The Death Penalty In Ayn Rand's Anthem

The legality and use of the death penalty in the United States of America is a highly controversial issue. Different people have different opinions, of course, which often stem back to morality, cost, or personal judgement. Most of these opinions boil down to one decision: “Should the death penalty be outlawed, or remain legal?” While both sides on the issue hold some amount of viability, the death penalty should be refused under all circumstances. The decision of whether or not the accused should be sentenced to death is something which is often influenced by racial bias, personal vendettas, an appeal to pathos over logos, or a multitude of other factors which make for a fallacious decision. The death penalty is also permanent--if the accused is posthumously found to be innocent, there is no going back. That person cannot be released. In this particular case, the rights of the individual should be valued higher than those of the society. This is not to say, however, that the society does not also benefit from the abstinence of legal executions. The presence of the death penalty is …show more content…
In this way, it finds similarities to the controversy over the death penalty. It does so not in its mode of punishment, but in its extreme harshness. For going against what is socially acceptable and forming new ideas, Equality is tortured with lashes, imprisoned, and eventually expelled. While, no--this is certainly not how one reaches death row--it still demonstrates the danger and possible misuse of power that can occur when a government is not limited in what sanctions it may impose on its people. Just as it is with Anthem’s oppressive government, these policies are to the detriment of many while not truly benefitting anybody. The use of the death penalty in the U.S. proves to be no more progressive than Rand’s fictional stifling government and its refusal of