Symbolism, a symbol that represents an idea or qualities, is sometimes hard to distinguish in literature. In the dystopian novella Anthem, the main protagonist, Equality 7-2521, discovers an object unlike anything his world has ever known. This object, electricity, can literally and figuratively shed light on Equality’s society. It would bring them an inexhaustible light and power source, but also bring them knowledge from the Unmentionable Times that they have never imagined. Their findings of electricity also shows how strict and orderly the society he lives in is; they look down on people who are different, people who look for new knowledge rather than being content with what they were taught, and people who go against anything in that society.
