Anthem By Ayn Rand "Prometheus' Discovery"
...refore, they kept the people ignorant and deprived them of their talents. If they thought they saw someone intelligent or having the potential of figuring out individualism, they would assign them the opposite job. For instance, if someone was capable of being a scholar, they would assign him to the job of street sweeper; this was the case of Equality 7-2521. The society also had strict social restrictions, meaning that they were not allowed to communicate with people that was not in their level. The society also controlled their daily activities with very strict schedules. In this futuristic era, there were no machines because there was no use for it. On the other hand, the people served as the machines. In addition, Equality 7-2521 was always in a constant struggle to see his own individuality and free himself from collectivism. It is thought that in order to be human they have to have emotions and a past. The first sign that demonstrated that he was different from the others was the fact that he kept a journal. It was considered base and evil to think words and write them down on paper for no others to see. In his journal, which is actually the novel Anthem, he articulates his own thoughts and gives them shape and even a history. He then tries to promote himself into the house of Scholars by reinventing the light bulb. Unfortunately, they think that this is evil because he invented it by himself, and anything done individually is bad. The light bulb is also a symbol; it symbolizes that the society is in darkness and ignorance. Also, it is a metaphor for the light of intelligence entering the world and Equality 7-2521 introducing it to them. The light bulb becomes a catalyst for the validation of his intelligence. Moreover, many different situations occurred for him to make his victory of finding his individuality possible. For instance, he fell in love with a women and he named her Golden One. She ignites his emotions, which he nurtures, and she gives him something to look forward to each day. The Golden One gives him something he didn’t know existed, emotions: happiness, pleasure, security, and hope. This created a controversy because in his mind he fel...