Anthem

Ayn Rand

Apr 2005 · Sold by Penguin

About this eBook

Anthem is Ayn Rand’s classic tale of a dystopian future of the great “We”—a world that deprives individuals of a name or independence—that anticipates her later masterpieces, The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.

They existed only to serve the state. They were conceived in controlled Palaces of Mating. They died in the Home of the Useless. From cradle to grave, the crowd was one—the great WE.

In all that was left of humanity there was only one man who dared to think, seek, and love. He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world, he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization, he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: He had stood forth from the mindless human herd. He was a man alone. He had rediscovered the lost and holy word—I.

“I worship individuals for their highest possibilities as individuals, and I loathe humanity, for its failure to live up to these possibilities.”—Ayn Rand

Ratings and reviews

The novella Anthem by Ayn Rand is yet another simple book that doesn’t deserve praise. As a dystopian narrative that shows the disadvantages of collectivism, it was published in America in 1946 by the Pamphleteers. Although the book is written in a unique style, the plot is nothing special. The characters are static, and too many details are unexplained. Overall, Anthem isn’t a captivating book. Set in an unspecified place in the future, Anthem depicts a collectivist society where everyone is equal. Individuality is prohibited, and only crude technology is available. The story focuses on Equality 7-2521, a young man who struggles to be like everyone else. He develops feelings for a young woman, Liberty 5-3000, even though love is prohibited, and creates a development that he is sure will help his society. However, because the invention shows individuality, Equality’s leaders shun him. The story climaxes with Equality fleeing into a forest where freedom exists. First of all, Anthem has a few interesting features. It substitutes the word “we”for “I” to show how the lack of self-identity, which I find creative. The book is also written like a poem, with sentence fragments such as “

Anthem written by Ayn Rand is a dystopian fiction novella. In the year 1996, Anthem was published by Signet Publications in New York. Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism and Collectivism has received numerous amounts of praise worldwide. Readers will utterly have zero interest. Rand’s Anthem is not for everyone in the ages ranging from eleven to nineteen due to the lack of thrill the book provides. Anthem is about a protagonist named Equality 7-2521, a twenty-one year old street-sweeper living in the society. Equality 7-2521 seeked knowledge. In the book, Equality 7-2521 lives in the dark ages of the future; the world seemed to have lost all technology and knowledge we have today. In this time, they had no forms of electricity and machinery, despite being in the future. It seems as if it has taken one step forward, then five steps backwards. The society was isolated; they had no other contacts outside world. The book preaches collectivism rather than individualism. “We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE. One, indivisible and forever.” (Rand 19). The people in the society refers to themselves as “we” never “I”. All the citizens’ decisions have alre

Anthem Review Anthem, by Ayn Rand, was published on April 10, 1997 by Signet, a division of Penguin Group (USA). Like many of Rand’s other works, this novella focuses on the idea of objectivism. The idea of reading non-fiction stories about the past may seem interesting, but this novella is not a book for everyone. Readers today may be uninterested with this work of literature. Anthem is a novella that is indirectly based off of the author’s life in Russia. The people in this book are forced to listen to their leaders and come together as a whole. “‘We are one in all and all in one. There are no men but only the great WE, One, indivisible and forever.”’ This quote on page 19 of the book shows that the society shows no sense of individualism. There are no “I”, and “me” mentioned in the book. The people in the society follow the lifestyles that are planned for them by their leaders. They are to do nothing, but obey the laws. The main character of the story is Equality 7-2521. He is the only one rebellious enough to go against the leaders and explore other parts of the world. Equality 7-2521 tries to create new things and show it to the World of Councils, but his plan fails when t

About the author

Born February 2, 1905, Ayn Rand published her first novel, We the Living, in 1936. Anthem followed in 1938. It was with the publication of The Fountainhead (1943) and Atlas Shrugged (1957) that she achieved her spectacular success. Rand’s unique philosophy, Objectivism, has gained a worldwide audience. The fundamentals of her philosophy are put forth in three nonfiction books, Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, The Virtues of Selfishness, and Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal. They are all available in Signet editions, as is the magnificent statement of her artistic credo, The Romantic Manifesto.