Anthem

It would seem that a society in which everyone has a job, and works for what is best for the whole would be quite peaceful. Everyone would have a purpose, and something to work for. All the pieces of the society would fit together perfectly, and the society would be harmonious because everyone would have what they need. Would they really?

As in the case of Equality 7-2521, he was very unhappy because he wanted to be a scientist, not a street sweeper. He was not intellectually stimulated. His discovery of the light bulb in the tunnel goes ignored, and Equality is persecuted for putting time into something other than his job.

The reason that Equality 7-2521 is so unhappy is that he has no room for personal growth. Despite the society’s attempts to make everyone work towards the good of each other by removing I from the spoken language, and making them use we to refer to themselves, people like Equality were 7-2521 are individuals. Even the name Equality suggests that all the people have an equal part in the society, but they do not. Some people get to be scientists while others have to sweep streets, and they have no choice in what they do. Where is the equality there? The problem in this society is that they try to squeeze every individual into a specific mold. People have to have room to make their own decisions, and grow as individuals. Only then can they work for the good of everyone, the society. People, to a certain extent, are who they are, and you can not change them. If characters such as Equality 7-2521 were happy, and they had freedom to make their own decisions regarding themselves, they would be better able to work for the benefit of the society because people can not unite as one if they are not one with themselves. If someone is unhappy, they will focus on trying to do what will make them happy; they will not be focused on what is best for everyone because the most primitive of human instincts is to take care of oneself first.




A quote from Anthem that I enjoyed is spoken by Equality 7-2521 early in the novel. Equality 7-2521 states, “But we cannot change our bones nor our body,” (Rand 13). This means that people are who they are no matter what. Someone can change their superficial features, some of their opinions, and attitudes; however at the end of the day, they are who they are. Despite how hard someone may try, I just do not think it is possible for someone to completely change themselves, and rid themselves of their past. Your past is just that, your past. You can learn from it, but you can not change it; it is there for ever.




My opinion on Anthem is indifferent; I neither truly liked nor disliked it. It bothered me that none of the characters had a choice about how they were to spend their lives. It also bothered me that the entire society seemed to take a step backwards in their advancement. I think that you should move forward, and not backwards because there must have been a reason that the lifestyles of the society evolved the way they did. Overall, I did not make a strong connection with any of the characters that allowed me to become involved in the story.