Individuality In Ayn Rand's Anthem

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Ayn Rand once said, “The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.” In the novella, ‘Anthem’, the main character Equality 7-2521 lives a “criminal” lifestyle in a warped society. In this dystopian civilization, it is a sin or transgression to be unique or different from one’s brothers, Equality does not conform to these standards. His simple acts of thinking for himself, and discovering scientific material, concepts that are basic human nature, break the mold of the envisioned “perfect society”, and therefore, make him criminal. The need for power and uniformity in this collectivist government, is visible through the placement of rules and controls that prohibit men from seeking and obtaining any form or shape of individuality.

Collectivism creates a society where the group receives top priority over the individual. Through this philosophy, Equality’s leaders have formulated their world to function as a brotherhood, specifically a “we”. No man is to speak of themselves as an “I”, this would break the rules . This …show more content…
They build the foundation to a society of individuals, a society that says, “I”. I believe, in their new land, the pair will not place the same constraints on their new inhabitants that were placed upon them. Each man and woman will be their own person, and be an “I”, not a “we”. Prometheus writes, “I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man’s soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.” For them to enforce rules and controls, such as the previously mentioned, on their natives would be the ultimate hypocrisy. It would become exactly the system they broke free
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