Anthem

The only life Equality 7-2521 has ever known is full of brother hood, and togetherness, but with the exploration of a hidden tunnel from the Unmentionable Times, he uncovers not only a forbidden past, but individuality and the word “I” as well. “To be free, a man must be free from his brothers” is significant because even though the leaders of the society in Anthem tried to keep everyone equal Equality is full of curiosity that leads him to unfathomable discoveries. Equality discovers his own individuality without the help from his brothers, he ventures on his own and feels better about himself because he realizes that his entire life he had been held back from his true potential for education and discovery which results in his realization “To be free, a man must be free from his brothers. At the beginning of the novella, Equality starts by saying: “It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see.” (Rand, 17) This is the first glimpse the reader sees of the lack of individual thoughts and actions in Anthem. When Equality and International 4-8818 discover the tunnel from the Unmentionable Times (31) Equality does not realize it, but he opens a door to the individuality that, until now, is unknown to him. The tunnel is symbolization of Equality’s inner-self, and as he pillages deeper into the tunnel he digs deeper into himself slowly recognizing his individuality. When Equality discovers the light box and decides to show it to the Council, he shows them the individuality he found and when Equality is exiled for thinking alone the reader finally sees the stretches to which the Council members are prepared to go in order to preserve this life they are so passionate about.