The book Anthem is about a man, Equality 7-2521, living in a collective
society. A collective society is a group on people that consider themselves as
one. In a collective society there is no such thing as 'I' because there are no
individuals there is only the group. Everybody in that society thinks the same
about everything and only does what is considered right by the head council. You
were only alive to serve your brothers and no brother is better that the next.
Throughout the book Equality 7-2521 is different, his train of thought and views
are way ahead of his time and his fellow brothers.
Equality 7-2521 believes that he is his own person and that he chooses the path
his life will travel. He is the one who decides to go into the forest, he
chooses to go into his secret tunnel, and he chose to show the council his light
"Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the
guiding star and the loadstone, which point the way. They
point to in but one direction. They point to me." Pg. 95
Equality 7-2521 was only taught to think that one was nothing and the group was
everything. He was also taught to believe that the council had the authority to
control what he did, like where he worked. So to think of himself as the head
person of his life, the person who makes the decisions shows his intelligence.
He realized that even if the council or any other person said that he had to go
do something didn't mean that he had to because he had the choice to do it or
Equality 7-2521 thinks that you should treat everyone the same and that you
must earn friendship. To him, his love is an honor and you cannot receive honor
without doing something worth honoring.
"I an neither for nor friend to my brothers, but such as each
of them shall deserve of me. And to earn my love, my
brothers must do more than to have been born. I do not
grant my love without reason...