Authentic Happiness In Ayn Rand's Anthem

In the novel, Anthem by Ayn Rand authentic happiness is the one thing a person loves more than anything. The main character, Equality 7-2521 finds his happiness through the things he never thought he would. It shows that authentic happiness can appear in many different forms whether it was expected or not.This novella shows that true authentic happiness is discovering inner self, love, and freedom. Authentic happiness represents finding your true self and doing whatever it takes to get there. In novel, Equality commits many crimes to receive the things that make him most happy. In his society it is forbidden to steal things, especially manuscripts and candles from the government and “...shall be sentenced to ten years in the Palace of Corrective Detention if it be discovered” (Rand 18). This proves that even though Equality knew he was doing something very illegal in his society, it made him so happy that it was worth the risk. These small actions ultimately led to him to discover his passion for science and wanting to learn more about the world he lives in. Finding out who you truly are on the inside can give a person the authentic happiness to last a …show more content…
In Equality’s case his happiness guided him to the love of his life, Liberty 5-3000 or as he calls her, the Golden One. Liberty 5-3000 tries to tell Equality that she loves him, but she only knows how to say, “We are one. . .alone. . . and only . . . and we [I] love you who are one . . . alone . . . and only”(Rand 87). Even though Liberty did not have or know the words to say the phrase, I love you, she still found a way to get her message across because she was so authentically happy. Liberty’s love towards Equality epitomizes that if something makes you so unbelievably happy, you will be able to push through all of the challenges that come your way. Being able to have a love towards someone or something is authentic