Individualism Exposed In Ayn Rand's Anthem

“It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down on paper no others are to see. It is base and evil. It is as if we are speaking alone to no ears but our own” (1). In Ayn Rand’s Anthem, all men are known as the great WE. They live in a collectivist society in which individualism, along with other Transgressions, are sins and are punishable. Equality 7-2521 is born into this society, and was taught that being different is a crime, and he shall be as all men are. He tries to understand and accept this, but he is born with intelligence that sets him apart from his brothers and society in which all men and women are equal to one another. Equality first felt as if what he was doing was a sin, because he
He is in love with her, and when he leaves his society to go to the Uncharted forest alone, she heard of it and went after him. They were both in the forbidden and much feared Uncharted Forest together, but they were happy because they were together. Liberty tries to express her love for Equality, but she has trouble finding the right words. “Today, the Golden One stopped suddenly and said: ‘We love you,’ But then they frowned and shook their head and looked at us helplessly. ‘No,’ they whispered, ‘that is not what we wished to say.’ They were silent, then they spoke slowly, and their words were halting, like the words of a child learning to speak for the first time. ‘We are one … alone … and only … and we love you who are one … alone… and only.’ We looked into each other’s eyes and we knew that the breathe of a miracle had touched us, and fled, and left us groping vainly. And we felt torn, torn for some word we could not find” (86-87). They could not express themselves as individuals without knowing or using the word “I”. Taking away their individuality and telling them that it was an Unmentionable Word was like putting shackles and chains around everyone’s ankles. They all had the key to free themselves, but that society was too good at brainwashing them that being different was evil. So they were afraid of the freedom they should have had. After looking through books and house they found from the Unmentionable Times, Equality discovered the word “I”. As soon as he told of his discovery to the Golden One, the first thing she said was “I love you”. Living collectively, it was impossible to express oneself as an individual. Only after the discovery of the Sacred Word, Ego, could Equality and Liberty and the rest of the individuals they plan to take with them to their new house be truly individual and full break away from the controlling collectivist society and the Great WE