Anthem: A Brief Summary

The book Anthem, written by Ayn Rand, is a very strange book, but a real literary masterpiece. It is about a boy, Equality 7-2521, who lives in a society with no freedom, and nobody has any individuality or personality. The word 'I' is forbidden; if you say it, you are burned at the stake after your tongue is cut off. Everyone uses 'we' to describe themselves, because they are taught that they are nothing, and the only thing that matters is the welfare of their brothers. Jobs are distributed by the council,and there are no questions asked; it is impossible to switch jobs. Equality is different than his brothers; he is much more intelligent, much taller and stronger, and has preference. Equality is the smartest of his brothers, but is given the simple job of street sweeper. He soon finds a metal grate, removes it, and crawls down into an old subway tunnel from the 'unmentionable times'. He spends two hours every night in secrecy in his tunnel; if anyone found out that he was missing, he would be punished severely. He discovers the unknown power of electricity, and decides to share it with the world Council of Scholars, who would be there in a couple of months. Until then,the society had used only candles for light, and it took over 100 years for the Council of Scholars to invent it. The day before the Council comes, he is caught, and taken to the Palace of Corrective Detention,where he is lashed. No matter how much they torture him, he does not tell about his tunnel, and soon escapes. He grabs his electric box, and runs to the Council. When he shows them his electricity, they are at first petrified, but then furious, trying to think of the worst possible punishment for Equality. He grabs his box, breaks the window,and escapes, yelling,'You fools, you fools! You thrice damned fools!' He escapes into the Uncharted Forest, and wanders for days. Nobody tries to find him, because they believe that anyone who enters the Forest will die. After a few days of wandering, he finds the Golden One, the woman he loves, and they walk together. After many days, they find a house from the 'Unmentionable Times', where they live. In the house, there are many books, and Equality reads them all. In the books, he finds out what the forbidden word is, and uses the word 'I'. He finally knows what freedom is about, and cherishes it. He also names himself and the Golden One. He named himself after the Greek God Prometheus, and his wife after the maiden Gaea. He then vows to return to the society, and free the prisoners.