The Role Of Individualism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

What is the process to individualism? In the book Anthem the story is based around a collectivist society. This society is built around the sake of mankind as a whole and not the individual. Many different laws are in place to enforce this collectivism. In this society Equality 7-2521 who strays off the beaten path and strives for his individualism. The process that Equality went through to become his individual is that he defied the oppressive laws, he started to see himself as his own person, and he found and established who and what he is.
The first part of the process towards his individualism was that Equality defied the laws that held him back. Equality started to care more about himself than the laws. This show in this quote “Never, not in the memory of the Ancient Ones’ Ancient, never have men done that which we are doing. And yet there is no shame in us and regret.”, (Rand 37). This shows that even though he broke the law, he does not care because he felt that it helped him. Even though it was wrong he continued to do it because he cared more for his knowledge than the one of his society.
After he committed that crime he started to think and care more about himself.
As Equality started to learn more about the world around him he starts to care about himself and his body. This is shown when he says “For the first time do we know how strong our arms are. And a strange thought came to us: we wonder for the first time what we look like.”,(Rand 61). This quote shows that Equality is caring more about himself and what he looks like. Equality is starting to think and do things for himself and not other people. As Equality starts to think more about himself he discovers his