Egoism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

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Imagine a world where the word “I” is not permitted to be used. That is what it’s like in the book, Anthem. The book is set in a collectivist society. Nobody is allowed independence. For us, thinking outside the box is a good thing, but if you were to do that in this world, there would be punishment, not praise. Everyone is to have the same opinion and knowledge. For them, it is a sin to think outside of what everyone else is thinking.
“In philosophy, egoism is the theory that one’s self is, or should be, the motivation and the goal of one’s own action,” (Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy). This is what characters in the book are against, thinking of only yourself when doing anything. There is word in the book that is not to be spoken. All throughout the book it isn’t stated until the very end. The forbidden word is Ego. “ The term “egoism” derives from “ego,” the Latin term for “I” in English,” …show more content…
That’s the only way he would be allowed to learn and discover things on his own without being punished. He got a different role in their society though, a street sweeper. Equality 7-2521 began learning in secret despite any consequences he would get if discovered. When he discovered the “power of the sky,” he decided to share it with his brothers. They denied him even though it was a great discovery. This is an example of how against the people of Anthem are against egoism.
Equality 7-2521 is different from the collectivist society. The thoughts he had were ones of independence. He longed to create and have his own thoughts, and even though he was not allowed to, he did just that. As the book progresses, the author shows Equality 7-2521 slowly changes his way of thinking and becomes more and more lenient about breaking the rules against individuality. In the end, he finally discovered the forbidden word. It is sacred word mentioned but never actually said throughout the book. The word is
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