Theme Of Collectivism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

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
The community which Equality lives in is ruled by the councilmen. To our knowledge, the councilmen are oblivious to the "old world," or the world as we know it today. They believe that collectivism is the politically correct way for a society to function. The leaders of this community believe that an individual is the most useful when they are helping out others. If they are only concerned with themselves, they should be punished because they are no longer benefiting society. In chapter one, a teacher told equality that "If you are not needed by your brother men, there is no reason for you to burden the Earth with your bodies (22)." In Anthem, collectivism is taken to such an extreme that the councilmen believe if you do not direct all your care away from yourself and onto others you do not deserve to be a part of that society. Thus, it seems that the leaders justify these beliefs by convincing themselves and their citizens that channeling all attention away from themselves is best for the society. Up until Equality 7-2521 had tested the limits himself, the whole community had been brainwashed by it's own government into collectivist thinking. Equality writes, "But what is freedom? Freedom from what? There is nothing to take a man's freedom away from him, save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. That is freedom. That and nothing else (101)." In conclusion, the leaders of
Although there is no society that completely adopts these ideas with no flaws, it can be seen in many aspects of life today. Sometimes it goes all the way back to the principles we are taught as young children: "don't be selfish, help out your peers, and never complain when you are given something you don’t like." Some of the rawest components of this theory are embedded in society all around us. To demonstrate, many nations around the world show close similarities between collectivism and communism. Both stem from the ideas that everyone shall be equal and no one shall do anything to directly benefit themselves. Some communist countries include North Korea, Vietnam, and China. Additionally, other connections can be made to groups closer to home; like the cloistered nuns. The cloistered nuns are a Catholic group that voluntarily go into complete solidarity to dedicate their life to God. It is forbidden for them to look at themselves in a mirror or do anything for their own good. They put in countless hours of daily prayer to benefit the entire mankind. Likewise, Equality 7-2521 talks about some similar rules: "Men never see their own faces and never ask their brothers about it, for it is evil to have concern for their own faces or bodies