Symbolism of Objects in Anthem

Symbolism is a huge factor in Ayn Rands message within Anthem. As Equality 7-2521 goes
along his journey, Rand uses symbolism to convey a larger message within the short novel. As
Equality 7-2521 enlightens himself with new individualistic ideas, Rand includes objects that
express her opinions on collectivist societies and shows her prediction of the future.
The light that Equality 7-2521 creates represents a multitude of things throughout the book.
Light mainly represents the individualism and truth that is lost in Equality 7-2521s society.
During the time that Equality is discovering individualistic qualities about himself, is the same
time that he discovers the light and vows to defend the light with his life. The light represents the
truth that Equality 7-2521 has discovered about the world. If the leaders of Equality 7-2521s
society find the light and kill Equality 7-2521, then all individualistic ideas that Equality has
discovered will be lost like the rest of the Unmentionable Times. The light plays a huge role as
Equality 7-2521s main motivation throughout the story and drives him to seek individualism
and the truth about how the world should be.
The name that Equality 7-2521 picks to call himself, Prometheus, represents that he is the one
that brings a new creation to the people, against leaders wish. In Greek mythology, Prometheus
an original titan, brings fire to the people so they can cook their food, but the gods were very
angered by this and condemned Prometheus to a live of suffering. Rand picks this name to
symbolize that Equality 7-2521 is whole-heartedly committed to his mission. Equality is a
reflection of Prometheus and represents his character qualities entirely. Prometheus brought fire
to the people, while Equality 7-2521 brought light. Both a form of light and could be hugely
beneficiary to their societies. By giving Equality 7-2521 the name Prometheus, she symbolizes
the commitment Equality 7-2521 is making to being an individual no matter the consequences.
Another symbol that Rand includes to represent the commitment Equality 7-2521 has is the
martyr he witnesses. The martyr is very calm and happy when he is burned alive: There was no
pain in their eyes and no knowledge of the agony of their body. There was only joy in them, and
pride, a pride holier than it is fit for human pride to be (Rand 51). The martyr not only greatly
affects Equality 7-2521s thoughts and motivation to discover things, but also symbolizes that
you should have the deep drive to do something if you believe it is the right or true way. Even
though the martyr affects the book significantly it also is a symbol to the people of the world to
have a deep drive to do the right thing, even if there are significant consequences.
The forest represents opportunity in Anthem. Normally in literature, a dark, uncharted forest
represents evil and danger. For example, in multiple Harry Potter series books, Harry will travel
into the woods and end up facing danger such as giant spiders or the main antagonist of the
series, Voldemort. This is the idea that the collectivist society perceives about the Uncharted
Forest in Anthem; however, the forest is a symbol of opportunity that comes from a path not

many travel. In his society Equality 7-2521 is limited in what he can do for himself. His
collectivist society prohibits him from providing for himself, but the forest provides the things he
needs to provide for himself: We stopped when we felt hunger. We saw birds We picked up a
stone and we sent it as an arrow at a bird. It fell before us. We made a fire, we cooked the bird
(Rand 79).He acquires his own food to eat and can build his own fire. He finds a house to live in
for the rest of his life. On the other hand, even if he had not found a house, the forest provided
the supplies he needed to build his own small house. So in this sense, the forest represents an
opportunity that was discovered only when Equality 7-2521 went a different way than his
society.