Anthem Book Review

Ayn Rand's Anthem is a story of hope and perfection. The novel upset me at first, but began to brighten as it continued on.

The characters in Anthem live in what they view as a perfect world. There is no I, only WE. All the people are living for their brothers and sisters, not for themselves. Everyone is supposed to be happy and appreciate what they have. They believe there is no happiness except in pleasing their brothers.

Every character in Anthem is assigned a job by the Council of Vocations. When assigned their job, the characters have to go live in the house of that vocation. None of the characters get a say in what their job is to be. They are supposed to be happy with whatever is assigned to them.

Eating, sleeping, and even resting are only at designated times. Each morning, when a bell rings, all the people are to get up, get dressed, and eat breakfast in a matter of thirty minutes. The characters work in five hour increments, and at the end of each five hours they get a meal. The people are allotted thirty minutes for lunch and one hour for dinner. At the end of each day the people are allowed to go to bed until the bell rings the next morning.

There is no love in the world Ayn Rand created. Although all brothers are supposed to love each other, they cannot love one more than the other. All people are supposed to be equal, and if someone is loved more than another the rules have been broken. Men and Women are not supposed to fall in love either. They are not even supposed to look at each other except at certain times each year.

Anthem is a very good book. I would recommend Anthem to any reader. The book made me wander about what a perfect world could really be like, and about the true importance of the word "I".