Comparing Anthem To Fountainhead

Jean Cocteau, 1889-1963, once written, "The instinct of nearly all societies is to lock up anybody who is truly free. First, society begins by trying to beat you up. If this fails, they try to poison you. If this fails too, the finish by loading honors on your head." He meant to say was that people should not let their society take control of how they should live their own lives. People should not be threatened by their own society, but they should be themselves instead of mindless puppets of society. Ayn Rand, a Russian-born US novelist, creates related personalities between Equality, from Anthem, and Howard Roark, from Fountainhead. Both characters are different from the society they live in, have a female companion who supports their ways of living and ideas, and breaks the rules to help build better ways to support their people of their society.

Having related personalities, Equality and Howard are evenly matched compared towards each other. First, Equality and Howard are different from their own society. Howard is an architect who designed many buildings, but the society does not approve his ideas because they want to have a Greek design on those buildings except Howard likes his buildings the way they are. Equality speaks out, "Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish. I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars." (Anthem 95). He does not want to serve the society for its own needs. In fact, Equality also tells himself, " I am done with this creed of corruption." (Anthem 97). He wants to be separate from the corrupted society's rules and laws that were preventing him from succeeding in his future life. Both, Equality and Howard, have shown that they are very different than society, but the same compared to each other.

Comparing each other, they both have a female supporter, who also wants to be separated from their society as well. Dominique Francon, Howard's lover, is an idealist who supports Howard's designs and ideas throughout the story. She also makes him continue his designs and constructions of his building. Likewise, the Golden One, Equality's girlfriend, tells Equality, "We have followed you, and we have followed you, and we shall follow you wherever you go. If danger threatens you, we shall face it also. If it be death, we shall die with you. You are damned, and we wish to share your damnation." (Anthem 82). She wants to be with him for the rest of her life, defying the society's rules and laws of their ways of living. Then she tells him, "We are one...alone...and only...and we love you are one...alone...and only." (Anthem 87). She loves Equality through the toughest situations that he is going through. The female characters of both stories have supported the main characters throughout the whole entire time.

Time passes by as both Howard and Equality break some rules that the society has created. Howard creates buildings that were not the same theme as the designers before him. Society wanted the buildings to have a touch of a Greek theme to his buildings, except he did not want them to alter his designs in any way. In the same manner, the World Council of Scholars was having a meeting, until Equality came in. Equality tells them that he is a Street Sweeper of the city. The Scholars answers, "A Street Sweeper! A Street Sweeper walking in upon the World Council of Scholars! It is not to be believed! It is against all the rules and all the laws!" (Anthem 69). People of their time are not allowed to enter unless the people are from the Council. Equality did not care about that rule, since he discovered a new source of light to show before the Council. As a result, the Council members have seen his design, and one of them says, "This would wreck the Plans of