Collectivism And Selfishness In Ayn Rand's Anthem

In Ayn Rand's story Anthem, the protagonist Equality 7-2521 has a power unlike no other within their collectivist society. One day when Equality was working as a street sweeper, he finds an old abandoned underground railroad tunnel from the Unmentionable Times long ago. This is where he conducts his experiments that fill him with pride and joy. Equality dreams how his new invention that he brought into existence can change the world, but helping mankind is not his true motivation behind his passion to create. Throughout the story, Equality's true motivation is him trying to find his inner self and his identity as an individual.

In Ayn Rand 's novelette, "Anthem," in a society that is controlled and everyone is equal, there is a man that is brilliant name Equality 7-2521, he is very different from the other people there, he discovers the power of the sky and is punish but he escapes to the forest to make his own society that is all the people will be unique. Our society is made out of different kind of people,independent thinkers, daring innovators and successful entrepreneurs. They think different and have different perspectives on the world. These independent thinkers,daring innovators and successful entrepreneurs are outstanding but sometimes there accepted or turned down. But without these outstanding people where would the world, the technology that has advance.

“We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One indivisible and forever” (Rand 19). In Anthem, a science fiction novel, by Ayn Rand, the society believes in this philosophy. They believe one’s personality is not their own but a group’s identity, collectivism. In Anthem, Equality 7-2521 lives in a society that is restricted with rules that limits them from finding themselves.

Someone needs to arouse Equality’s primal instinct that has been buried by his camaraderie, and her name is Liberty. “Their body was straight and thin as a blade of iron. Their eyes were dark and hard and glowing, with no fear in them, no kindness and no guilt. […] They threw seeds from their hand as if they deigned to fling a scornful gift, and the earth was as a beggar under their feet” (49). For the first time Equality feels desire and knows pain.

He searches for development of individual morality, but is struck dry by the restrictive society, by which he is forced to be, think, and live like everyone else, average and accepting. However, throughout, Anthem, by Ayn Rand, Equality’s view of morality transforms from group mentality and collectivism to individualism and independence due to the discovery of his true purpose for living; himself. Through the control of their citizens, Equality’s initial society forces him to feel guilt and loneliness through his differences, but as he discovers the rationalisation of his independence, he begins to develop a moral existence. In the beginning of the novella, Anthem, Equality is bound to his “brothers”, in a society of total equality, for which he is forced to sacrifice his intelligence and curiosity to fit the ideal of the equal being.

The Ego of Equality We are told today in society's teachings that being an egoist is a fallacious act. The book Anthem by Ayn Rand is the story of one man fighting for individuality in the collectivist society he lives in. It depicts Ayn Rand's philosophy against a collectivist society and supports more freedom for all men. The book advertises the way Ayn Rand believes society should be and promotes happiness for everyone “And my happiness needs no higher aim to vindicate it.

Equality has an internal conflict within the novella, which is, the mind must be free to act and think about its own findings. In Anthem, Ayn Rand shows her character, Equality 7-2521, of being critical of the totalitarian society

“...For I have lived in the city of the damned, and I know what horror men permitted to be brought upon them.” (103) In the novel “Anthem” by Ayn Rand, Equality 7-2521 has been raised in a totalitarian world. Everyone thinks of the whole, never themselves. It is forbidden to do otherwise. Equality has always struggled with fitting in.

Individuality allows every person to be themselves and be different from each other. However, In Ayn Rand’s novella Anthem, Rand describes a society where the people were not allowed to openly be themselves, or else they would be punished for being different. The main character, Equality, notices he is different slowly throughout the novella, but kept continuing to be like everyone else for awhile. These rules exist in this society to strip human individuality in order to achieve total equality.

The Disparity Idiosyncratic happiness is eradicated and individualism has been eliminated. The society exhibited in Ayn Rand’s Anthem is of a dystopian essence, a domain where one must be interchangeable to his brothers. There is a substantial pressure on the locals in which they are expected to conform to the standards of that sector. The objective is complete egalitarianism, this is the “rightful” sense of morality. The protagonist of the novella, Equality 7-2521, is of this collective.

Being selfish is only part of who we are and what we need to flourish according to virtue ethicists; Aristotle,

One important quality that Equality 7-2521 shows is curiosity throughout the novel. He shows curiosity by questioning his transgression leading to the actions he portrays. Rand states, “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible

How could losing individuality affect a society? The novel Anthem by Ayn Rand is about a guy named Equality 7-2521 who is trying to find himself in a society where everything is controlled and different. Later, he finds himself even though he will have to go through many obstacles to get there. The process behind losing individuality in an Anthem’s society are in forcing strict laws, brain washing of their citizens, and removing of family. The Anthem society in forcing of strict laws made it easy for everyone to lose their individuality.

Objectivism in Ayn Rand’s Anthem Ayn Rand established her philosophy of objectivism in order to eliminate the traditions she experienced while she was growing up under collective governments, and to emphasize the importance of the individual over the collective group. It can be defined as a philosophy for living stating that man himself is the greatest power, and man must decide what is best for himself based on reason. The four basic tenets of objectivism are reality exists as an objective absolute, reason is man’s only method of interpreting his surroundings, man must exist as an individual in order to pursue his own interests, with the ultimate goal being happiness, and the economy of an objectivist society should be laissez-faire capitalism,

His mindset soon becomes to be very selfish even by ignoring Liberty. Rand gives her theme of selfishness that she believes would benefit us all if we would only try