Characters
Unusually tall, intelligent, and curious, he harbors a "curse" of independent thought in a society that demands complete conformity.
Who is Equality 7-2521?
Leftover from the "Unmentionable Times," hidden beneath the city, this dark, isolated space becomes Equality's sanctuary where he conducts scientific experiments.
What is the "underground tunnel"?
Despite using the plural pronouns, "We" "our" and "us," the story is written from the ____________ point-of-view.
What is "first-person point-of-view"?
The primary conflict of the novella is the ultimate battle between the individual and the group.
"We made it. We created it. We brought it forth out of the night of the ages."
Who is Equality 7-2521?
A 17-year-old peasant woman who works in the agricultural fields outside the city.
Who is Liberty 5-3000?
Characterized by monotony, candles instead of lightbulbs, strict schedules, and total surveillance, this setting embodies the soul-crushing weight of extreme collectivism.
What is the "City of Men"?
This image/object symbolizes human reason, innovation, and individual genius breaking through the darkness of state-enforced ignorance.
What is the symbol of the "light bulb"?
In the city, romantic relationships are stripped of emotion and controlled by the state through the annual "Mating Season."
"You are not one of our brothers, Equal 7-2521, for we do not wish you to be."
Who is Liberty 5-3000?
A man executed by burning at the stake when Equality was ten years old. His crime was discovering and speaking the forbidden word.
Who is "Saint Transgressor"?
It serves as the backdrop for Equality and Liberty’s forbidden meetings and represents the strict segregation of labor enforced by the state.
What are "the agricultural fields"?
The oldest and primary member of the World Council of Scholars. He represents the authoritarian state, rejecting Equality’s invention of the electric light bulb.
Who is the antagonist, "Collective 0-0009"?
Exemplified in the Saint Transgressor scene, this theme highlights going against the government.
What is "resistance" or "rebellion"?
"It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words which are not thought by others... We have broken the laws."
Who is "Equality 7-2521"?
After establishing a relationship Equality 7-2521 renames Liberty ________________.
What is "the Golden One"?
A vast, dense wilderness surrounding the city that citizens are taught to fear as a place of death and doom.
What is the "Uncharted Forest"?
What is "dystopian" literature?
A message that highlights the importance of discovering yourself and recognizing the dangers of thinking like everyone else.
What is the theme "dangers of collectivism"?
"And the word which can never die on this earth; for it is the heart of it and the meaning and the glory. The sacred word: EGO."
Who is "Equality 7-2521"?
After escaping into the forest, he renames himself _____________ after learning the forbidden concept of "I".
What is "Prometheus"?
A modern, two-story house built on a mountaintop inside the forest, preserved from the era before collectivism took hold.
What is the "house from the Unmentionable Times"?
Equality renames himself after the Greek Titan who stole fire from the gods to give it to humanity, paralleling his act of bringing electricity to a dark world.
Who is "Prometheus"?
A message that examines how our choice of words can impact our ability to think.
What is the theme, "Language and Thought"?
"What is not thought by all men cannot be true... What is not done by the collective cannot be good."
Who is Collective 0-0009?