Dystopian World In Ayn Rand's Anthem

“Conformity is the jailer of freedom, and the enemy of growth” (John F. Kennedy). The novella “Anthem” written by Ayn Rand expresses the battle between one's self and conformity through the character Equality 7-2521. Equality 7-2521 struggles to conform within the collectivism of his society. As he grows through life he realizes how divergent he really is from his fellow brothers. Through his actions Equality slowly discovers the importance of egoism in a society.

Anthem begins by introducing what is immoral in the dystopian society written before the reader. This type of world the main character resides in is intricate and far too uniformed for modern life. Equality 7-2521 is the turning point for this civilization -he is the outlier of the painstakingly ordered community that was made. However, before this, he was just another ordered and uniformed pawn in the eyes of the Council. He exists in a world where everyone is raised in collectivism- Equality maneuvers his will to contrast the rules of which he has always lived by and toils against his own mind with feelings that he has against his own society, Ayn Rand creates a character that carries a prominent personality to advance the unchanging world

The setting mostly took place in the Western Woods where Ichabod Crane, twenty-four year old New York City police officer, went to look for The Headless Horseman. The Western Woods looked spooky with smoke, mist, dark dry trees, and especially the Tree of Death. The way the woods were created gave an effect of horror which made me stay very observant of what was to come. As the film went along, the fire that was lit before the Western Woods was extinguished by the mist. This made me think that the forest was alive.

Ayn Rand’s Anthem is a creative novel about a society limited by a dictating government that only permits certain thoughts, words, and actions for it’s people. In this society, all of the citizens are given a role from age 15 are are expected to follow that role with passion. However, Equality 7-2521 is a citizen of this totalitarian society who feels he must take action to break free. It is ironic his name is Equality 7-2521, because the society revolves around equality (Jones). The dystopian world Equality 7-2521 lives in causes great conflict (internal and external), which forces him to learn many new things and grow as a person throughout the novella.

Escaping Communism Ayn Rand depicts a communist world in her book Anthem, where the citizens live day to day identical to the one before. Equality 7-2521, a struggling man in the society, is set apart for his strive of wanting more than what the society gives him. Rand shows that in a world carried on in such a communistic matter, it leaves some struggling and at a loss to make do with what they have and to fit in. The book, Anthem gives a grand example of how others react to one’s differences, shunning them or giving a punishment. Equality 7-2521 has a compelling ambition to learn things which then helps him escape the society.

Equality-72521. With an inquisitive nature, an innovative mind, and latent desire, Equality withholds the traits of a visionary who advocates for individuality. Every step Equality takes, is one away from the public-spirited system. Another towards personal identity. Each step is an internal struggle, due to the communist machine’s brainwash and eloquent reprogram of Equality’s instinctive mind.

Many people wonder why us teens enjoy dystopian movies and literature. Our reasons why we enjoy these kind of films and books are because it interest us, it makes us to think outside the box, it shows us a different lifestyle to live. For examples like the book “Anthem” by Ayn Rand and the movie “The Giver” by Philip Noyce. The movie and film both have a dystopian setting. For their dystopian ideas they both made them having some kind of rebel, who believes in more than just black and white or normal.

In the book “Anthem” by Ayn Rand there is a society where everyone is the same. The book starts out by introducing Equality 7-2521, a young man who doesn't understand why he can’t follow the same rules as others. In “Anthem” people were never taught the word “I” but “we” because they should not care about anyone than the people around them. In the book it explains many different characters that break the rules for their friends. Having friends, looking at girls, talking to girls is not allowed.

"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 Ayn Rand’s dystopian novel, Anthem, the citizens are trained from birth to think only in the plural, to the point where they cannot even conceive of individuals, but only see each other as part of the whole group. Rand’s protagonist, Equality 72521, begins the novel as a street-sweeper who is devoted to the group, but begins to move towards individuality as he progresses towards pure selfishness, as Rand believes we all should. Rand uses the words “we” and “I” to represent Equality’s journey from being dependent on the group, to being utterly independent of everyone.

Everyone is born with independence, but imagine a society where this virtue is ceased. In the novel “Anthem” written by Ayn Rand, she describes a society in which everyone is the exact same. Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 are two characters that live under a strict and controlling rule, in which they make decisions for you. As they story goes on, the two characters discover love, freedom, liberty, and independence. To Equality, being similar to his brothers was not equal, he believes that the meaning of “I” celebrates joy and peace within a society.

When one is confined to society and held captive against their ego, it is imperative that they learn to eulogize their own individuality, and learn to improve themselves. In Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, Rand uses Equality 7-2521 to communicate the importance of the individual. Equality has always had his own sense of individuality that causes him to stand out and defy the social norms. His individuality allows him to persevere and diverge from collectivist society.

Anthem is a story written by Ayn Rand as a propaganda piece portraying the evils of communism. The book takes place in the future in a undisclosed city surrounded by forest. In this city a collectivist society dwells. The conflict of Anthem is character vs. society where one man by the name of Equality decides to go against his broken government. Equality took a stand against his broken society, he has defied the council of scholars and his government, had a relation with a women, and escaped the city to The Uncharted Forest.

Ayn Rand’s Anthem starts by Equality 7-2521 saying “It is a sin to write this.” Throughout the story, Equality’s views and mindset changes, he realizes that he is different from his brothers and its ok to be different. He discovers that if something is legal it is not certainly right. His eager for knowledge taught him the word “I” abandoning the word “We”.

Living in a world with complete fairness among people sounds perfect, but not when everyone in your society is forced to be completely the same. In the story Anthem, Equality is a character that is different from the others in his society of forced sameness. Equality longs to learn and expand his knowledge, however, there are rules that halt Equality from following his own will, but also push him to learn more. No one is allowed to read, write, experiment, or explore. These rules allow the community to be easily controlled, and forces them to stay similar to one another.

In the beginning of the story, a description of the setting is presented: “The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees and the station was between