Anthem

Anthem Test

Throughout the story, Anthem, Equality 7-2521, as well as Ayn Rand, show the audience that this society is not as successful as it seems, once he start to defy the rules and people's true feelings emerge. In this utopia, people ar epretending that they agree with their society but behind closed doors, they reveal how they really feel about the society that they live in. The story begins with Equality 7-2521 alone in a tunnel, reflecting on the ways of his culture. "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. It is base and evil," he explain (page 17). He mentions how it is unacceptable to be alone or to think alone; in his alone time he reveals to the readers that he is not happy with his culture. Equality 7-2521 lives in a society of ideal perfection, but as things unravel, it really isn't as successful as it seems.

Culture is explained as the way a group of people go about and live their everyday lives; based on foods, religion, education, entertainment, customs, medicine, and everyday lifestyle. The society that Equality 7-2521 lives in has only one way of doing things, and if things are not done that way, one will be sentenced to punishment. They even choose your profession, " 'Dare not choose in your minds the work you would like to do when you leave the Home of Students. You shall do that which the Council of Vocations shall prescribe for you' " (page 22). The Council of Vocations contains all wisdom; they are the authority that chooses one's lifestyle and future for them. No one would ever stand up to the authority, or they would be punished. In the same sense, women always bowed down to the men in the society. After Equality 7-2521 escaped, and the Golden One caught up to him, she followed his every step. She never once disagreed with him or put her own thoughts forward. Due to the fact that there is a superior source in both Equality 7-2521's old society and new society, they will not be as successful as they would be if they took into account other people's thoughts and concerns.

There is rarely ever a time when someone disobeys the rules in this society. When it comes about that someone has gone against the grain and disobeyed the authority of the society, they are punished accordingly. When Equality 7-2521 proposes his discovery of the light bulb to the Council of Scholars, they are shocked because no one ever does this alone; they use their knowledge collectively to create new things. "But terror struck the men of the Council. They leapt to their feet, they ran from the table, and they stood pressed against the wall, huddled together, seeking the warmth of one another's bodies to give them courage" (page 70). The thought of him creating this light by himself