Any Rand`s Anthem: Utopia and Dystopia - Research Paper Example

? s School Any Rand`s Anthem: Utopia and Dystopia It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and toput them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil. It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone. We have broken the laws. The laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so. May we be forgiven. (1.1) Quoted above is the opening verse of the Anthem written by Rand, which is a powerful projection of the dystopian ideas portrayed in the novel. Before going into the contextual details of the novel, it is crucial to identify the plot and the main points of the novel, along with the tone in which it is written. After describing the novel briefly, the context of the novel will be highlighted with reference to the author and her living condition, as well as the social and political conditions of the time. Following the description will be an analysis on the novel, identifying those who support or critique the dystopian and the utopian viewpoints projected by Rand, along with the practical examples further clarifying the details. The conclusion will focus on the personal views about the viewpoints presented in the novel. Anthem is a dystopian novel which is also a work of fiction and the novel is written for some time in the future when the world has gone in dark ages again. This era is dominated by collectivism and socialism which is also the main source of the dystopia as portrayed in the novel. In this era, freedom of thought and any kinds of technological advancements are discouraged to occur and punitive action is taken against anyone who dares to take a step forward. Thus, the author has described the perils of a collectivist society where everything is controlled and each action is decided by the one who holds power. There is no such thing as free will or ideals of liberty etc and anyone who challenges the socialist system is doomed and punished, and isn’t acceptable in the society. Such a society portrays a group of individuals who are unaware of their individualism, their true potentials and the word “I” or “ego”, however the hero of the novel Equality 7-2521 in the end escapes the closed society, discovers the word ego and enters into a free world (Mayhew 2005), which is projected by the strong use of words; I am done with the monster of "We," the word of serfdom, of plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame. And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth, this god whom men have sought since men came into being, this god who will grant them joy and peace and pride. (11.19-11.20) Equality 7-2521 is the main character of the novel who hides in a tunnel where he writes and studies, however he realizes the fact that it is a violation of the rights. This is the place where he records his childhood memories. As a child, being a scholar was his dream and aim of life, however, due to his wisdom and high IQ he is often insulted and critiques by the teachers. Though he made a genuine effort to fit into the system but he was different in terms of being tall and being intelligent at the same time. Thus, he was assigned the duty of a street sweeper by the Council of Violations owing much to his wisdom predicated at school. However, he was still excited and glad to take the job as he sought learning even in this job; also he thought he could undo his sins via this job. When he turned ten, he witnessed the execution of the transgressor who has conceived the word I, thus he was aware of the consequences. Equality 7-2521 started working on a scientific project by virtue of his wisdom and soon discovered electricity which inspired him to build a light bulb. He intended on sharing his work with the World Council of Scholars but before he got a chance to do so, he got caught after he was found missing when he got back late from the tunnel. Also, during his time at the tunnel he even met Liberty, “the golden girl” whom he finds charming and interacts with her despite the fact that he knows this can demand punitive action. He even thinks about the Palace of Mating on meeting her where people are sent once a year to have sex. However, when he gets caught and the Home of Council demands an explanation, he refuses to reveal the secret on which he is tortured brutally. However, during the convention he reveals the discovery over which the Council gets upset and demands the enclosure of the light bulb and the death of Equality. Thus, when he finds no other way he escapes to the Uncharted forest where he eventually finds freedom and liberty. He even meets Liberty here, who had followed him to the forest, where otherwise entry was prohibited. Together, the hike through the mountains and eventually finds the abandoned house, where they take over the library. Thus, here they realize the meanings of “I” and thus the principles of individualism are explored again for the humanity to know, and thus the supremacy of ego is once again restored. After having explored the plot, the analysis of the context also becomes important to identify where the inspiration had come from. Any Rand was born in 1905, the period when Duma was formed for the first time and the Bolshevik revolution had begun. Thus, while she was growing up, she had witnessed the Bolshevik revolution when they were fighting for the restoration of the government of the proletariat. During the reign of the Bolsheviks, the family of Rand had lost their entire family business and the entire state had now become struck with poverty. For this reason, Rand abhorred the system where the property of one was taken away to fulfill the needs of many. By the time Joseph Stalin came to power, Rand had escaped to Chicago as she was distressed by the entire system. Here, she had become a screenwriter, and later she got inspired to write several novels, which had similar dystopian themes. Though she didn’t name the theory herself, but her views were objective in nature, as supported ego and individualism and thus, were against the principals of collectivism. She believed that an individual is worth he earns by talent and hard work and not what he contributes to the society. Thus, novella was a result rather a product of her views which she had portrayed through a dystopian aspect (Bernstein 2000). Thus, Anthem which is a refined version of Novella was completely in compliance with her thought and views about the world. The novel depicted the worst nightmare which the world can turn into and funneled her experiences and her opinions into the metaphorical imagery where she depicted how a collective society kills the talents and capabilities of individuals and spreads injustice through the society. She describes how a collective society is an unfair or a closed society where the ones who hold power are the only ones who`re right and they have the sole rights to make decisions whether right or wrong. No one has the right to question them, and in the struggle to follow orders people end up wasting themselves (Rand 2005). It is only when people realize their inner capabilities through