Saturday, July 5, 2014

What are some allusions in Anthem?

Another allusion in the novel Anthem is seen with Liberty, the girl Equality finds in the woods upon his escape from the society. He first meets Liberty as she is spreading seeds in a field while he is sweeping a nearby street. Their eyes lock, and they instantly fall in love. Equality takes Liberty with him to set up a new society, and he renames her Gaea. Gaea was a Greek goddess who represented Mother Earth. This shows a direct connection between Liberty's job of planting seeds and Mother Earth. Gaea also created the universe and gave birth to the first humans. It's important to note that Gaea is pregnant early on in this new society. She will be the one to start the new society as the first mother.


The new society Equality and Liberty form is an allusion to a democracy where individual rights are cherished and preserved by the people. 


The entire novel alludes to a time in the past where society is more advanced with cars, electricity, etc.  A Great War is mentioned and The Great Burning is an event where all books and knowledge is destroyed. Although there is no real reference to an actual event, Ayn Rand is trying to make us understand what could happen if we lived in a "collective," communistic society.  

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