The Collective Community In Ayn Rand's Anthem

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“Our name is Equality 7-2521, as it is written on the iron bracelet which all men wear on their left wrist with their names upon it. We are twenty-one years old. We are six feet tall, and this is a burden, for there are not many men who are six feet tall. Ever have the Teachers and the Leaders pointed to us and frowned and said: ‘There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has grown beyond the bodies of your brothers.’ But we cannot change our bones nor our bodies.” (Anthem 18). Throughout Anthem, the Leaders’ goal is to have complete control of the citizens, and to condemn those that would “disobey” their orders, such as Equality 7-2521 out growing his peers. Collective societies believe in equality, therefore they enforce …show more content…
The collective community in Anthem, however, did not look at the community as a group of individuals, but as one. One community, one society, one being. The Leaders have rules such as banning the word I, selecting the people’s names/serial numbers for them, as well as the Council of Vocations choosing what job a person would be best suited for to benefit the society, but it takes away a basic right that today’s society has come to appreciate: freedom. Consequently, these rules meant to unite the people and create a successful community, are causing resentment among peers that becomes apparent when Equality 7-2521 states: “To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. That is freedom.” (Anthem 101). The speech The Soul of a Collectivist in Fountainhead by Ayn Rand reiterates the idea of freedom by claiming: “Happy men are free men.” Today, the United States is built on the idea of freedom. Although the country does have political issues, the U.S. is looked at as a model government, and as a safe haven for several people who are trapped in countries against the ideas of a democracy, and have leaders who govern their countries closer to the collective society in Anthem. Often people use America as their safe haven because they see the success and happiness that U.S. citizens are able to have, because happy men are free …show more content…
A perfect example of this is found on page eighty of Anthem when Equality 7-2521 saw his reflection for the first time, “We sat still and we held our breath. For our face and our body were beautiful. Our face was not like the faces of our brothers, for we felt no pity when looking upon it. Our body was not like the bodies of our brothers, for our limbs were straight and thin and hard and strong. And we thought that we could trust this being who looked upon us from the stream, and that we had nothing to fear with this being.” After this moment Equality 7-2521’s attitude changed because he realized his value. Again, in The Soul of a Collectivist, it states “Preach selflessness. Tell man that he must live for others.” Not because being a giving person is wrong, but because living for others will not satisfy the soul to the same extent as living for one’s self. Equality 7-2521 feels the most happiness when he is working in his glass box, exploring the wonders of the world…on his own. He does not need nor require the help of others, and is at ease while working. However, his community teaches that this is wrong, that he cannot do something for himself. The society failed. Equality 7-2521 knows it is not evil, it is not a sin, it is a human right to be happy. The collective society that Anthem depicts suppresses any thoughts
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