individualism is when they achieve virtue and are open to new ideas and perspectives, and this is when they truly learn to live. In the world of literature, some of the authors are known for their utopian writings which imply that they portray the best and the most ideal form of life and the world through their writings. On the other hand, other authors prefer the dystopian way of writing where the portray the worst form of life possible, and Rand`s work was a projection of this prospect. Plato`s republic is the most refined and the most earliest form of Utopia which contradicts the Rand`s work completely though both have been written in completely different time periods. He defines the political system via his work which he finds utopian and the most ideal one. Similarly, Samuel`s History of Rasselas is another work of Utopia, where many other similar ones can be identified. Dystopian is though a more contemporary form of writing however many examples can be traced for this form too. Butler`s Erewhom is one such example where he projects how sick people go though the rash punitive action. Similarly, George Orwell`s ninety four is another example which focuses on the perils of the totalitarian regimes. However, some of the authors even blend in both works to produce another unique literary piece of writing (Rabkin 1983). Also, these forms have taken other new forms as well after combination with other modern concepts, for instance the concept of feminism. The work of Rand when studied in detail is found to portray, predict and describe the behaviors of certain society’s rather political systems, thus she clearly takes sides and supports one political system on the expense of another, i.e. she takes extremes to prove her point, the whole concept behind a dystopian writing. It is only our brothers in the Home of the Artists who are permitted to draw pictures, so International 4-8818 4-8818 were sent to the Home of the Street Sweepers, like ourselves. (1.36) This quote mentioned above specifies that in the particular society mentioned in the novel, whenever an action is taken with one`s own free thinking and free will punitive action is taken. Figuratively, this implies that those who are powerful design rules in such a way that anyone who takes decisions themselves without the consent rather desire of the state are brutally suppressed by those in power. This clearly portrays any society close to socialism and communism, because historically speaking in all states where socialism or communism has been tried to replicated be it USSR, China, Cuba, North Korea etc, the disposal of secret police has been ensures to control human behavior and to take strict action against those who go against government as they are obliged to follow the decisions of the government. We opened our eyes, lying on our stomach on the brick floor of a cell. We looked upon two hands lying far before us on the bricks, and we moved them, and we knew that they were our hands. (6.21) This quote also portrays the brutal behavior and the treatment of humans like animals as the state feels that no one has the right to question them. This contrasts completely with the principals of liberty and equality, i.e. in other words these contrasts with democratic values. When there is democracy in the state, the people choose the mandate and thus they have the right to question the actions of those in power, thus people also have the power. Free media and judiciary are maintained to keep the actions of the government in check, thus it won`t be wrong to assume that Anthem supports democracy and completely abhors communism or any of the closest form of this system. But what is freedom? Freedom from what? There is nothing to take a man's freedom away from him, save other men. To be free, a man must be free of his brothers. That is freedom. That and nothing else. (12.15) This quote defines rather celebrates freedom which is more of a modern and a contemporary concept endorsed in the west, which is also an important part of the constitution of the modern states which support democracy. Thus, it is very clear from the text of the novel that Rand was an advocate of the system of governance in the western states, whereby she refused to follow any set norms or values propagated by the closed society. It can also be assumed that the religious societies where religion is the sole driving factor behind governance would also go against the vision which Rand endorses. The reason being that even in the religious states, people aren’t free to follow their beliefs and values as their actions are driven by religion alone, and the state ensures the disposal of such values by force. At first, man was enslaved by the gods. But he broke their chains. Then he was enslaved by the kings. But he broke their chains. He was enslaved by his birth, by his kin, by his race. But he broke their chains. He declared to all his brothers that a man has rights which neither god nor king nor other men can take away from him, no matter what their number, for his is the right of man, and there is no right on earth above this right. (12.16) This quote is a clear portrayal of the fact that Rand believes that individualism should be the sole driving force behind anything and everything. Every individual should follow his heart, and by the end, it is only what one would have worked for is what they would earn, and this is the only way which is fair. In my view, Anthem is a very strong novel written in an impressive manner which manages to convince the readers of her perspective. I personally agree with her vision and highly regard her values and respect for freedom of individuals, however I feel that she taken an extreme position while proving her point. I completely agree with the brutality and suppressive behaviors which are endorsed by the communism are a curse for the society and should be condemned to the maximum extent possible. However, at the same time I believe that too much individualism would lead towards anarchy in a society, and in her novel Rand had failed to address that. Psychologists are of the view that humans are greedy by nature, and thus if their behavior would go uncontrolled and individualism be maximized there would be chaos and conditions would be worse than communism. On the other hand, I agree with the proposition proposed by her which states that all humans should be free to take decisions for themselves and no one has the right to dictate the behaviors, as long as the rights of others aren’t being harassed, humans should be free to live their lives without any hindrances. References: Mayhew, Robert. Essays on Ayn Rand's Anthem. Lanham, Md: Lexington Books, 2005. Print. Rand, Ayn. For the New Intellectual: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. New York: Random House, 1961. Print. Bernstein, Andrew. Cliffsnotes Rand's Anthem. Foster City, CA: IDG Books Worldwide, 2000. Internet resource Rabkin, Eric S, Martin H. Greenberg, and Joseph D. Olander. No Place Else: Explorations in Utopian and Dystopian Fiction. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1983. Print. Read More