The Importance Of The Rules In Ayn Rand's Anthem

What is your idea of a perfect society? Do you imagine all men being equal? Do you imagine a world in which there is no hate? Equality 7-2521 must be living the dream then. In Ayn Rand’s book Anthem all men are viewed as equals and all men are loved, or so it seems. Equality 7-2521 and many others have been oppressed their entire lives by this so called ‘utopia’. To ensure that the ‘brothers’ in the society stay equal there are many rules in place to prevent any doubting of the society’s doings. Equality breaks these rules and therefore breaks free of the emotional ties that have been holding him down his entire life. These rules have caused Equality’s brethren into depression, giving them no will to live. This collectivist society has taken away happiness and replaced it with complacency. These rules are essentially killing these people. Rules, countless and never ending, but why were these …show more content…
This keeps the citizens from thinking of themselves, for themselves, and putting the society in risk of being overthrown because of disagreement. One example of Equality’s individuality is that he was six feet tall. In the book Anthem Equality states, “We are six feet tall, and this is a burden, for there are not many men who are six feet tall.” To further this example, In the book Anthem Equality’s teachers state, “There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has grown beyond the bodies of your brothers.” All throughout his life he was looked upon as evil because he was too tall. Another example is that Equality is too smart. In the book Anthem Equality states, “It was not that learning was too hard for us. It was that the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be born with a head which is too quick.” The society could not afford for Equality to begin thinking for himself so they told him he must be like the others for the well being of his