Anthem by Ayn Rand- Book Review

Anthem by Ayn Rand- Book Review

Title: Anthem

Author: Ayn Rand

Publisher: Signet

Publish Date: 1938

Rating: 3.5/5

Summary(blurb): They existed only to serve the state. They were conceived in controlled Palaces of Mating. They died in the Home of the Useless. From cradle to grave, the crowd was one—the great WE. In all that was left of humanity there was only one man who dared to think, seek, and love. He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world, he dared to love the woman of his choice. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization, he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: He had stood forth from the mindless human herd. He was a man alone. He had rediscovered the lost and holy word—I.

**This book review may contain spoilers**

I initially picked up this book for the Ayn Rand Anthem contest, and finished it in less than an hour. It's a short dystopian novella on the themes of anti-collectivism and individuality, with an intriguing premise-- a world with no 'I' or any form of individual expression linguistically. 

The summary of this book is quite simple: Equality 7-2521 is a Street Sweeper in the unnamed future society of Anthem. This society is one of complete collectivism. There is no 'I' or any singular pronouns. Everyone must be equal to one another, and have no preferences, no individual thought, no physical or mental difference with their peers. Equality has been taller and smarter from a young age, making him stand out from the start. With the unquenchable curiosity of a scholar, Equality discovers a hidden tunnel from the Unmentionable Times (the modern world). Here he secretly conducts experiments and builds his knowledge, also building up his individuality in the process. Meanwhile he also develops a relationship with a woman he calls the Golden One, making the Transgression of Preference. He soon manages to reinvent the lightbulb in the tunnel, and goes to the World Council to show them this invention, but he is rejected because "what is not done collectively cannot be good". Equality then escapes with his lightbulb into the Uncharted Forest, meeting the Golden One again on the way (who had followed Equality), and eventually stumbles upon a home from the Unmentionable Times filled with books. Equality discovers the word 'I', and renames himself Prometheus (brought light/fire to men) and the Golden One as Gaea (mother of the earth). 

This book was a short and simple read, with the classic dystopian society and a free, forward-thinking protagonist. The whole novella was an easily recognizable allegory for the evils of collectivism and communism, as well as the havoc it could wreak on the freedom of individuals. However, although the plot was simple enough for a novella and brilliantly does its job of being a cautionary tale against collectivism, I felt that the story had no nuance or depth whatsoever, and was very much a surface level story. 

The lack of nuance was a major downside of the novella-- all the elements of the story are too-easily recognizable symbols of various societal aspects. The protagonist Equality is obviously the only Voice of Right and Reason in a society that is going the wrong direction (towards collectivism). The protagonist is sort of like an anti-hero in his own society, with everything telling him he is wrong, when actually he is in the right. The lightbulb symbolizes Scientific Innovation, the Uncharted Forest represents freedom, the word 'I' encapsulates individualism which is removed from the society, et cetera. It would have been better if the characters were better fleshed out-- I do understand that this is meant to be an allegory, and I have found that this was intended to be kind of a stepping stone for Rand's main work The Fountainhead. 

The main philosophy Ayn Rand tried to portray in her works was Objectivism, a system of thought she devised herself "with the sole acknowledgment of a debt to Aristotle". I may be simplifying here, but the essence of Objectivism is the pursuit of complete individualism. Politically and economically, this means complete laissez-faire capitalism, with the government's only role being to protect human rights of citizens. Government and economy are to be completely separate. Objectivism also says that all human motivation should come from selfishness, and altruism is evil-- one must put themselves above all else, and their actions must come from internal motivation rather than selflessness. Here, 'selfish' is not a negative word, but it is rather the phrase that all must live by. If you want to learn more about her philosophy, you can do so by reading her next book The Fountainhead, as well as by watching this video by the Ayn Rand Institute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asery3UeBj4

All in all, Anthem is a straightforward allegory that argues against collectivism and for individualism. Equality goes against the flow of the ultracollectivist society, ultimately forging his own way contrary to the others in the society and discovering the lost word: 'I'. Although the plot itself was not bad for a short novella, the characters and story felt underdeveloped and not nuanced enough, and the elements in the story were quite obvious symbols. 

I would recommend this book for grade 3 and up, it's targeted for that age group and is a well-crafted novel that tells a (at least partially) relatable story for many kids.

Rating: I would give this a 3.5/5 - a well-made and simple dystopian allegory against collectivism and promoting individualism (and further, Objectivism). There was not much nuance to it, and symbols were quite blatantly obvious, but the overall story is nicely done.