The Spark That Cannot Be Extinguished
A Commentary On Ayn Rand's "Anthem" (Spoilers)
The story of Anthem was first born to Alissa Rosenbaum while she was living in Russia. She was attending college where Marxism was being taught and already fully living under its principles. Alissa later changed her name to Ayn Rand and fled to the United States where she finished and published Anthem. Decades even after Anthem, one of her most popular works, Atlas Shrugged, carries forward similar themes. This consistency of principles is something that makes the lessons gleaned from Anthem especially important today, as the United States seemingly takes baby steps towards the very system Ayn fled.
The main character of Anthem is Equality 7-2521 and takes place in a collectivist society where “we” is prioritized and “I” does not exist. Equality 7-2521 is told from a young age that he is “evil” simply because he is different. He is much taller than his peers and dares to have unique thoughts and his own hopes for the future. Equality 7-2521 eventually finds a friend in Union 5-3992, who is described as being “pale with half a brain.” The pair also add International 4-8818 to their circle and the three build a friendship built on a love of science, asking questions, and doing experiments. They had hopes of being told they could join the Home of Scholars, but are unfortunately told they are to be street sweepers. The group finds solace in secret trips to a tunnel with manuscripts and objects from the “Unmentionable Times” and Equality 7-2521 even sets his sights on a woman named Liberty 5-3000 who is working in a nearby field.
One day while in the secret lair, Equality 7-2521 “discovers” electricity. He is so excited to share this discovery with the scholars, he believes his transgressions that led to the discovery will surely be forgiven. He plans to guard the discovery until the next big meeting of the scholars, but is unfortunately caught. Equality 7-2521 is captured and lashed as punishment for a couple days but he does eventually escape this captivity. He takes cover until the meeting and still believes that once he shares the power he has found with the greater good he will be spared any further abuse. When the scholars say that his discovery would “bring ruin to the department of candles” it’s clear they have no intention of forgiving him, let alone rewarding him with being re-assigned to the Home of Scholars.
Equality 7-2521 runs from the meeting and seeks refuge in a nearby forest where he forages for food for the first time and notes the “great satisfaction to be found in the food which we need and obtain by our own hand.” Eventually Liberty 5-3000 finds him in the forest and they find a house from the “Unmentionable Times” that they dust off and build a simple life together in. This is where Equality 7-2521 vows to uphold the banner of freedom and ego until the time when more can join them in this life based in truth and knowledge. He explains that for man to be truly free he must be free from gods, kings, and each other.
Anthem illustrates the idea of personal freedom and the importance of defending that freedom from every little attempt to chip away at it in our modern day reality. Anthem teaches that no regime or indoctrination can truly undo the spirit of a man’s freedom. This is the spirit that drives man forward each day. This is the spirit alive in Equality 7-2521 that even though he was told was evil, drove him to keep asking questions. Those questions brought Equality 7-2521 to others who were also not afraid to pursue the secrets of earth. The collectivist, dystopian backdrop of this story is effective because many current day advocates for liberty can relate to hoping for a brighter future, yearning to better understand the past, and somehow finding room for friendship in the midst of all that heaviness. A case could be made that the least effective mechanism in the story is the love story between Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 but that argument is glossing over the fact that in a world where ego is our banner meaningful authentic connections are paramount to healthy self-esteem and ultimately lend to leading a happy, satisfied life.
