Equality 7-2521 And Anthem Comparison

Born February 2, 1905, Ayn Rand published her first novel, We the Living, in 1938. Soon after, she published Anthem in 1938. Her working title for this short novel was Ego. She did not mean of it as a symbol of the self- but specifically Man’s Self. Ayn Rand praises a man’s ego because she is upholding the principles of her philosophy and of her heroes: reason, values, volition, individualism. When Ayn Rand was a teenager, she lived in Soviet Russia. She had escaped Russia because of the oppressive laws and government. Just like in Anthem, Equality 7-2521 escaped from the dystopian society, in which he lived in for most of his life. The community Ayn Rand and Equality 7-2521 lived were very similar. They lived in a community in which every …show more content…
A major theme In Anthem that Sarah’s Key does not share is individualism. Evolutionizing from a brainwashed authoritarian state, Equality 7-2521 became self-sufficient, creative, and a powerful man living outside of the system he lived in. Throughout the book, Equality 7-2521 becomes more and more in his own self-interest, and disobeying the demands imposed upon him. At first, pursuing his passion for scientific discovery is seen as an “evil” act, but Equality 7-2521 learns to feel unashamed of his skill, intelligence, and creativity and slowly begins to blossom as an individual. Sarah’s Key also does not a have a theme of collectivism. The society that Equality 7-2521 is born into is full of collectivist ideals. No one in the society can have a conventional name. Also, rather than being able to pursue their passions and dreams, the citizens are given jobs unrelated to their skill sets. In Anthem, Ayn Rand includes how all are “one in all and all in one” and how there is the only great ‘we’. The word ‘I’ has disappeared in the society, they all strive to be like their brothers, for all must be alike. Another theme that is not shared between the two is anti-semitism. Anti-semitism is the hatred of Jewish people, regardless of their place of birth, where they reside or their contribution to society. In the movie, Sarah’s Key, anti-semitism is made clear when the Jews in Paris have to sew yellow stars on their clothing and carry identity cards. July 1942, in Paris, Sarah and her family were taken away from the French police as they arrest Jewish families. The Jews were immediately treated differently, and heavy restrictions were in place every