And the meek shall inherit the Earth

Review of Anthem by Ayn Rand

I was a late bloomer when it came to Anthem. All the kids in my freshman studyhall read it while I was reading Animal Farm. Why I read Animal Farm before I ever learned the details of the Russian Revolution I shall never know, but while I was rooting for Mollie and her ribbons and crying over Boxer and his work ethic, the others were complaining about Anthem.

It was quite the classic case of “Ms. So-and-soooooooo, why do we have to reeeeaaaad thiiiiissssss?”

Anyways, we were running out of things to talk about in studyhall, I was tired of the complaining, and seriously there was no way I could get them to read Animal Farm. So, I curled up one night with a borrowed copy of Anthem and got to reading.

*Summary Contains Spoilers*

The story opens on Equality 7-2521 (though I shall call him E) who is writing in the solitude of an underground tunnel. He is not supposed to be there as the society he lives in does not believe in individuality and executes those who discover the unspeakable word “I.” Males and females are divided and come together once a year in the mating hall so the society can spawn. The society is also divided by occupation, so all workers of the same job live together and there are strict curfews.

E lives the lowly life of a street sweeper. He and all the other street sweepers live in one house together he discovers that he likes the solitude of escaping to his tunnel. Here he begins to conduct experiments and soon invents a light bulb.

Our protagonist realizes the majesty of his invention and decides he will show it off at the World Council when all the overlord types get together.

Meanwhile E meets Golden One. That’s the name he makes up for her, not knowing her real name. She is a beautiful peasant woman who works in the fields near E’s workspace. One day he chances speaking to her and they fall in instant love.

I understand the love at first sight can leave readers skeptical but the personalities of the main characters lend themselves to it. We already know E is a rebel and turns out that Golden One has the rebellion in her blood as well, and has been watching and thinking about him too.

Of course, based on the rules of the society E and Golden One don’t really know what to call their attraction to each other. They know they feel something similar to that of going to the mating hall but aren’t sure what the feeling is. (*cough cough* lust *cough cough*) They also still aren’t totally aware they are rebels, and E is convinced his light bulb will change the world and benefit the society.

Anyways, one night E leaves the tunnel after curfew and is caught. He’s tortured but won’t admit where he was because he doesn’t want to reveal the secrets of the light bulb yet. E manages to escape and make it to the World Council. Shockingly, they are not impressed with the light bulb and try to kill him for being too individual and inventive and therefore posing a threat to the society.

 

E escapes again and runs deep into the uncharted forest. Golden One follows him and they eventually stumble upon an old house. In the house they find artifacts from the Unspeakable Times and start to learn about life before the society. They finally realize that what they feel for each other is love and vow to be together always. E and Golden One rename themselves Prometheus and Gaia and plan to hunt and work the land. They are going to have children, raise them as individuals, and create a new life where they can say “I” and believe in the power of the ego.

Report Card:

After a night of reading, I finished the book and went to studyhall the next day. Turns out there was still nothing to talk about, because I really enjoyed Anthem.

If you read Anthem I recommend you get the double version that includes the novel as well as the unabridged novel with Rand’s markings on it. It’s fascinating to see the things she changed when editing the book. Sometimes she cuts entire paragraphs and sometimes she only simplifies words. Rand herself is a fascinating character, and the edits are a fascinating look at what she thought of the intelligence levels of the rest of us mere mortals. 

In the end the reader can’t help but root for E as he embarks on a journey of self discovery in one of the most finely-crafted dystopian societies in literature. The dystopian novel has a definite place in today’s English classroom and Anthem is one of the gems of the genre. I give it an A.   

And if that doesn’t convince you, let us not forget Rand’s writing inspired one of the greatest rock albums ever created.