Anthem Ayn Rand
Anthem, written by Ayn Rand in 1937, takes place in an ominous future. In a time when society becomes the great “We” and deprives men of their identities, knowledge, and freedom, one man stands alone. Equality 7-2521 had the audacity to go against the rules of the City Council. The story of Equality’s courage is similar to that of the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When God gave Adam and Eve the Garden of Eden he gave them one simple rule: “Thou shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” In both the stories of Adam and Eve and Equality 7-2521, Adam and Equality were both condemned for sinful behaviors. Equality was condemned for seeking knowledge. Only those of the House of Scholars are to seek knowledge and Equality was appointed to the House of Street Sweepers. Adam on the other hand, was condemned for obtaining knowledge, although he did not seek it. The deceitful, cunning serpent used its mastered skill of persuasion on Eve and convinced her to eat an apple from the one tree God forbade Adam and Eve from eating from. Eve then persuaded Adam into eating the apple and all knowledge of good and evil was his. Another similarity between Adam and Equality 7-2521 is the fact they both knew what the price of sinning was before they sinned. Equality knew that seeking knowledge, running off by himself, writing his thoughts down on a paper that no one but himself was to see until he revealed it to the House of Scholars, and loving a woman named Liberty 5-3000 was against the rules but yet he still did it. “We have fought against saying it, but now it is said. We do not care” (54). In this excerpt, Equality is admitting to knowing what he is doing is wrong. Adam also knew what he was doing was wrong. Although Adam never said he did not care for the rules, he still knew eating the apple was the wrong choice to make yet he still chose it. These men were not acting ignorantly when they transgressed.
A third similarity between Adam and
A third similarity between Adam and