Characters
This is Equality 7-2521's original job assignment.
Street Sweeper
The Unspeakable Word is this pronoun.
"I"
This invention symbolizes the power of individual thought and innovation.
The light bulb
Equality first discovers electricity here.
In the tunnel from the Unmentionable Times
Anthem explores the struggle between these two opposing forces.
Individualism and collectivism
This character is Equality’s loyal friend, who symbolizes friendship.
International 4-8818
This governing body assigns all jobs and makes all decisions for the society.
The World Council
The Uncharted Forest symbolizes this.
Freedom and rebirth
Equality’s first major act of defiance.
Falling in love with Liberty 5-3000
This narrative point of view helps show the suppression of identity.
First-person plural (using “we” instead of “I”)
This woman is Equality’s love interest, later renamed Gaea.
Liberty 5-3000
This group rejects Equality’s invention of the light bulb.
The Council of Scholars
Equality first sees his reflection in this.
A stream of water
Equality runs away to this place after being rejected by the Council.
The Uncharted Forest
This symbolizes the climax of Equality self-discovery.
Discovering the word "I"
This man was executed for saying the Unspeakable Word.
The Saint of the Pyre
“We are one in all and all in one” reflects this major theme.
Collectivism / Suppression of individuality
Rand uses this contrast (two natural elements) to symbolize knowledge vs. ignorance.
Light and darkness
Why is Equality disappointed when he first presents his light bulb to the World Council of Scholars?
Because he expects them to celebrate his discovery, but instead they fear it, reject it, and threaten to destroy him, showing the society’s hostility toward innovation.
How does Rand’s use of first-person plural narration (“we”) at the beginning and the eventual shift to “I” reinforce the novella’s central theme?
The forced use of “we” reflects the erasure of individuality in collectivism; the shift to “I” marks Equality’s reclaiming of identity and independence, embodying Rand’s theme of individualism as essential to freedom.
How is the relationship between Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 significant in the context of the novel's themes?
Their bond and relationship is formed by choice, rather than forced through their collectivism society. They get to have a personal preference. Their love is a catalyst for Equality's self-discovery.
Why does the society in Anthem ban words like “I” and “Ego”? Explain how this linguistic control support the collectivist system.
By removing language of individuality, the society prevents people from forming independent identity or self-worth, making it easier to enforce collectivism.
In Anthem, Equality chooses the name Prometheus and Liberty chooses the name Gaea. What do these names symbolize individually, and how do they work together to reinforce Rand’s message about the future of humanity?
Like Prometheus, who gave fire to humanity, Equality gives light (knowledge/innovation) to humanity, even though he is punished for it.
Liberty's Gaea symbolizes creation, nurturing, and the birth of a new world.
Together, their names symbolize the beginning of a new society built on individual freedom and human potential, contrasting with the oppression of the collectivist world they left behind.
Why is Equality’s discovery of the house in the forest significant to the plot and themes?
The house represents individual ownership, privacy, and independence — concepts forbidden in his old society. It becomes the foundation for his new life and symbolizes the break from collectivism.
Ayn Rand coined the term objectivism, which believes that individual happiness is the ultimate moral purpose we should follow, including our own self-interest. How does the role of technology in the poem relate to this idea of objectivism?
Rand shows that technology is not valuable because it serves society, but because it is the product of an individual mind exercising reason and creativity. The light bulb symbolizes the power of independent thought, a core principle of Objectivism.