Anthem Analysiss

The environment created by Anthem's society permeates each single member with the fear of committing a naturally unavoidable "crime", of conceiving original thoughts and ideas, "There is fear hanging in the air. . . . Fear walks through the City, fear without name, without shape. All men feel it and none dare to speak . . . our brothers are silent, for they dare not speak the thoughts of their minds. For all must agree with all." It attempts to steal the very concept of personal distinctiveness from mankind so that all humans can be truly equal, resulting in no superiority or discrepancy among the people. The society’s collectivist ideals a

re ever present and constantly reinforced into the minds of the people, as seen from the required plays about the goodness of work performed by groups rather than solo actors, to the pledge demanded of all children that forces them to affirm, "We are nothing. Mankind is all." These constant reminders of the society-declared "truth" proclaim an individual’s insignificance, crushing the spirit inside each person, the ego. The only "one" recognized by Anthem's extreme of a cooperative culture is the "GREAT—WE—ONE, INDIVISIBLE, AND FOREVER." Unlike most of in his society, Prometheus has been different from his brothers since birth. Everything about Prometheus is exceptional in his society, from his appearance to his academic ability as a child. "There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521," he is told, and he believes it, although he does nothing to curb this "evil" inside him, the desire to produce his own thoughts. Anthem, as Prometheus's journal, displays his desire to "speak to no ears but our own," to fulfill the human need to think alone and creatively. Prometheus's devotion to fulfilling his own thoughts and understanding his world enables him to recognize the importance of a single life and individual. The most significant evidence of his supreme allegiance to this ego is that "we, Equality 7-2521 are glad to be living. If this is a vice, then we wish no virtue." He defers from the socialist philosophies of his society, that happiness should come from being a part of the all-powerful population. To him the individual is important and the single life within each body is a treasure. In doing this he demonstrates the ability to think his own thoughts regardless of the society around him. This action proves beneficial to him, as he becomes more aware of his ego, and develops a more objectivist an

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