Egotism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Equality also exemplifies how the government pushes for collectivism, thus eliminating egotism in individuals in Anthem. Equality reflects back on a memory that he has of he and his peers in the Home of the Students. They must stand up and recite a pledge with their teachers at the head. Equality recalls that they say, “We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are we allowed our lives. We exist through, by and for our brothers who are the State. Amen” (21). Both the students and the teachers refer to themselves as insignificant, and they only live their lives to better the lives of those in the community. Additionally, such a great deal of people lacked egotism that even Equality himself started out as a selfless …show more content…
The fateful day of receiving job titles comes around the corner and Equality wishes to be a scholar. Instead, he gets assigned to become a Street Sweeper. Equality states, “We knew we had been guilty, but now we had a way to atone for it. We would accept our Life Mandate, and we would work for our brothers, gladly and willingly, and we would erase our sin against them, which they did not know, but we knew” (26). He feels disappointed, but tries to convince himself to make up for being selfish by fulfilling his role assigned to him “gladly and willingly” and by being more selfless, thinking that it will contradict his “sin”. The government also contains all of its citizens within the walls of the town and does not expose them to outside places and information. At night, Equality looks through the window and thinks about the Uncharted Forest and the many other places and events that the government has hidden from it’s citizens. Equality narrates, “We have heard that there are many Uncharted Forests over the land, among the Cities. And it is whispered that they have grown over the ruins in many cities of the Unmentionable Times. The trees have swallowed the ruins, and the bones under the ruins, and all the things which

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