Anthem: Electric Individualism

Equality 7-2521 lives in a society that is structured and not to be questioned. His name, just as his occupation of street sweeper, was assigned. His childhood desires to be a scholar were not important, nor to be considered. The Council of Vocations determined his lifelong career. No discussion. Equality 7-2521 knows that he was assigned his position justifiably. Or at least he believes this at first.

Equality 7-2521 begins to experiment with his discovery of electricity. He tinkers and creates a grand tool to aid society, the light bulb. Eagerly, he goes to inform the World Council. His intentions are for benefiting mankind and perhaps gaining entrance into the World Council. “‘Let us all work together and harness this power, and make it ease the toil of men. Let us throw away our candles and our torches. Let us flood our cities with light’” (Rand 71). His enthusiasm and new found technology terrify the Council. Out of fear, the Council does the most logical thing in saying, “It must be destroyed” (74)! His actions were not those of a collective group, so it must be evil. The World Council threatens to kill him and destroy his light bulb. Equality 7-2521 will not hear of this. Losing his own life is less of a concern than losing his invention. He flees to the Uncharted Forrest in order to protect this.

It took a great amount of confidence for Equality 7-2521 to confront the World Council and flee the city. In addressing the World Council, he demonstrates an independence. When he flees the city, he shows an unwillingness to turn back. His desire for the electricity of human individuality is far too great.

Rand uses Equality 7-2521 to show the ambition that must be enforced in order to maintain individuality. It is through this character that one realizes that it is not the best idea to follow a collective. Thought is a gift that one is given and, for this reason, should be used to it’s full extent. Rand emphasizes that great discoveries of an individual are overlooked or unnoticed in a society based upon the whole. She wants the reader to know that one’s first responsibility is to oneself.

Once living in the Uncharted Forrest, Equality 7-2521 is able to make a grand discovery of self worth.  He is able to recognize that he is an individual.  He is not a collective "We."  He can speak confidently with a word that seems hard to say at first.  "I" enters his vocabulary.