Ayn Rand’s Anthem is the story of a young man, Equality-2521, who lives in a totalitarian, collectivist society. Reading and writing are banned, being alone is banned, thinking is banned. The government controls the lives of it’s subjects by keeping them ignorant. But Equality has questions, and those questions lead him to seek answers. The truth that Equality finds leads to great changes within himself.
Rand uses her background in post-revolution Russia to create a fictionalized story of a dystopian society. Her aim is to promote the idea that in order to be fully human, we must think and act for ourselves. The experiment of socialism only leads to darkness and despair.
Wonderful piece of literature.
4 1/2 stars (out of 5)
Published in 1918
105 pages
