Mindful College Writing: Anthem by Ayn Rand

            Atlantis was said to be a highly advanced civilization with technology that went far beyond present day conceptualization. Everything that existed during that time is lost. Civilization broke and started over again. The world today with all its advancements in science, technology, and international communication is lost to those characters in the story Anthem. Ayn Rand’s message to humanity is clear in the Anthem, “…men with nothing to offer” (Rand 63) turns the world dull, all liveliness and sense of wonder vanish. Stepping into the psyche of Ayn Rand a person can conclude that freedom pushes humanity towards new birth. Sameness doesn’t evoke creativity. A society that refuses a person the privilege of excelling in one’s natural talent causes them to sacrifice their integrity to please others.

Anthem is written in first person with Prometheus as the narrator. The protagonist is change. Change guides the story forward and is played by Prometheus, a young man that awakens to a hidden truth that his uniqueness, in a world where all are told “we are nothing” (Rand 7), is his most honest integrity, “I understood why the best in me had been my sins and my transgression” (Rand 60). Prometheus realizes that his antagonist, fear, has been trying to suppress his most brilliant and original self, “…their bodies were shrinking and wished to shrink out of sight. And a word steals into our minds…fear” (Rand 23). Fear challenges change. The people have been programmed for hundreds of years to believe they are worthless, but change asks of them to embrace curiosity with inner exploration.

The uncharted forest is symbolic for stepping into the unknown. The novel The Giver by Louis Lowry has a forbidden land that the main character, Jonas, travels into to escape and save the people of their dull life. Stepping into unknown land alone shows that a character is a pioneer on a frontier about to experience significant change. “I shall cut into the stone the word [ego]…” (Rand 64), this image is symbolic for Prometheus stamp on history. The same can be seen for David by Michelangelo. This stone carved human figure, is Michelangelo stamp on history.

The setting takes place in a colonial American vibe, candle light, horse buggy, society. Prometheus travels to an underground dark tunnel where his discoveries take place, “… in our tunnel, we feel it no longer [fear]. The air is pure under the ground” (Rand 23), Prometheus views his world has stifling and his dark tunnel as refreshing. The setting in the end takes place in the uncharted forest where Prometheus discoveries a house that was built before the time of sameness. It becomes his headquarters for a rebellion against the sameness that keeps humanity dull. “…we heard suddenly that we were laughing” (Rand 46), Prometheus genuinely feels joy in the forest after realizing he can do whatever he wants. Instead of robotically wake up each morning to do his street sweeper job that was assigned to him by a Council that knows nothing of him.

The plot happens in chorological order. It is not lenient to extra information not needed to convey the main message and gets straight to the events that support the author’s message. The story jumps over long periods of time and focuses on specific events that are all turning points for Prometheus. This style of writing helps the reader stay focused and reminds them that the novel isn’t for exploring interesting characters and settings like reading a Harry Potter book by J.K. Rowling, but more as a pamphlet with precise messages that the author doesn’t want to get deluded by too much setting detail, back ground, and character building.

The primary theme Ayn Rand wants the reader to know is the enslavement of humanity always dulls the greater whole. “…neither god nor king nor other men can take away from him” (Rand 62), the desire for respect to follow one’s own pursuits has lead to numerous battles throughout centuries. Ayn Rand asks of humanity to respect each other’s difference and not seek to control another’s behavior due to fear of them making the wrong decision,”…and he stood on the threshold of the freedom for which the blood of the centuries behind him had been spilled” (Rand 62), the desire for a rebellion will always be in the heart of humanity as long as people feel entrapped by a society norm that prevents them from exploration. 

Works Cited

Rand, Ayn. Anthem. CA: Mockingbird Classics Publishing, 2015. Print.