The Real World In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Turning a good book into a great book is a pressing task, and Ayn Rand, the author of Anthem, wrote a great novel. Everything from the storyline, to the word choice was carefully chosen. Although some ideas presented in this book are far fetched, there are still many ideas that tie Anthem to the real world. The most prominent connections to today are the similarities to some quotes and the Bible and some quotes to patriotic pieces (ex. National Anthem, Pledge of Allegiance). The quote I found most intriguing in the book Anthem was, “We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are we allowed our lives. We exist through, by and for our brothers who are the State. Amen,”(Rand). This passage was very similar to quotes in the Bible, in many ways. Ponder the idea that, “We are nothing, mankind is all.” That strips all individuality from any human, and puts all focus on society as a whole. This same idea is explored in the Bible. In the quote,“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” This is an excerpt from John 15 4-5 that gives the same idea as the chosen quote from Anthem. The passage from the Bible does give the same concept as the passage from Anthem, but instead of giving the …show more content…
When Rand says, “We exist through, by and for our brothers who are the state,” I interpret her saying that we are here for mankind. In the Bible, we are told that “If you remain in me, you will bear much fruit,” in this passage, God says he is here to help us flourish. Anthem, and the Bible present the same concept, that one thing is here to help the other thrive. The difference in the message each passage is portraying, is who is giving and receiving the support. The more powerful entity, God, is here to help the individuals in the Bible. Where in Anthem, the individuals are there to help all mankind