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Noah Evers
Mrs. Cramer
Comp. 1
26 January, 2018
The Symbolism in Anthem

An anthem is a rousing or uplifting song identified with a particular group, body, or

cause. However, in this book written by Ayn Rand, the only song that plays, is the brushing of

brooms against the street. This book is a beautiful fight against society, with an internal

realization of the importance in self-esteem. Rand uses symbolism such as the names of the

characters, and the invention to fully develop her story and further add a meaning to her

masterpiece.

The society in Rand's book gives jobs to its citizens as soon as they're born. This is not

equal for everyone. The main character and his friends are street sweepers, and this is all they do

for work. It is the lowest class of work and they are disrespected and not given equal rights. This

discrimination is amplified by the fact that the main character's name is Equality 7-2521. The

society is not equal, and Rand uses the name Equality to emphasize that. Another form of

symbolism is the names of the characters comes from the Golden One. This character is the love

interest of Equality and much of the story is based on her. He tries to talk to her but the Elders,

the rulers of this world, do not allow it because he is just a street sweeper. Her real name is

Liberty 5-3000, and this brings attention to how liberating she is to him. They have a nice

relationship, and, in the end, they eventually have a child. She helps him through his tough times

and gives him something to think about when he lives in a world where even thoughts are

policed. This is similar to the love story in the book 1984 written by George Orwell. The world is

a totalitarian society where even thought can be a crime. The main character falls in love and
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rebels against the society by engaging in love. In both stories, the lover is a solace of happiness

whilst surrounded by shadows, literally and metaphorically. In Anthem, Rand emphasizes this

and more examples by the names of the characters.

Also, names aren't the only place that Rand uses symbolism. She uses symbolism in

major parts of the story. The climax of the book comes when Equality and his friends find a hole

outside of the city. They enter the hole in the ground after a long argument about whether it

would be a good idea. Equality convinces them that the Elders do not know about the hole and

that what they might find could be beneficial to them. They find an invention from the

"unmentionable times," or the past (this story takes place in the future and that means their past

is the present), and it happens to be a lightbulb. Light is commonly referenced as knowledge and

as hope in modern literature. In biblical terms, the light is aligned with the goodness of God.

Equality fixed the light and it amazes him because their only source of light comes from fire. He

shows it to the Elders and they are not in favor of what he brings to the table. They sentence him

to death, but he escapes to the woods. This light is the equivalent of knowledge and

independence. The society destroys it and makes independence illegal. This can represent the

resentment to praise intelligence or the power to create and imagine in a society. The

intellegence is an important aspect that Rand uses in her book.

At the end of the book, Equality learns the sacred word that this new Dark Age tries to

cover up. Ego. This is a powerful word and the Elders do not want anyone to know what it

means. The symbolism of this sacred word is knowing that anyone who believes in themselves

can do anything. If someone wanted to take down the Elders, they would need to teach people

that if they band together, they can over-throw governments. Rand uses this because her family

escaped the Bolshevik revolution. She understands how much communism can corrupt people. In
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a community of communism, everyone in the society is on the same level and everyone gets

what everyone else gets. If someone were to get an ego, they might become jealous and try to get

more than someone else. However, in another society, an ego can bring the power of leadership,

the power to build communities and create bonds. That is why ego is the sacred word. It has the

power to create and destroy.

Finally, Rand uses symbolism such as the names of the characters and the invention to

fully develop her story and further add a meaning to her masterpiece. The ties that Rand has to

the communist revolutions are all throughout this book. Her decision to use symbolism in the

way she does, creates an amazing read and represents her years of experience as a writer and a

citizen.