Analysis: Assessing the Theme of “Anthem” (1938)

“The Individuality in Collectivism”

During the early 1790s, the Anti-Federalists of America stressed the importance of ratifying the Bill of Rights to protect man’s basic rights. Emphasizing the need for individual rights, they feared that without them, the national government would have too much power. Similarly, when Ayn Rand published her second literary work, Anthem, nearly a hundred fifty year later, she accentuated the belief of individualism over collectivism. As she had grown up in Soviet Russia, Rand witnessed many of the country’s crude socialistic rule with an iron fist, which were radically different from America’s democracy in that the people had individualistic rights the government did not control, for which she favored. Her experiences influenced many of the collectivistic principles in Anthem. Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, lives in a society where people use only plural pronouns and collectivists maintain order. Unlike others, though, he was born different, being smarter, taller, and less obedient. He works as a Street Sweeper by day, but by night, he sneaks into a secret tunnel to advance on his invention of electricity and the light bulb. When finished, he demonstrates it to the World Council of Scholars, but they reject and disregard his creation. This leads to him escaping from the dystopian society with Liberty 5-3000, his lover, and building a new one for the future of mankind. Like the Anti-Federalists of the time, Rand contrasted the idea of individualism with collectivism, which she found to be the disintegration of society. As such, there are many reasons to see why Equality’s want for individualism differentiates from his initial submission to collectivism.

Originally, Equality believed like all of his brothers did: all were equal and no one was more important than the person next to them. As he describes, “[w]e strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike” (p. 20). Because of his superior intelligence and bigger stature, his society condemns and blames him of being cursed, which he admits, though he is always curious about the Science of Things. Equality believes what the Council tells him and is ignorant to the fact that all things around him are not all perfect, kind of like Boxer from George Orwell’s Animal Farm. For example, when he’s assigned to work as a Street Sweeper by the Council of Vocations, he easily and willingly accepts the job without any altercations. However, he doesn’t consistently follow their rules, sneaking out every night to a hidden tunnel and discovering great wonders when he is really supposed to be watching a three-hour play. Being both disobedient and submissive to the society’s guidelines simultaneously, it is clear that there is beginning to be a distinct line between individualism and collectivism in Equality’s conflicting ideas. He regularly stares at Liberty 5-3000 and gives her a name (the Golden One), despite the society calling it a sin to distinguish people and disapproving of opposite sexes thinking of each other. So as his life progresses, his mind begins to open up, and he becomes more individualistic, priding his creation of the light bulb and satisfying his own self-interest. Therefore, this leads to a new belief he treasures, which will later change his life.

Equality believes in a more egotistical outlook by the end of the novel. Away from the society that forced him to become equal to others, he realizes that he is much more than that and escapes from the “prison” of collectivism and altruism. When finding out about the word “I,” Equality harnesses the vast knowledge of the world around him, discovering that the “miracle of me is mine to own, and keep, and mine to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before!” (p. 95) He began experiencing these instincts of desire and transgression when he found out about the tunnel, which galvanized his mind into curiosity. Creating the light bulb further made him aware of his unique talent and knowledge, for which he prides, since no other had discovered such an awesome power, save the people of the Unmentionable Times. During this time, he’s also interested in his facial appearance, which he has never seen, possibly because of his accomplishment of being able to create electricity. Unlike earlier, he doesn’t fear or care about the consequences he would deserve, for he is persistent in his hard work and goals. After running away into the Uncharted Forest, he felt happier and freer than ever, liberated from the world that kept him from living the life he wanted. Therein lies his epiphany, when he concludes that his glass box was not built for his bothers but for its own sake.

Collectivism is the idea that the sum of the people who make up the society is worth more than its parts. It holds that communal efforts are more important than individual ones. After all, there is no “I” in team, right? But what makes this social outlook the degradation of Equality’s society? Everyone was equal, no one was better than another, and everything was peaceful, yet the society was experiencing a gradual decline. Equality, at first, didn’t realize this, but his mind was always curious about the wonders of the world. This continuing desire of knowledge eventually led to his revelation as an individualist. Ayn Rand always opposed collectivism, favoring the accomplishments of an individual over the community. She portrayed the theme of the need for individuality clearly and concisely, first presenting Equality as a collectivist but then as an individualist, which shows the clear line that divides the two. Because let’s face it: teamwork is important, but it’s the individuals that really count. The society as a whole might’ve flourished, but what is the point when the individuals that make up the society aren’t flourishing?