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
Even if you don’t agree with Ayn Rand’s politics, I think this is a worthwhile read. It’s really about the importance of individualism and the dangers of collectivism, and the idea that independence can never be eradicated. Not a surprising message from a teenager growing up in Soviet Russia. Despite being born into a society where you are only a cog in the system and must do what you are told because there is no other option, Equality 7-2521 discovers that he has desires and needs that his society can’t fulfill. If you had the desire to learn and create, could you voluntarily turn it off? It took me probably half the book to get comfortable with the words "we" and "they" referring to both one person and many, but once you can wrap your brain around that, the book is an easy read.
