The similarities between Anthem and Communist Russia are almost overwhelming. These similarities are almost more like parallels, considering that Ayn Rand, the author of Anthem, grew up in Communist Russia so she experienced communism first-hand. One of the main themes from the novel Anthem is identity and individuality. In Communist Russia, when the time came to get a job, the government assigned one to you. This is parallel to Anthem. “They called the students’ names, and one after another, the Council said: ‘Carpenter’ or ‘Doctor’ or ‘Cook’ or ‘Leader’.” (Rand, 1961, p.25) Another fact that genuinely surprised me was that in 1930’s Russia, anyone with talent was seen as a threat by the increasingly paranoid behaviour associated with Stalin
