It has been said that “A body enslaved inspires the mind to revolt. But... enslave a man’s mind and his body will carry on naturally”. This can be said for the two main characters in the novels of Anthem, by Ayn Rand, and 1984, by George Orwell. Both books tell the struggle between the ideas of maintaining free will and hope in a harsh and oppressive government setting. While both authors would agree about the negative consequences totalitarianism brings, and that there will always be people who challenge the ideas behind a totalitarian government. The two authors would argue as if people could actually successfully overthrow a totalitarian government. With Ayn Rand supporting it, and George Orwell disagreeing. This can be proven in both Anthem’s
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In the novel of Anthem, Equality proves he has no fear of the government by constantly visiting the forbidden tunnel, even though he has been warned not to go in them by his co-worker. Yet, Equality still visits them in order to conduct his experiment, which is recreating the light bulb. His actions in the tunnel also prove his fearlessness of the government warnings as no individual is allowed to take credit for an invention solely. His invention of the light bulb allows him to continue on challenging the government as he now realizes that he was being suppressed by the government, something that barely any of the other citizens know. Equality shows no fear of government punishment as well as he himself goes to where the officials of the government are and shows off his light bulb to them and challenging their authority in the sense that it only needs one person to create an invention and not many and that the people are being suppressed in a technological, creative, and individualistic form. …show more content…
In Anthem, Equality shows constant hope which is illustrated when he creates the light bulb. This creation, although in reality small, makes Equality open his eyes and questions what people are actually capable of as opposed to what the government makes them capable of. After this, Equality begins to think of life that allows for inventiveness and freedom and makes him hopeful that life does not always have to be the way the government makes it to be. He continues to show persistent hope when he is tortured as well. When interrogated while in prison about his invention of the light bulb, Equality refuses to crack as he knows that if he does the hope that life will get better will not be possible as it takes a person with an independent and free thinking mind to challenge a higher authority. The light in the dark prison cell might also serve as a metaphor for the hope Equality feels. As the dark represents the ignorance of the rest of his people as they see that nothing will get better, Equality sees a glimmer of light in that things will change for the better. This continual consolidation for hope of a better future allows him to succeed against government control by inspiring his escape and allowing him to live his life freely outside the city. Winston, however, shows little to no hope as he constantly questions the idea of things actually
In the novel of Anthem, Equality proves he has no fear of the government by constantly visiting the forbidden tunnel, even though he has been warned not to go in them by his co-worker. Yet, Equality still visits them in order to conduct his experiment, which is recreating the light bulb. His actions in the tunnel also prove his fearlessness of the government warnings as no individual is allowed to take credit for an invention solely. His invention of the light bulb allows him to continue on challenging the government as he now realizes that he was being suppressed by the government, something that barely any of the other citizens know. Equality shows no fear of government punishment as well as he himself goes to where the officials of the government are and shows off his light bulb to them and challenging their authority in the sense that it only needs one person to create an invention and not many and that the people are being suppressed in a technological, creative, and individualistic form. …show more content…
In Anthem, Equality shows constant hope which is illustrated when he creates the light bulb. This creation, although in reality small, makes Equality open his eyes and questions what people are actually capable of as opposed to what the government makes them capable of. After this, Equality begins to think of life that allows for inventiveness and freedom and makes him hopeful that life does not always have to be the way the government makes it to be. He continues to show persistent hope when he is tortured as well. When interrogated while in prison about his invention of the light bulb, Equality refuses to crack as he knows that if he does the hope that life will get better will not be possible as it takes a person with an independent and free thinking mind to challenge a higher authority. The light in the dark prison cell might also serve as a metaphor for the hope Equality feels. As the dark represents the ignorance of the rest of his people as they see that nothing will get better, Equality sees a glimmer of light in that things will change for the better. This continual consolidation for hope of a better future allows him to succeed against government control by inspiring his escape and allowing him to live his life freely outside the city. Winston, however, shows little to no hope as he constantly questions the idea of things actually