In Catch-22, the soldiers are similarly reduced to numerical values, whether it be how many missions they have completed, their hospital bed numbers, or the dog tags around their necks, leading to their dehumanization by those above them. In the hospital, men are either categorized by their diseases, or, in the case of the soldier in white, reduced to an object. This soldier in white symbolizes the objectification of sick soldiers because no one knows his name, where he is from, or any information about him, as shown in the passage where he is described as being “constructed entirely of gauze, plaster and a thermometer” (Heller 192). Nobody actually knows whether the man in white is alive or even human, and many do not care enough to find out.…show more content… The ruling Council values continuity over innovation, therefore stifling new inventions that may otherwise have benefited the society. When Equality displays his invention to the Council of Scholars, they cry out, “You shall be burned at the stake” and “[you] shall be lashed” (Rand 74). In this instance, the Council is physically threatening Equality for trying to help his community, since he did not follow the oppressive rules in place. In addition, the rulers in Anthem are more focused on their own security rather than potential benefits for their citizens. Rather than accept Equality’s new innovations and potentially helpful ideas, they value the constants in their lives instead. After Equality shows his light bulb invention to the Council of Scholars, they recoil in fear, and instead of appreciating the innovation, they say, “This box is useless” and “it must be destroyed” (Rand 74). Also, they go so far as to point out “if [it] should lighten the toil of men, then it is a great evil,” again not accounting for probable benefits to their citizens. Instead, they only care about making sure their traditions stay in place and maintain the fragile security they have established, recoiling from any threat to this system, even if it may be positive. Subsequently, the utopian leadership in Anthem and their rigid, uncompromising ideals lead to decreased innovation and influence of society on the government, highlighting the leaders’ flaws and stifling the freedom of their
