Topic > Individual personality vs. Collectivism in "Anthem" by Ayn Rand

In the novel Anthem, Ayn Rand discusses the issue of individual personhood and the destructive power of collectivism. The author creates a model of society with a socialist policy, where people are forbidden to be different and are punished for the slightest dissimilarity with their brothers. It is described as a dystopian future of people sacrificing their lives, talents and interests to please the government. Rand's philosophy on the importance of protecting and developing personal identity and uniqueness can be compared to a series of historical events. Communism in Russia, World War II, and the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest in China can be considered to support Ayn Rand's philosophy of individualism. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe World Council in Anthem is an absolute copy of Communist Russia, where Ayn grew up and whose policies made her emigrate to the United States. The Soviet Union was implemented strictly like in Anthem, where everything is controlled by the Council. In his novel he supports people's right to have their own life, because he knows all the terror of communist movements since his childhood experience. Some people argue that human rights were suppressed during the communist dictatorship and that the issues raised in Ayn Rand's novel resemble the historical and political circumstances of that time. They are convinced that doing something for themselves, not for the country, is a great crime: “It's a shame to write this. It's a shame to think words that no one else thinks and put them on a paper that others can't see. It is a vile and evil thing. And we know well that there is no transgression darker than doing or thinking alone. We broke the laws." Equality 7-2521 is the prototype of the author and her parents. He wishes to become a scientist, but has been forced to be a street cleaner by the World Council. He belonged to that group of people who were not ready to tolerate the policies of the Soviet Union and left the country so as not to be exiled to Siberia or shot for dissent. People in the novel cannot choose friends and soulmates. Furthermore, the State has control over their private lives: “This is an evil to say, for it is a transgression, the great Transgression of Preference, to love some among men better than others, for we must love all men and all men they are our friends,” “And we pay no attention to the law that says man cannot think of women. Save when pairing.”. The citizens in the novel have no choice. Instead they work continuously and hard, but receive nothing for their work, not even the right to do what they really like. “We have been guilty and we confess it here: we have been guilty of the great Transgression of Preferences. We preferred some work and some lessons to others. We have not listened carefully to the history of all the Councils elected since the Great Birth. But we loved the science of things." During World War II, in the detachment of troops out of two hundred soldiers, ten of the most talented soldiers are chosen to control and have power over the others. That is why a sense of collectivism ensured unconditional submission. The Council feared the independence of the citizens, who knew that the taste of freedom could overthrow it: “We are nothing. Humanity is everything. Through the grace of our brothers we are granted life. We exist through, by and for our brothers who are the State. Amen". In the Second World War all those who opposed fascism and Nazism were killed