Society Exposed In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Anthem, a novella by Ayn Rand, is about a society where all men must be the same and aren’t allowed to express themselves as an individual; therefore making it a society that practices collectivism. In the novella, a man named Equality 7-2521 finds himself struggling to stay the same as his brothers around him and ventures off into his own hideaway tunnel, where he discovers light and writes about everything he comes across. Thrilled by his new finding, Equality decides to keep it hidden and show the World Scholars his invention, hoping they'll be amazed and potentially let him join their group. Equality only finds himself being looked at as an evil man for going against his brothers and his job as a street sweeper, and soon runs away into the Uncharted Forest to live a life of his own. Having time to himself, he starts to think about the sin he has done and if it’s actually a sin. Equality’s final assessment of his sin is correct because he learns about how the City Council is wrongfully running the city, learns about new things, and learns about his freedom. …show more content…
“The laws say that none among men may be alone, ever and at any time, for this is the greatest transgression and the root of evil.” (1) The quote from the book shows that all men must be with other men for the fear of starting something evil. It also shows how the City Council believes in collectivism because all men must stay together or else they've done the greatest sin. Everyone must be the same, according to the City Council, because they don't believe a man should do anything to help him and not his