Anthem, Question Commander Lucca

How did the world come to be the way that it is in the book?

I think that the way the world came to be that way was an uprising by a group of powerful people who were sick of the way that mankind was destroying the world, and they were able to start a communist dystopia in which all modern inventions were destroyed, science went to the way it was 400 years ago, asking too many questions was frowned upon, anythings like fighting were punishable by prison sentences, being different was not good, for example, people disliked him because he was six feet tall, and not many people were that tall, nobody was allowed to have individual needs, which is why instead of first person, the book is narrated in second person e.g. we, we're, us, etc. Another way that I think that this could've happened is that it is an individual country that has a dystopian, communist government that has the same qualities mentioned earlier.

What inspired this exotic theme for Ayn Rand to write?

I think that the inspiration for her could have come from two different ideas. Maybe it was the thought of communism in Russia, since Russia had recently adopted the communist regime at the time in which the book was written, and it had shocked many, many people. If it was this, I would not be surprised because the society that Equality lives in has many shared aspects of communism. some for example are that people can't have personal desires. Since all property is public in communism, people can't have personal desires, just like in the book. Another thing in common is that the citizens have little or no money, and just depend on the bare minimum that they receive from the government, although people may not be starving in the books society, there is no concept of money there, since having something of valor makes you want more, and that was a sin in Equality's world. Another reason that I think could've inspired her to write the book was, maybe, an idealistic world for her. To me, this world sounds a little exaggerated, but if it was a little dialed down, with less consequences and fewer restrictions, I think that it would be a very ideal world to me. Thinking about it, not knowing about the evil of man, and being raised without exposure the the natural greed that humans have, this could almost be a Utopia. Of course, I say almost because not many people want to live in a society in which they can't have all that they want or "need", because that is what we are used to, so instantly, this kind of society is a dystopia to us, but with a little thought and the removal of some of our instincts, this could become a nearly perfect society.