Literary Analysis - Martina Tacconi

Anthem
By: Ayn Rand
Part 7 and 8

From the beginning, Equality 7-2521 lived in uncertainty, trying to conform with the laws of his primitive society, living in fear of standing out because he was different from all his brothers. Overall, he started out being a very closed-minded person, but throughout the book he grows mentally. This was because he was superior, meaning, he was wiser and this was considered wrong. In the society he lived in everyone must be the same, so there are no conflicts. Equality 7-2521 struggled to unlearn and not remember what his teachers taught him, but his brains was always faster than the others'. Throughout the first chapters he explains how he is trying to fit in so badly, but can't.  
"But we cannot change our bones nor our body. We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts which are forbidden. It has always given us wishes which men may not wish. We know that we are evil, but there is no will in us and no power to resist it." (Part 1)
Therefore, he's always emphasizing on how he should stop being so curious and be more like his brothers. But from the beginning, he had this amazing curiosity; for learning, for girls, for experimenting, for exploring, etc. He never stops himself from doing what he desires, but his thoughts are always against him. Telling him he shouldn't do that, because if he does he will be considered evil or cursed, he focuses more on what the rest would think of him and how his society desires him to be like.

Link
This image represents self-confidence, something that
Equality 7-2521 has acquired over the past few chapters. He
has begun believing in himself, and in change. 

Finally, when he discovers that he has a gift, he stops worrying about what the rest would think and decides to share his knowledge. As he is seen as an overachiever, something horrible in his society, he starts to learn more about himself. Meaning, he's starting to approve of his own extra knowledge and immense curiosity. This makes him realize that he is not like his brothers, and he finally accepts that he is different. "Our body was not like the bodies of our brothers, for our limbs were straight and thin and hard and strong. And we thought that we could trust this being who looked upon us from the stream, and that we had nothing to fear with this being" (Part 8) This passage is important because it shows how he is now confident with who he is, confident with being different. His society prevents individuals from growing, but Equality 7-2521 is beginning to expand as a person.