Themes Of Dystopia In Anthem

1253 Words6 Pages
In an oppressive society, people possess no concept of freedom of expression. What the government says makes law because it exists only to protect them. If, in Anthem by Ayn Rand or any other dystopian novel, the characters knew of a life in which they weren’t required to follow every mandate of their leaders they surely would not blind themselves to their potential options. For example, Matched by Ally Condie contains traits of a controlling government that, much like in Anthem, falls when a curious protagonist reveals the truth. Though these two novels serve a different educational purpose and display some opposing themes, the core basis of a dystopia remains. Governments of dystopian works often use guile in order to appear as if they…show more content…
Not only do they use guile, but they also take exacerbate society’s fear. Unlike in Anthem, the government of Matched allows their people to keep a singular unique possession as the only break in their otherwise perfectly conformist world. Cassia, the main character esteems her leaders as laudable before changing her tune. The strong female protagonist reveals the appalling and deplorable true nature of The Society. “I’ve been thinking in terms of absolutes; first, I believed our Society was perfect. The night they came for our artifacts, I believed it was evil. Now I simply don’t know.” (Condie, 237). As the plot continues, Cassia wonders what she ought to think about her Society. Her entire life, she believed it could do no wrong, given the way it put the best interests of its citizens first. In spite of that, as she becomes more aware of their cruel actions, particularly the sudden removal of everyone’s artifacts, her opinion falters, and she sees the Society as her adversary. Condie’s purpose in writing this integral piece of the story is to initiate a revolt within this dystopian community. Knowledge of the true intent of the
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