FREE ESSAY ON ANTHEM

ANTHEM

Anthem
The book Anthem by Ayn Rand had many different important themes. I am going to mainly
focus on a specific one in that that everyone must have an ego for a greater society to
continue. Egoism played an extremely big part in the novel and wasn't revealed until the
end of the book.
Ego in my terms means lacking in ones own interests meaning that you don't do what you
like to do and don't have your own feelings. During the book everyone who was living in
the society was lacking an ego. When people lack egos they don't have their own
personalities and they act as robots. None of the people actually had their own names.
The actions of all the students in the society wasn't in the will of their own, that the
beneficiaries of their actions was others and not theirs which it should have been. 
Equality 7-2521 was a perfect example of someone who was egoistic. He lived for himself
and not others. None of the other students or teachers controlled him, his thoughts, or
his feelings. He was a happy student who never sacrificed himself to anyone. His actions
were exactly what the leaders wanted to rid the students of. The leaders did not want t
he kids to have any ambition or passion for something. They didn't want the children to
love any women or talk to any of them. All in all they didn't want the students to be
happy or have goals in life. Early in the book he shows how they wanted to control
society and everyone in it when he says The laws say that men may not write unless the
Council of Vocations bid them so.(Rand 11)
During the story no one was able to make up their own minds or do what they wanted to do
in life. Everything was controlled by the leaders in the different Councils. The society
was not a true society where people have the free will to do what they want in life and
strive for a certain job. All of the kids are living dead, always obeying orders, doing
as they are told, and not thinking for themselves.
Finally, in the end Equality decides that he can not live like this anymore and that he
must think for himself so he runs away into the Unchanted forest where no one will come
after him. Equality realizes that it is much better eating away from society when he says
And we thought suddenly that there was great satisfaction to be found in the food which
we need and obtain by our own hand.(Rand 89). In the end Equality realizes what has been
lacking in society when he says The sacred word: EGO.(Rand 123) In order to greater
society and to part from these times everyone must have an ego of their own.