Anthem

Upon original submission of 'Anthem' to Macmillan publishing the book was rejected on grounds that 'the author does not understand socialism.' For the harshest of Ayn Rand's critics this might as well be an analysis of all her work. However, for those who revere Rand's work and subscribe to her particular philosophy of objectivism this novel could be set in the present day instead of some unidentified future in which mankind has entered a dark age characterized by irrationality, collectivism, and socialistic thinking. In this dystopian novella we find a world where technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated. The central characters of the story are Equality 7-2521, a free thinking inventor, and his love interest, Liberty 5-3000. Like most dystopian works, 'Anthem' describes a strange and unfathomable world which could never exist. It is in the creation of this extreme world the Rand draws a parable to warn us against what she believed were the perils of socialism.