"I shall choose friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters. And I shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love and respect, but neither command nor obey. And we shall join our hands when we wish, or walk alone when we so desire." Equality 7-2521 states this on page 98 of Ayn Rand's Anthem, to briefly sum up the main theme of the novel. Anthem takes place in a future collectivist society, where everybody is a part a group and stripped from all personal worth and individual existence. They are not allowed there own happiness or own personal interests. However, Equality 7-2521 was different; he found the ability to think for himself and went off in search of what unrightfully had been taken away from him – his independence and individuality. The main theme of Ayn Rand's Anthem is individuality vs. collectivism which is specifically displayed in this powerful quote.
             The characters in Anthem had been deprived of their rights as individuals and had been taught to live for each other, not for themselves; however, Equality 7-2521 gets the opportunity to learn about individualism as he proves by the quote. According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, individualism is "a theory maintaining the political and economic independence of the individual and stressing individual initiative, action, and interests." In the quote, Equality 7-2521 says, "I shall choose friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters. And I shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love and respect, but neither command nor obey." This represents Ayn Rand's theme of individualism by showing that Equality 7-2521 will independently choose his friends that are of some interest to him and that he will take his own initiative in becoming close with them. It shows that he won't pick choose these men as people to work for him or follow his orders, becau
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