A sceptre is haunting Europe, the spectre of communism," Marx said in the introduction of the powerful and controversial Communist Manifesto. Just as the years after the Industrial Revolution were strongly influenced by increasing power of socialism and communism, so were the characters and society of Anthem by the low-tech totalitarianism. As its great Councilmen brainwash the common "proletariat" with the virtue of universal brotherhood and hatred for individualism, combined with a sense of common progress, their omnipotent power is maintained through suppression of self-thought, and most namely, forbiddance to use the word "I". Coupled with his disgust at the World Council leaders and a lack of necessity for a police force, Prometheus is eventually able to make good his escape and emerge as the beacon of hope for humanity and reminder of struggle for freedom and self identity.
             Many leaderships appeal to the sense of justice and equality, one of fraternal brotherhood, in their society. It is safe to say that in Anthem, the same situation exists. The first thing that will ascend above the rest in striking contrast to the rest of the book is the substitution of the word "I" with "We", making one of many strong elements in the novel attesting to the hatred for individualism and self-image, and the total collectivization many feared throughout modern history. This goes even further when "there is no crime punished by death in this world, save this one crime of speaking the Unspeakable Word." That word is the culmination and flowering of human thought and nature, the word "I". Another example that, perhaps, has equal impact on a reader at first glance is the lack of individualism and uniqueness, markedly that where the people of the greater whole are given names such as "Equality", "Fraternity", and "International", followed by a series of numbers that remind the modern world of serial numbers and concentration camps. This ...