Anthem - Ayn Rand.

Equality’s glass box and wires are something he decided society could not take away from him not matter what. This is the first time Equality had felt true independent and he is not about to give it up. This is the first time he has gone against the grain. He chose to make the wire. He made it all by himself, not him along with 99 other people. This is the first thread of individualism that he lets shine through. It is crucially important because in order for change to occur Equality must separate himself from society completely. If Equality kept depending on society like he was then his life would simply drudge on, and his thirst for something new and exciting would never be quenched. This joy he has found in the Golden One and in his wires will drive him to take a huge leap of faith, and not be afraid to try to make it on his own. They give him the security he needs to trust in himself.

The society that Equality lives in is a collectivist society. In collectivism one gives up their rights as an individual for the good of the whole. That sounds innocent enough, but when Ayn Rand takes it to an extreme it seems horrible. At one point in the novel Similarity 5-0306 states, “Men have no cause to exist save in toiling for other men.” The quote taps into the very root of collectivism and could not be clearer. The people of this society had been taught that theme from a very young age. They were taught that they were worth nothing unless “brother men” needed them. They had no right to exist on their own, that right was taken away the second it became a collectivist society.

 The reader saw this quote come to life through the everyday life of Equality 7-2521. He is a street sweeper who goes along everyday, all day and cleans the streets for the other people. He picks up all the trash on the streets in front of other people’s businesses. And in return, all of the street sweepers are provided with food, clothes, and other necessities. Another huge point is that the society does not use money. This means they have a direct service for service system. Which means that if one wanted clothes in the society, they would need to perform a service for the tailor. Likewise, if the tailor wanted a clean street he would need to make togas for the street sweepers. Everyone is so dependent on each other that they know they can not survive in this society on their own.

        “The glass box in our arms, is like a living heart that gives us strength. We have lied to ourselves. We have not built the box for the good of our brothers.” This quote gives us an idea of where Equality got his courage. It took so much courage for him to break out of the detention center and go to the House of the Scholars. It took courage for him to leave into the uncharted forest, determined to find someplace he could call home. This quote is when Equality realizes that the wires he made are more than raw materials, and more then an invention, they are worth his life. They have become not only a beating heart but his heart. He knows that this is what he was living for, this forbidden something that he cannot name yet-Independence. By the rejection of his box, society pushed Equality to do what he has secretly always wanted to do…leave.

All of these quotes show the principals of collectivism, which was the main theme running throughout Anthem. Ayn Rand drives in the point that collectivism, although seemingly innocent squashes out any room for development in a society. She also shows the reader how the human spirit is not easily overcome.