The Character Equality In Ayn Rand's Anthem

Originality, is the ability to think independently and creatively. In the book anthem the character Equality 7-2521 faces many toils in his collectivistic society. Ever since Equality 7-2521 was born he has been more physically and mentally different than his brothers, but his collectivistic society has taught him that to be different is a sin. He tries to suppress his curiosity and transgressions but to no avail. Equality’s character traits such as individuality, intelligence and, compassion make it difficult for him to live and survive in the dystopian society of anthem.
Equality’s independence is what drives him to think individually. Despite powerful pressure from the Council to conform as group, he does not give up on the values that are …show more content…
Equality’s independence has troubled him since he was a child. He was often punished for fighting with his brothers the other children his age. Things did not get easier when he was in school his intelligence also made him stand out. Equality is very smart and good at science. Through his childhood he committed many transgressions .In Anthem youths are not permitted to desire a profession of their own choosing, one of Equality’s many transgressions is that he yearns to be sent to the Home of the Scholars where he can pursue the science research he loves. He loved learning too this causes him to go against his society and have a preference in a position with the wise Scholars. This is one of the reasons he was assigned to be a street sweeper instead of a scholar, a punishment for his transgressions. Four years he is a street sweeper. Until he discovers an abandoned subway tunnel where conducts his experiments. Though he knows that the Councils do not permit it he does not care. He further realizes that the tunnel is a remnant of the Unmentionable Times. This is where he creates his first invention the Glass Box. The glass box is electric light. This invention is an extraordinary testimony to his own genius and perseverance. He …show more content…
In this quote from the text equality is acknowledging the fact that having an attraction to a women is bad but he does anyway. When Equality meets the Liberty, he no longer wants to deny that he prefers some of his brothers to others. He wants to think about her all the time, and because the urge is so overwhelming, he gives himself to sin. After establishing his liking he takes his first major step down the road toward breaking with society. The Golden One represents Equality 7-2521’s first meaningful encounter with another person. After some time Equality speaks with the Golden One aka Liberty in the field. She has renamed him the Unconquered, although this act of individualization is forbidden, she expresses a willingness to obey him. They start to develop a relationship they communicate together every during work.one day she brings him water to drink and the contact between her hands and his lips spurs up a new feeling of desire in Equality. This confuses him, as he has previously only experienced this through the Palace of Mating. He then asks liberty “how old are you”. He starts to feel a cold in his stomach this unknown feeling is compassion. The sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others is what he feels for liberty; when he believes she will be sent to the place of mating. Later in the book liberty follows Equality after he gets dammed from