Analysis: Introduction & Author’s Preface
Leonard Peikoff, who worked closely with Ayn Rand for
thirty years before her death, is one of the world’s leading Rand
scholars, and his introduction is typical of the writing of most
objectivist scholars. His intense, clipped style and self-assured
tone are characteristic of both Rand herself and those who continue
to propagate her ideas. Unlike many authors, Rand saw herself largely
as a political figure and philosopher, though she believed the ideas
she espoused were universal and eternal. Objectivism, though often spoken
of by its followers as anti-religious, is similar to religion in the
sense that it is an all-encompassing philosophy that views every fact
in the world through a particular lens. Rand embraced this idea wholly,
and her tone and style convey an absolute surety and confidence
in her ideas that set her apart from many other novelists, especially
those in twentieth-century America. Rand does not pose a question
about society; she presents the answer. Peikoff and Rand’s emphasis
on the similarities of the two editions of Anthem underscore
their interest in presenting objectivism and Rand as constant and
unwavering in the face of enormous resistance from the intellectual
community.
Peikoff’s observations about the lack of traditional structure
in Anthem are important to understanding how the
novella works as a whole and what Rand was trying to accomplish
with publication of the work. Though Anthem is
plainly fictional, it is less like a novel and more like a manifesto,
or statement of views. It does not, for example, contain detailed
descriptions of characters or setting, or have easily identifiable
structural components, such as a climax. Rather, it seeks to compel
us to fear what Rand considers the error of embracing collectivism
and to stave off this future by embracing the tenets of objectivism.
