Friday, November 7, 2014

Anthem Literary Analysis- Lucas Taragano

Anthem, by Ayn Rand
Chapters 9 and 10
Literary Analysis
Lucas Taragano

How does the protagonist change from the beginning to the end of the novel?  What does this character learn about himself (or herself) and about how the world works?

In the book Anthem, by Ayn Rand, the main character, Equality 7-2521 lives in a society where sameness rules. Everyone has the same right, the same ideas, the same thoughts and etc. Equality 7-2521 starts of as a simple boy, with no difference between his brothers and his sisters. He is the same in everything as everybody else. This way of being that he has changes throughout the novel clearly. In part 3, Equality 7-2521 discovers a "new power", as he calls it. He discovers electricity, and he is amazed from what he has found, and this is where the whole change starts. The protagonist decides to research and continue exploring this new power, and in the future comes up with a glass box with wires inside, that lights up. Today, we know this invention as the light bulb, or something similar to it. After this day, Equality 7-2521 is a changed person. His interests shift from his society to new inventions. Until one day, when he goes to the World of Councils, of the Scholars. He shares his idea, but it is rejected in a cruel a repressing way. He is now one of the Damned. After this, Equality 7-2521 runs into the forest, and here is where the big change happens. He starts to se himself as one, as an individual, not only as one of his brothers or sisters. For example, he sees himself in the reflection in the lake and likes his look (Rand, 8). In addition, the Golden One comes in and meets Equality 7-2521, and tells him that she loves him. Yet, she can't seem to find the correct word for this, since she only knows "we"(Rand, 9). This moment clearly shows how Equality 7-2521 has changed from being a person that was only one in many, from being a true individual. His perspective from the world also changed since he now sees the world as one, instead of in a more collective manner. All in all, it is clear that Equality 7-2521 changed from being one of the many brothers and sisters to being a single person, with his own way of thinking and his own identity, which is still being born.


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1 comment:

  1. Hey Lucas, although I agree with the transformation of Equality, I believe he started off different from his brothers from the start. He has higher intelligence and understood school better than the rest. He would ask too many questions making him too curious in comparison to his peers. Not only that, but he also states about his physical appearance and how he is taller than his "brothers". I think he was already different, and that his discoveries only helped push his differences.

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