Ayn Rand’s Anthem: The Problem Of Individualism Essay

Anthem is a book written by Ayn Rand during the 1930s, it is a dystopian tale of a young man, Equality 7-2521, who was recognizably intelligent in a world where people aren't supposed to be distinctly recognizable in any way. He had knowledge that was "regarded as a treacherous blasphemy" (Anthem, foreword) which would put him in danger, maybe at the cost of his life.
Rand wrote the book in a strict, simple style. The way she explains how everything happens with little detail leaves the reader questioning what is happening and with a cold feeling about their society, "It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and put them down on paper no others are to see. It is base and evil." (Rand, 17). This style is appropriate to the story because of the type of society Equality 7-2521 lives in has the same austerity as the writing. The government has the same sense of strictness about it. The names that Rand chose for the characters fit the plot as well. Equality 7-2521, Liberty 5-3000, Union 5-3992, and Collective 0-0009 are a few of the names she gave her characters. In the book, these names like these were given to people so that one person didn't stand out. The government also has their people organized in houses by their occupation. Equality 7-2521 tells the reader about where they all reside, "The Home of Students Home of the Scholars Home of the Street Sweepers" (Rand, 21,23,27). All of these people live in government organized housing. They all come from government controlled birthing places and raised in government controlled nurseries. The setting of where they live and how regulated it all is further develops the feelings of hostility towards collectivism in the reader.
Anthem is written in first person plural, it uses "we" rather than using "I". Benefits to this point of view is that it shows how stern the government is on valuing the group above oneself, "We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever." (Rand, 19). This point of view also makes it very confusing for the reader. It leads the reader to think that when the narrator says, "we, Equality 7-2521" (Rand, 35) that he is talking about a group of people, when he is really talking about himself. This book is written in diary form. It gives the reader insight to what the narrator's actual thoughts are, not just what he is forced to think.
The confessional voice of Equality 7-2521, in Anthem by Ayn Rand, is truly what drives this story. The way he confesses things that we wouldn't even consider a sin makes the reader question what is going on in his society. The style of this book helps the reader understand what the narrator is attempting to get through to the reader about the harsh times the narrator lives in.