Locky The Bunny: Anthem

Dear Lee Jordan,

Today I finished this little story from Ayn Rand titled «Anthem». I started this book with an ill mind and hate towards the writer. The foreword by the author itself, as well as the introduction from an evident sychophant of this woman did nothing to improve my preonceived ideas about her. I still disagree deeply with her personal philosophy, and still think it's a pile of wobbly shite that would not stand up to any philosophical court's examination. However, the book itself, «Anthem» has a delicious "wording", so to put it. I was amazed at her writing skills, her capacity of "plot" even if her capacity of thinking sinks down the sewers. Perhaps we shall start this with some structure.

Argument: in some far future, mankind serves the collectivity to the point of banning their individualities. Any expression of self, including words that refer to the individual person, are seen as unforgivable sins, and as such they are punished. From this human herd one man dares to explore the difference and think about it. Him, Equality 7-2521, dares to "think evil" and then risks to explore it. The book is about his journey of self discovery.

Caracters: Aside from Equality 7-2521, there is Liberty 5-3000, a female and then a very few others of equally weird names and such short appearances, they are almost "stunts" or "decoration" within the story. Perhaps only Liberty 5-3000 could be considered a secondary caracter, the complement heroine of the story, but her caracter building is so entirely grey and plain she's almost invisible. It's strange she's even in the book, for her dumb, blind obedience would not make her a fit partner for Equality. No other caracter is given the chance to develop enough for evaluation of analysis.

«Anthem», as the word itself tells it, intends to become an ode to individuality, but it fails on several planes. The plot of the begining is rich and almost "cute" to follow for the very kiddy quality the world depicted has to it. The soft and curious personality given to Equality, his life, his experiences and the way he has to tell them gave the book a sweet and lovable taste, that makes you cling to it, just as you cling to the words of a very dear friend, whose simple, human story holds you hostage until the end. However, the wonder is not eternal, and the story crumbles down in several mistakes. All by himself, in three-hour periods, he finds the time to read and discover electricity. He builds "strange things" out his own mind. Things "strange" to him even if he put them together. From street sweeper, he steps up to become an amateur electrical engineer. In two years he surpasses the knowledge of his whole society, concentrating basically on electricity, but not understanding it really. This shows the lack of knowledge in the field from the writer. Uhhh... you don't do that.

There's time linearity breaking, which I appreciate a lot, and the plain stories are seasoned beautifully with little insights to Equality's life and personal history.The beholding of the punishment of the "Saint" is a particularly beautiful and inspiring scene which is weirdly so pro-communism tinted it becomes strange coming from such an imperialist woman.

As you read, yes, the big "we" becomes despiseable, but as Equality 7-2521 pursues individuality, and tries to stablish its superiority contradictory elements raise on its wake. He does not seek for Liberty 5-3000 to seek her own self, but she lets her be an obedient element, tied to a new "we". The "we" of the two of them. Her passivity and mirror like reacting, like a choir tuned to echo the big words of the hero, she vanishes into what slowly becomes the hero's very own society. It becomes contradictory how a pursuer of individuality ties itself to the wish to be recognized by the society it has betrayed. The collectiveness, the uniformity is changed for what I call the worse slavery of society: the craving for its attention. From a serving equal, at the end, with the discovery of its own individuality, the hero of the story, becomes unconsciously their most abject slave, begging for their attention. From one of the herd to an attention whore.

I wonder if Ms. Rand realized the huge mistake she did with this book, with her ending, despite her editing and revision. For me, the «Anthem» failed to become what the author intended it to, but and perhaps in that lies its beauty: regardless of all the objectivity, all the individuality, and the wanted detachment from the society to become a "man owner fo his own", his ode portrays a man, a young man who gives up the "social objectivity", the "all man vision" for the subjectivity of his own vision, his own reasons, and then, at the threshold of it, as the societies of which he reads, and which he do not understand, he bows in his mind and dreams ot returning to the City, victorious in his private quest, but return still, get in contact and become a dot charted in their map. Just as his detachment started in his mind, by the end of the story, if you read carefully, his return starts also in his mind.

It's imperfection is tremenduosly human, and as such, supremely delicious.

I loved it in spite of everything.



Love to All,

Locky The Bunny