Anthem

Ayn Rand

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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?

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