Juan Carlos Thomas - Literary Analysis - Week #4 - Anthem

Is the book’s structure chronological or does it move back and forth between past and present?  Does the author use a single (first or third person) viewpoint or shifting points of view?  Why might the author have chosen to tell the story this way and how does it influence the reader’s understanding?

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The book Anthem clearly chronological. One example to support the idea that this is in chronological order is the following phrase; "Many days passed before we could speak to the Golden One again." Many days passed shows that is going in order from event, to next event and is not going back and forth from past and present. The We situation is one that has troubled not only myself, but as well as other readers. Everybody wonders why Equality 7-2521 refers to himself as We and not I. Example from the book; "We, Equality 7-2521, have discovered a new power of nature. And we have discovered it alone, and we alone are to know it." Until now, my guess is the same. Equality 7-2521 is a community and not a person. It would be unacceptable for Equality 7-2521to refer to himself as a single person and not as a group. In my opinion, the author decided to tell the story this way, because of the idea that everyone is equal. 

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This story takes place in the future; meaning that it is a very different setting and environment than the one, every human living right now, is used to living in. Anthem can be set in a place were not only everybody is equal but nice, peaceful and happy. Yes, this has a great impact on the reader's understanding of the story. This not only question the use of the term we, as mentioned before but as well gives a bigger view of the situation. What I mean is that, whatever happens is not only happening to one person, but to a whole community, to Equality 7-2521. This is the reason why I think the author chose to tell the story in this way. This is a kind of confusing book but I am eager to read the next "parts" of the book to see what happens next to Equality 7-2521.