that individuality is more important than the collective “we”. In the woods, the two lovers find an abandoned house and they rename themselves Prometheus and Gaea. Ayn Rand chose these names because of how similar Equality and Liberty are to the mythological creatures.…
What is egoism? Something that Prometheus seems so interested in. Egoism is a doctrine that individual self worth is the motive behind all conscious action. In this day in age being an egoist is wrong, but in Prometheus society being an egoist wasn’t even heard of. Why is it that Prometheus writes down “ego” at the very end of the book on page 105 of Anthem.…
At times I ask myself, how can two people from different eras have such similar personalities? In the book Anthem, a short novel written by Ayn Rand, is about a dystopian society that is based off of the Council. The idea of independence and individuality is prohibited. Everyone is afraid to be different except Equality. Equality 7-2521 is a man that feels the need to be independent and has a quest for freedom. He is striving to be special in his own way and falls in love with The Golden One, who is later is named Liberty 3-5000 then Gaea. Falling in love is also prohibited as well. At the end of the novel, Equality is named Prometheus because they both have so much in common yet are different.…
Anthem may seem like a purely fictional story written for entertainment purposes, but upon closer inspection there are elements of real world occurrences. Equality 7-2521 is a boy growing up like every other boy around him, meaning he lives in a world after our with little technology, and in permanent fear of the World Council who control every aspect of life, including what he should think. Equality has always dreamed of being a scientist,, but even dreaming or wanting is a crime against his brothers, as he is supposed to accept and love the job assigned to him by the Council.. While working in his assigned position, Equality and his friend International 4-8818 discover a tunnel from before the Brotherhood and the Council, where they read…
Have you ever done something, thinking you’re doing the right thing, and then suddenly things get flipped around and now you’re the one getting in trouble? Having all of your technology taken away as a consequence? In the book Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 experiences something a little similar, only he is the one discovering technology.…
The concept of egoism is presented in Anthem, authored by Ayn Rand, using the principle that every man’s primary obligation should be toward his own well-being. Once Equality realizes what the sacred word to his society is, he begins to write about how the concept of altruism should not be placed at the root of a man’s heart, rather the concept of egoism. As Equality sits with his journal he writes, “For the word ‘We’ must never be spoken, save by one’s choice and as a second thought” (Rand 96). Equality believes that man shall not serve others, rather service themselves in an almost ‘selfish’ manner, with the exception of a man’s choice to work alongside other people. In summary, Equality believes that egoism should be the primary obligation…
A young man given the name, Equality 7-2521 is living in a futuristic dark age. He is withheld from a name to prevent any form of individuality, but given a word followed by a series of numbers on an iron bracelet to be worn on his left wrist, as a form of identification by the World Council. Equality 7-2521 has made a moral discovery throughout the story Anthem by Ayn Rand, as discovering his individuality and as he has changed from one who believes that the World Council states all truth, to one who has progressed into someone with the ability to compose ideas and moral values for himself.…
In the book Anthem, Rand opposed the idea of collectivism. The primary character, Equality, is motivated by the pursuit of knowledge and inclusion to the Council of Scholars. Equality’s desires reveal the thematic understanding that the world would become monotonous if a every man and woman became part of an overruling “we”.…
"He keeps casting conformity behind him". Henry David Thoreau was never one to conform to society's norms. It is very apparent that this entire play's main idea is nonconformity. That is the way Thoreau lived his life. Many transcendentalists speak of what they wish to live their life as, however, it was Thoreau who went further than just discussing Transcendentalism; he put it into practice when he refused to pay the poll tax that supported the war efforts. He lived in the way he viewed as correct, rather than the way society told him to live. For example, when he completely leaves society behind and goes into the woods to thrive on his own and when he went against the teaching methods of the time period and of religious views. He never wanted to be like anybody else, and this play reflects both his personality and beliefs. If he was told to do something that he seemed unfit or contradicting everything he believed in, then he just wouldn't do it.…
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…
The power and knowledge of individualism is lost in the novel Anthem and Ayn Rand does a good job showing us the downfalls and troubles the future might hold. The society that Equality 7-2521 lives in is harsh and believes only in collectivism instead of individualism. The main collective government figures are known as Council of Scholars and Council of Vocations who make the rules and strictly force each brother in the society to follow each rule. They are forced to be alike in every way and live for each other instead of themselves. “We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike” (Rand 19). This is something that is not taken lightly and anyone that goes against this will have to go to the Palace of Corrective Detention…
One of the many things readers notice as they begenan reading Anthem by Ayn Rand is the lack of the word “I”. Anthem is a masterpiece that portrays what collectivism truly is through the eyes of a young man: Equality 7-2521. In the story the characters are given numbers rather than names to make them equal as a whole. Everything is done to make sure that the people are all alike and not unique. As the story goes Equality finds a tunnel and starts writing a diary there. He soon discovers that he prefers the solitude that he gets there and solitude is something that is not allowed by the council. This is because they fear time along gives you time to think. In a collectivist society people are all to think the same and most…
Imagine a society where every person dedicates their life and all their actions to bettering the environment which they live in. This situation describes collectivism: the political or social practice that prioritizes the group over the individual. To many people this sounds like it would create an idealistic society that promotes peace and community. However, this is exactly what Ayn Rand contradicts in her novella Anthem. Rand shows collectivism to its extreme. The government in this story condones their collectivist methods by convincing themselves and the community that they will build a strong unified nation. The people have no free will. Everyone is assigned a name and a job. All words that refer to one's self like "I" or "my" have been…
Throughout life there are moments where an individual must conform to society and the people around them in order to be accepted, however it is the individual actions and how the individual chooses to conform that creates their unique identity and place within that society. Ralph Ellison published the novel that follows a sense of outward conformity and obedience to an established order while at the same time invoking an inward questioning of the roles an individual plays within such an order. The main character is forced to conform to the cliché laws and expectations of the laws and expectations of the society that he lives in, in order to survive and function within them, while he privately goes against these societies in order to define themselves as individuals and uncover the truth about those societies that they live in. The outward conformity and inward questioning constantly clash, causing the character to doubt and confuse with what he knows is the truth and what he wants to believe is the truth.…