Anthem

Anthem, a novel by Ayn Rand, takes place in a dystopian futuristic setting. Here, all people are equal: there can be no competition, the job you are assigned is your job and you will do it with a smile on your face, people are given numbers instead of names, it is wrong to think for oneself, and men and women do not know the joys of love and companionship. However, it is in Anthem that a common streetsweeper with a "curse" questions the validity of this convoluted society.

PART A:
Light is a major symbol throughout the novel. It is seen in various places, from Equality's lightbulb to his new name later on. Light represents truth and stands in stark contrast to the dreary, monocromatic theme of this modern society. In this society, the only colors seen are grays, whites, and browns. However, this light serves to cut through these dismal colors and the dismal sociey. On a deeper level, the light enlightens Equality. It is the cummination of his illegal studies and research. It symbolizes how Equality has shown light upon the lies and deciet of this society, and his light shines as a torch to cut through the facade. It makes him stand alone from everyone, even the World Scholars who fear his light because it goes against everything they stand for, and on a deeper level is cutting through all the lies they have worked so long to establish. Another major use of light symbolism is in the name Equality takes for himself. Prometheus was a god who was the bringer of light to the humans he loved so much. He gave them the gift of fire and through it light. He was forced to suffer extremely for it, but still did it for his beloved humans. Equality is no different. He speaks of how he will bring a certain few from the city, those that silently question, and he will enlighten them and together they will build a new society. Like Prometheus, Equality was forced to suffer but in the end the rewards were great.

PART B:
I would say that one of my favorite lines in this novel takes place when Equality and Liberty are walking together in the woods.
" 'We love you.' But then they frowned and shook their head and looked at us helplessly. 'No,' they whispered, 'that is not what we wished to say' "(86).
This a major line in the novel. The Golden One wishes to say "I love you". However, one of the major themes of the novel is the lack of individuality and the lost knowledge of the word "I". Equality is driven to the knowledge of this word when he watches the martyr be burned for using the Unspeakable Word. He wonders why this man is smiling and does not seem to mind that he is being burned. He seems happy that he finally has understood and become enlightened. This martyr of the pyre has passed the torch onto Equality, and now it is his turn to accomplish where those before him had failed and died. This one sentence is a very romantic line in that Liberty wants so badly to tell Equality how she feels about him, yet she struggles to say it because she does not know the proper words. The lack of such a simple word as "I" has led to the inability of individuals to express their feelings, emotions, desires, and needs. It has stripped individuality from this people and cast them into an existance of unhappiness and in the case of some individuals, questioning and torment. This passage goes to show how vital his one word is in the life of every human on the planet.

PART C:
Now for my opinion of Ayn Rand's Anthem. This novel was one of the best books I have ever read. Although relatively short in length and easy to read and understand, Anthem was able to keep me captivated from start to finish. I was a huge fan of the storyline and I was constantly trying to work out different possible reasons for this distopian society in my head. It was also the first novel I was able to see the deeper meaning to and it was great to be able to understand what the author had in mind other than giving readers a good time. If I were asked about Anthem I would recommend it to anyone, especially if one is looking for a good, quick read with a great story and an even better deeper meaning.