Individuality and the Role of Names in Anthem

Names have been used since the beginning of time to define our world and the
things inside of it. Names serve to label a person, often with the owner of a name
giving the name meaning. Names like Hitler and Castro will forever be remembered
for the horrors and eccentricities that came with them. They provide ownership and
give a person a sense of self. I am Bob, this is Bobs pencil, thereby mine. In the
novel Anthem, Ayn Rand uses the names of her characters to establish irony and to
further stress the wrongness that the society of We represents.
Everything about Anthems society expresses the idea of We, including the
names. Names such as Union, International, and Fraternity make the society closer
by constantly reminding it of its core value, We. The individuals themselves give
new meaning to the names, however, making these reminders of collectivism
attacks on its own institution. Union 5-3992, they of the half-brain (pg 29, M), is
described as a sickly lad (pg 29, M). Unity, the guiding principle of the society of
We, is sick and weak, while those that rebel against the councils are viewed in a
far rosier sight. International 4-8818, Equality 7-2521s friend, is a tall, strong
youth and their eyes are like fireflies (pg 29, B), a stark contrast to Union 5-3992.
Sometimes they are stricken with convulsions, when their mouth froths and their
eyes turn white (pg 29, B). Two others that Equality 7-2521 mentions, Fraternity 25503 and Solidarity 9-6347, also display problems as Union 5-3992 does. Fraternity
2-5503 [cries] suddenly, without reason, and their body shakes with sobs they
cannot explain (pg 47, M). Solidarity 9-6347 is a bright youth, without fear in the
day; but they scream in their sleep Help us! Help us! Help us!...but the Doctors
cannot cure Solidarity 9-6347 (pg 47, M). Each character with a name pertaining to
unity, other than the council members, has an inhibition, that either being sickness

(Union), sorrow (Fraternity), or fear (Solidarity). In this way Ayn Rand expresses the
brokenness that stems from collectivism.
Equality 7-2521 has one of the largest roles in the irony found in this
democratic society. After his thirty days in the Palace of Corrective Detention,
Equality 7-2521 escapes and brings his light box to the World Council of Scholars.
There, his invention is rejected, and he flees to save his light box. It was then,
during the rejection of Equalitys box, that Ayn Rand shows how contradictory We
is. Equality, a founding theme of democracy, is heckled, threatened, and belittled by
the smartest men the society of We had to offer, even though democracy is the
philosophy that they are adhering to throughout the book. Collective 0-0009 states
that what is not thought by all men cannot be true (pg 73, T), and the Home
Council states that men are free and the will of all men together is good for all
(pg 46, T). Along the same lines, equality is obviously not a part of that society as
can plainly be seen in the World Council of Scholars reaction to Equality 7-2521s
appearance in their hall (pg 69, B). For further irony, one must look at Equality 72521s childhood. He even says, We are not like our brothers (pg 20, T). Equality
7-2521 was intellectually superior to his brothers, and that was a great sin, to be
born with a head which was too quick (pg 21, M), and it [was] not good to be
different from our brothers, but it [was] evil to be superior to them (pg 21, B). We
attempted to make all men equal by making them no different from one another,
but in the end, that only served to send equality away, literally and metaphorically.
Along with Equality 7-2521s came banishment the other central theme of
democracy. Liberty, in the form of Liberty 5-3000. In an exaggeratedly democratic
society, neither equality nor liberty, the two central themes of democracy, felt that
they were part of that society. Both committed the Transgression of Preference by

loving one another more than their fellow citizens. Both broke laws by speaking to
one another, and by naming one another in their thoughts. In this way, Ayn Rand
displays that equality and liberty could not be part of a collective society such as
the one seen in Anthem.
International 4-8818, Equality 7-2521s friend Street Sweeper, was so named
for his artistic talents as described on the bottom of page 29, they werent liked
because they took pieces of coal and drew pictures pictures which made men
laugh. Drawings are understood by all people, hence the name International. Yet,
instead of being rewarded for his aptitude and sent to the Home of the Artists, he is
sentenced to the Home of Street Sweepers, where his talents could never be used.
Equality 7-2521, the smartest amongst his peers, was sentenced to the Home of
Street Sweepers as well, where his talents could never be recognized. We
attempts to confine and control these two characters by figuratively crushing them
under the thumb of mediocrity in the name of unity and peace. It is significant the
Equality 7-2521 succeeded in breaking the chains of restraint society had placed on
him. Equality 7-2521 had pride, as seen on pages 60-62, when he made the light
box and wondered, Are we proud of this thread of metal, or of our hands which
made it (pg 61, B). The pride he feels for his creation drives him to give it to the
World Council of Scholars and to consequently preserve it from their intended
destruction. It is pride that gave Equality 7-2521 the ability to be an individual, and
it is pride that prevented him from ever being part of the society of We.