Rand's Philosophy Of Objectivism And Individualism In Anthem By Ayn Rand
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The Brethren cult withdrew four thousand people in three years for not following the rules and laws provided to them by cult leaders (“History”). People born into this cult must conform to the beliefs others in power choose, or the government will withdraw them. Rebecca Stott, one of the lucky ones, could leave this vicious cult.Able to leave this cult, she evolved into an individualist, against everything she grew up learning. The novel Anthem shows a similar story about a young man who lives in a future society where the word “I” vanished, and they resort back to methods of the olden days. Council attempts to teach the young man, Equality 7-2521 that he lives for his brothers. When he receives the dreaded job of a street sweeper he decides…show more content… Equality begins to understand parts of objectivism when he escapes and does not “surrender [his] treasures” because his treasure “is the end. It is its own goal”(95). Without Equality’s wonder and ability to find this electricity he would not escape and truly evolve into an individualist. Ayn Rand’s philosophy of objectivism states that reason is most important in terms of knowledge, which Equality learns through the light he finds in the underground tunnel he finds. Rand discusses how many people have been condemned for their knowledge in the past such as Adam for eating the forbidden fruit or Prometheus because he “[stole] the fire from the gods” (“The Soul of an Individualist”). Objectivism says that “no creator was prompted by a desire to serve his brothers”, however Equality struggles with this as his teaching leads him to do every action for others (“The Soul of an Individualist”). So while at first brainwashed into believing that he created the light for man’s good, he finally faces the struggle that he created it for its own good and the good of knowledge. This light prompted Equality to feel an internal conflict against his city, however, it also stood as an important step in freeing himself from collectivism and becoming a rational