Anthem
Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand
Out of all of the different symbols throughout Anthem, I believe one of the most essential to recognize, and one of the more interesting symbols, is the forest. The forest in the beginning of the novella is seen as a dark place; somewhere one would not want to venture into for any reason. To the people in the society in which Equality and the Golden One live in, the forest is uncharted, frightening, and strictly off limits. To travel into the forest would make one socially shunned. However, when Equality and the Golden One break away from their society and venture into the forest, it represents the future, and the rebirth of society that is to come. The forest gives Equality and the Golden One opportunities that they could never have received living in their old society. They are brought back to the Unmentionable Times, and are able now to start a new society without the strict, authoritarian, limiting characteristics they dealt with in their old society.
"I am. I think. I will."
This quote is my favorite out of the entire story. Equality states this after he discovers the word "I", He has a whole new outlook on life, and is liberated from the society he lives in. He now knows that he is different, because he knows this word and because he may no longer refer to himself as "we". I love this quote because it's short and sweet, and gets to the point. He is - not "we are". He thinks - not "we think"; he now has his own thoughts and mind. And he will continue his life with a new vision of the individual. Also, this is one of the climactic parts of the novella. Equality has finally reached the realization that it is time to emancipate himself and change his life by using this word "I". This is where the reader can ultimately see how the story turns into an attempt to escape society.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. It was a short read, but it kept my attention from the beginning and I actually ended up reading the entire thing in a matter of hours. I think that Rand wrote it perfectly, and got her points across through many different outlets; symbolism (light, forest) , characterization (Equality, Liberty). I think Rand put a bit of a clever, sarcastic touch into the writing by the name of the characters in the story, which included Equality, Liberty, Union International, and Collective to name a few. I also loved the way the book was ended. It actually gave the reader some hope for a future society unlike the one they are living in now. Unlike the other dystopian works we have read, it almost promises the reader that Equality and the Golden One with start a society of their own with the knowledge they have of the Unmentionable Times. The only thing about this book that I didn't really like was how Rand made the personality of The Golden One. I feel like she should have been more rebellious and rowdy, like Equality. It seemed to me like she just kind of followed along, which is completely fine; I just think it would've been more interesting if she had a stronger personality. Overall however, I thought this book was really captivating and I really liked it.
I truly enjoyed reading this book. It was a short read, but it kept my attention from the beginning and I actually ended up reading the entire thing in a matter of hours. I think that Rand wrote it perfectly, and got her points across through many different outlets; symbolism (light, forest) , characterization (Equality, Liberty). I think Rand put a bit of a clever, sarcastic touch into the writing by the name of the characters in the story, which included Equality, Liberty, Union International, and Collective to name a few. I also loved the way the book was ended. It actually gave the reader some hope for a future society unlike the one they are living in now. Unlike the other dystopian works we have read, it almost promises the reader that Equality and the Golden One with start a society of their own with the knowledge they have of the Unmentionable Times. The only thing about this book that I didn't really like was how Rand made the personality of The Golden One. I feel like she should have been more rebellious and rowdy, like Equality. It seemed to me like she just kind of followed along, which is completely fine; I just think it would've been more interesting if she had a stronger personality. Overall however, I thought this book was really captivating and I really liked it.
I thought your choice of analyzing the forest as the major theme was interesting and you had many good points. I agree that the forest ends up playing a huge part in this novel. As you said, the forest normally represents a dangerous place and yet it also represents a place of the wild, where the events that take place are out of control. I always think of the forest as one the few places where one can be free and society can place no restrictions upon that individual. I think in Anthem, the forest represents a place of adventure and escape. The adventure for Equality and the Golden One is that of venturing through an unchartered place in which for the first time they will experience life without order. The forest is their escape to a new life of freedom and individualism.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more with you about the reasons for liking the book. I also, completely agree about the personality of The Golden One, I think that the idea of her being more "rebellious and rowdy" you had was a good point and made me realize, that the character did seem a little under-developed, because it seemed like she liked Equality, but it took Equality a "push" to break away from the society that he was accustomed to; with The Golden One, it seemed like she was just like "I'll follow you anywhere" without really ever questioning her beliefs about the society.
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