Anthem Literary Analysis

Freedom: The Underrated Concept
In Modern Times, the concept of freedom is to be entitled by every man and women with exceptions in some cases, but underrated to those who are given it. In the case of the early 1900’s, freedom was a foreign concept to some countries and citizens of the unlucky wanted a taste of what they couldn’t have. In the novel, Anthem, by Ayn Rand, she uses her childhood and knowledge of the strict Romanov Reign to instill a concept in her dystopian novel where real freedom no longer exists and when a group, Equality 7-2521, experiences a small amount of it, all they crave is what freedom gives. The term freedom itself can hold so much power in society. It is what drives a society to succeed or die. Freedom means individuality,
The Romanov’s were selfish people who cared more about themselves than the people of their country. Rand used that bad time in Russia to create a novel of an exaggerated Romanov society. This exaggerated Romanov society had no rights, and the people did stuff for the good of their society which meant no one can prosper. The society in the novel were robbed of their creativity, yet they were emotionally fulfilled since everyone was going through the same thing, “it is forbidden, not to be happy” (Rand Part Two). The government stripped their freedom from their brains and without something to fuel their thoughts, they were basing their happiness from the fact that they weren’t allowed to be unhappy. How can citizens in a society change society if they never experience everything their government keeps from them? Russian citizens and the citizens in the novel didn’t know what was happiness, all they knew was what they were told, and they weren’t allowed to think differently from that. Curiosity didn’t existence and was not encouraged at all, since it is a concept that not everyone can execute, “We think that there are mysteries in the sky and under the
Ayn Rand used her experience of moving to America where she could voice her opinions freely, by expressing that through Equality 7-2521 attempt to reach freedom. Rand was trapped in the autocratic rule of the Romanov Dynasty in the early 1900, as were Equality 7-2521 in their society. Equality 7-2521 knew they were outsiders to the rest since they let themselves be curious, “may knowledge come to us! What is the secret our heart has understood and yet will not reveal to us, although it seems to beat as if it were endeavoring to tell it?” (Rand Part 10). They went against what was enforced in order to feel something that gave them freedom from the conformed ideals. Equality 7-2521 saw the wonders curiosity gave. They accepted the fact that is wrong to do it, but they didn’t care. It was a gift to them to think beyond what was taught, and to see what the world really had to give, “And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride” (Rand Part Eleven). Seeing what was taken away from them gave them so much power. Equality 7-2521 was no longer thinking about what make society equal, but more about themselves and the power of an individual’s brain. Rand saw how the Romanov’s didn’t want success in a society