That book that I forgot we read but happens to be one of my favorites:)

Analysis: A predominate theme in Ayn Rand's works is the ramifications of socialism. She takes the philosophy to the extreme, depicting a society where everyone is assigned a certain job to serve the collective "WE". It is a society where the individual is corrupt and worthless. Everyone is equal. OR ELSE. "We are nothing. Mankind is all...We exist through, by and for our brothers who are the State"(21). Socialists hate competition and advocate cooperation, as seen in this novel. By condemning the use of any special talents that would give one individual an advantage over another, the society is theoretically guaranteeing equality and banishing inadequacy. This concept, while exemplified in WE as well, is greatly emphasized in the short story Harrison Bergeron by Vonnegut that we read in class. The idea of playing loud noises in an intelligent individual's ear in order to dilute their intelligence to an average, "healthy" level, coincides directly with Rand's assertions. Rand emphasizes that socialism is merely a vehicle for the less endowed to hinder the strong, in this case, the intelligent. Of course the society depicted in Anthem is an exaggerated version of socialism, however, Rand stretches these fundamental principles of socialism in order to stress the clear degradation of the individual in such societies. There is no incentive to transcend the masses because any hint of independent thinking is deemed treason against your fellow brothers, as is seen when Equality 7-2521 presents his discovery of electricity to the scholars. Rand uses this instance to show his final disillusionment with the society and to create an incentive for him to disengage from his brothers who do not appreciate his genius because it is not his place to think or create independently. All men are not created equal, but forced to be equal in order to assure "happiness" to those who would otherwise feel obsolete in comparison with the more gifted. Differences cause distractions from the state. A sense of self-pride would only result in selfish ambition( and we all know we can't have that!). Rand presents this warped society in order to capture the flaws of a socialistic society, which often alienates the hardworking and gifted in order to cater to the masses.

"For the word "We" must never be spoken, save by one's choice and as a second thought. This word must never be placed first within a man's soul, else it becomes a monster, the root of all evils on earth, the root of man's torture by men, and of an unspeakable lie. The word "We" is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages"(Rand 97).
This passage is the embodiment of the entire novel. I love Rand's comparison of the word "we" to the pouring of lime to form the statue of conformity, forming a perfectly formed statue from the mold society. The passage creates a sense of suffocation, as the lime stifles individualism and forces the individual into the grey of submission. I love Rand's depiction because it makes this fear of conformity concrete, creating a tangible fear of oppression. Essentially, this quote emphasizes the importance of ego and the danger in relying upon the collective to dictate your actions and emotions, so that everyone who wasn't created equal will be MADE so.


I read this book over the summer and absolutely loved it. I was so excited(I'm a dork...what can I say?) because it went along with Fahrenheit 451 so exactly, then of course we read it in class. I found Rand's use of the word "we" interesting and different, and I was astonished at how short the story actually was. It is such a profound and infinite philosophy, yet Rand is able to capture the idea eloquently in 105 pages. I suppose in comparison to the other distopian stories we've read so far, I like the ending of this book immensely more than that of WE or The Handmaid's Tale because it provides the reader with hope for Equality 7-2521 to start a new colony, whereas in We D-503's progress in rebellion unravels completely and in the Handmaids Tale it remains uncertain whether or not Offred actually survives.