general

Anthem, by Ayn Rand, is a futuristic, political novel supposed to represent the outcome of a world overrun by communism; though quite brief, the book sends a very clear, to-the-point message about the importance of individualism and freedom. Rand, in this novel, drives home her point that communism would corrupt a country to the point of absolute government domination and complete disaster. The situation she presents in Anthem is a society that has spiraled backwards into a life devoid of almost all technology; in fact, candles had only just been invented somewhat prior to the time of the story.
The plot revolves around a man, named Equality 7-2521, who lives in this primitive world, and dares to question in his mind the precepts that his world is run by. Everything is run by the government; from birth; every aspect of an individual's life is predestined and the individual must comply without question. There is no freedom nor sense of individuality; for example, all of the characters in the book refer to themselves as "we" instead of "I," the forbidden word that is lost in history, never to be spoken lest the transgressor be burned at the stake as a martyr. Equality 7-2521 dares to go against all of this regulation, first in his mind and then through his actions. He dares to think, to prefer, to question, and to fall in love. Eventually and through much tribulation, he comes upon the truth and vows to change his world into one worth living.
Though extremely short, this novel is highly slanted against communism, and it doesn't take a highly skilled reader to figure that out. The book also presents a story line with a strong protagonist that the reader can relate to, and the story is presented in a somewhat believable fashion. Though through reading this novel one may not be convinced that communism is utterly evil, it causes questions to arise. Short and sweet, this novel is worth reading, if only for the fact that is short enough to present its profound message in few words. The reader does not necessarily need to agree with the message, but Anthem is a good book that helps present another possible side to the constant dispute between political sides. Finally, Anthem makes one sincerely appreciate freedom, a truth that many people often take for granted.

This book was very short but combined a lot into a mere 12 chapters. By far the most pleasing book I've been forced to read this year in school, "Anthem" is bizarre and futuristic and thought-provoking. The narrator refers to himself as "we" because his society condems individuality. All men must agree with all other men. The only purpose of men is to serve their brothers. Anything not known to all men does not exist. Concern for oneself is evil. No one knows what they look like. And names do not distinguish one person from another. Until Equality discovers long-lost science and is banished to the Uncharted Forest for wondering...and being different...and thinking about the Unspeakable Word. So he and the Golden One (his girlfriend, even though people are not allowed to be attracted to one another; preference is evil and they must love everyone equally)live alone in the woods, discovering old knowledge and forming a new society again in which everyone is I. It's a very, very interesting book and doesn't take a lot of your time. I read it in about an hour and a half. Good stuff.

Having read THE FOUNTAINHEAD and ATLAS SHRUGGED many, many years ago, and having both those books completely change my life, I wanted to see what ANTHEM was all about. One often fears that a great writer has "used up" their energy and creativity in their major opus, and this was my hesitation in coming to this book. But my fears were unfounded, for ANTEHM is just as good as anything else Rand has written. The characters are as deep and complex as they are in her other works, and as usual, she has a powerful message. While I tend to stick with a good page-turner like THE DA VINCI CODE or THE BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, I do occasionally go back to what I term "classical" writers. ANTHEM is one book that Rand fans must read. Shorter and less heavy than FOUNTAINHEAD or ATLAS, this makes for a great summer read.