Illustrious Artist- Gaetano Cremoux

I decided to illustrate the section in which  Equality 7-2521 talks about mirrors, and how he wishes to see himself in one. I thought that this was one of the most important parts in this book so far. This seen displays most of the main ideas of this novel, or at least so far. It demonstrates two main themes of this book: Sameness, and "unknown identity". Sameness has been introduced before, and we have seen how it is used by the government to manipulate the people. If you really think about it, all of these themes are very similar/ related. Because of sameness, there is a lack of identity and individuality. I think that without individuality, you cannot have identity, as identity requires uniqueness. You can see this in the book, since everyone is the same. Because of this,  Equality 7-2521, and everyone else, lacks individuality. This is why they have no identity. However, this is not the only factor in determining the lack of identity for the "individuals" in this book. Another main component is the lack of mirrors. Almost everyone in modern society identifies themselves with how they look. Without knowing your appearance, or having distinct character traits, how can anyone have any identity whatsoever?

Now that we have established the lack of identity, we need to find out why. I think that the government eliminates individuality to manipulate and control the population. They do this so that the masses become like robots, and they then make the rules very strict so that the robots do their bidding. It seems as if they aim to create robots who, by creating harsh and specific laws, simply live by their rules. In these ways, this book seems EXTREMELY similar to 1984. One thing that I find fascinating is how Equality 7-2521, for some reason, does not conform to the norms set by society. For SOME reason, he rebels. I thinks it's interesting how there is distinction between the conformed and uncomformed, and what causes that. Do you think its because of genes/ biology? Or do you think it more than that, something that has to do with how this society functions? 


Another fascinating aspect of this section is really interesting to dwell into is Rand motive for describing the section like she did. To understand more about Rands childhood, we need to learn a bit more about her.

Ayn was born in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on February 2, 1905. Her father was a successful pharmacist who owned a pharmacy. By the age of 8, Ayn was already writing screenplays. By 10, she had written her first novel. During the Russian Revolution, her family fled to the Crimean Peninsula. There, they lived in poverty, where they faced desperate conditions. At 16, Ayn was one of the first woman to enroll in University, where she majored in History. After graduating, she moved to the US to pursue her screenwriting career. After a couple of unsuccessful pieces, she wrote her first successful novel, The Fountainhead, which opened her path to prominence. After The Fountainhead, she wrote several successful books, most acclaimed Atlas Shrugged. 

To me, this passage makes me think of Rand's childhood in Communist Russia. A lot of what is described in this passage is quite similar to the events that occurred during Rands childhood. For example, the Sameness theme was quite common during in Communist Russia. Back then, the government had a very specific mold that it wanted its citizens to fit in. If they failed to do so, they would be sent to the Gulags; in this book, if you fail to fit into the mold, you are simply exiled. As you can see, Rand was most clearly inspired by her childhood to write this part of the book.