Theme Of Collectivism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

“The word "We" is as lime poured over men, which sets and hardens to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of the sages”, said Ayn Rand. This quote means that the word “we” was forced upon the men to use. After a while they don’t think about what it means or how it is affecting them. It becomes normal and they won’t even see how it is destroying their own society around them. This is why once collectivism has overtaken an area it is so difficult to change the way society thinks. Collectivism is the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it, this can cause many problems in a society. To overcome collectivism you would have to be brave, courageous, and determined in order to be successful at achieving your goal.
Throughout the book, Anthem, Equality 7-2521 faces many challenges, but one of the biggest was the …show more content…
She also discusses the importance of individualism and how everyone deserves to have their own opinion. She says “But the mind is an attribute of the individual. There is no such thing as a collective brain. There is no such thing as a collective thought. An agreement reached by a group of men is only a compromise or an average drawn upon many individual thoughts.” Stating this means that a collective dictatorship could only lead to destruction because there is no way that everyone in an society could agree on everything. Equality 7-2521 could relate to this because he is the one breaking the traditional society rules and breaking free to become an individual and facing the