The Role Of Individualism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

It is very difficult to be able to advance in life if you are not allowed to think freely and become an individual. In the book Anthem, the author, Ayn Rand depicts her concept of mankind through a society where individualism is immoral. The main character, Equality 7-2521, struggles to remain a collectivist, he begins to question his society and defy their beliefs and rules. Equality 7-2521, successfully broke free from confinement when he came to the realization that "To be free, a man must be free of his brothers” (Pg 101). So, in order to become free and to be able to prosper in life you must work for yourself, toward individualism, not for the collective. In the beginning of Anthem Equality is just like everyone else, he is bound to
the confinements of his society and the thought that collectivism was the only, and the best way of life. From the time that the people in the society were kids they were forced to think and say that “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever” (Pg 19). They all strive to be like each other, because they are told that they have to be the same as their “brothers”. In this communistic type government, people were not allowed to speak out, ask questions or be different, and if they did they would be punished. Rand shows the readers that Equality is somewhat different than everyone else because “[he] was born with a curse. It has always driven [him] to thoughts which are forbidden” (Pg18). Equality, unlike others, wanted to know more, he wanted to ask questions, this is showing the beginning of his path towards enlightenment. Later on in the book, Equality starts to go against the government and he starts to try and advance and learn, even though he is not supposed to.
Equality discovers an underground tunnel and “Now [he sits] in the tunnel for three hours each night” (Pg 35). He conducts experiments to study in order to get a better understanding of the world, and how things work, as well as trying to discover new things. Equality continues to study and learn, even though he could get severely punished, unlike the others in his society, he wants to learn more than the information that is just given to him. He says that “in these two years [he has] learned more than [he] had learned in the ten years of the Home of the Students” (Pg 36). Equality was only able to make progress when he secluded himself from the rest of the community and discarded the rules that had held him back. Equality’s views in the middle of the book are changing from his views that he had in the beginning of the book. In the opening of the book he wrote that “It is a sin to think words no other think” (Pg 17), yet a few chapters in when he is studying and disobeying the rules of his society he says that “there is no shame in [him] and no regret. [He says] to [himself] that [he is] a wretch and a traitor. But [he feels] no burden upon [his] spirit and no fear” (Pg 37). As the book progresses the reader begins to see how Equality is slowly shaping into an individual who is no longer working for the
collective. Towards the middle of the book Equality discovers something new, he came across electricity, and he created light. He took his new invention and he brought it to the Council of Scholars and shared his discoveries, they told him that it must be destroyed. Rand shows that the Council does not care about this invention, even though it could help them prosper, the Scholars are collectivists and they believe that “what is not done collectively cannot be good” (Pg 73). Instead of Equality listening to his brothers and destroying it, he came to the conclusion that he has “not [built] this box for the good of [his] brothers. [He] built it for its own sake. It is above all [his] brothers to [him], and its truth above their truth” (Pg 76). Equality is now more clearly understanding that he can do great things without the restraints of society. At this point Equality is alone with his thoughts and he begins to piece things together, and he realizes what his society really is, and how no one in the community has any rights or freedom. In the end of the book, equality completely breaks free from the oppressive confinement of his society, he finally becomes an individual.
From the time he was a child he was taught that “everything which comes from the many is good. Everything which comes from one is evil” (Pg 85), but as he grows and learns and as he “walks through the forest, [he] is learning to doubt it” (Pg 86). Now, instead of reciting to himself that he must work for the collective he says to himself, “I ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man's soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet” (Pg 96). He doesn’t want people to live for him and he doesn't want to live for others, he wants to live for himself and himself only. Equality also establishes a new goal for himself in the end which is to become happy as well as free and to pass along these thoughts to the following generations. Equality says that he will “break all the chains of the earth, and raze the cities of the enslaves, and [his] home will become the capital of a world where each man will be free to exist for his own sake”(Pg 104). Equality will fight for human rights and freedom of man until people do exists for their own sake. In conclusion, Equality no longer will work for the collective, he will no longer things he doesn’t want to do, he is now an individual and he will only do things with his free will, and he will make sure all men will one day have that same
mentality. Ayn Rand shows her philosophical views of what she thinks society should be like through Equality gradually breaking free from an oppressive society, and becoming free. She is showing the benefit to individualism when compared to collectivism, and how ultimately society would prosper more when people are working for themselves, and not for others.