Study Questions & Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. What is the
significance of nature in
Anthem? Why does Equality
7-
2521 flee
to the forest when he is exiled from society?
2. What is the
significance of the story of the Transgressor of the Unspeakable
Word? What is the role of martyrdom in
Anthem?
3. What is the
setting of
Anthem? Why does Rand not specify the
story's time or location?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. What is the significance of
Rand's use of contrasted pairs in her imagery and her characters?
For Rand, which is preferable, the dark and hard or the light and
soft?
2. What is the role of the Golden
One and International 4-8818 in the novella?
How do they contribute to our understanding of Equality 7-2521 and
the society around him?
3. How does the story of the
life of Christ inform the story of Equality 7-2521?
What role does religion play generally in objectivism?
4. What is Rand's view of women?
Does the Golden One fit Rand's view of the individual who knows
his or her self-worth?
5. What is the effect of the
use of the word “we,” and why is it important that the last chapter
is the only place where the word “I” exists in the novella?
