Short Analysis of Rand's Novel Anthem Quotes

A look at the use of archetypes in Ayn Rand's "Anthem"

"Anthem" QUOTATION COMMENTARY

(p. 18) "The walls are cracked and water Water represents the mystery of creation, the runs upon them in thin threads without cycle of death, and rebirth. The color black sound, black and glistening as blood." is a color of mystery and the unknown. The Home of the Street Sweepers is a mystery to Equality. He doesn't understand why things happen. The water and the color black symbolize his felling towards this home.

(p. 18) "It matters only that the light is As a source of light, the candle represents precious and we should not waste it to creative energy and spiritual enlightenment. write when we need it for that work Equality's life is, indeed, precious. His which is our crime." courage to write a journal took more power than anyone one at that time had. Equality was a source of light or knowledge for the world. His creative energy gave him the power.

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(p. 20) "The sleeping halls were white This exact quote is mentioned three times in and clean and bare of all things save the book, on page 20, 21, and 28. The color one hundred beds." white represents the purity and cleanliness of the room. On page 90, the author states, "We found the sleeping hall and we stood in awe upon its threshold. For it was a small room and there were only two beds in it." When Liberty and Equality find this house in the forest, it is an amazing discovery.

When Ayn Rand states this exact quote three times, she is expressing that we need to realize the incredible amount of sharing that these men did. Sharing a room with one hundred other men is a difficult task, but when they find a room with only two beds, they are shocked. The room is also very dirty and dusty, unlike his old sleeping hall.

(p. 21) "We looked upon Union 5-3992, Pale can be interpreted as white. White means who were a pale boy with only half a bran, purity and innocence. Union was innocent. and we tried to say and do as they did..." Union was not as smart as all the other boys. He kept to himself and didn't talk much.

(p. 23) "We think that there are Water represents the mystery of creation, mysteries in the sky and under the the cycle of death, and rebirth. The water and in the plants which grow." plants are a symbol of the life principal- growth, fertility, creativity, and regeneration. The water is a specific example of Equality's feelings toward life and earth. It is a mystery to him. His growth from adolescence has been a difficult task. It's been hard growing up and not knowing who he is or what his purpose was.

(p. 24) "Scholars must study the earth Rivers embody the transitional phases and learn from the rivers, from the sands, of life and the flowing of time into from the winds, and from the rocks." eternity. The Scholars learn from the river, hence they learn the ways during the flow through time. The Scholars are through the river.

(p.30) "Beyond the ravine there is a The forest represents the unconscious, plain, and beyond the plain there is a mystery, and darkness. No one has ever Uncharted Forest, about which men dared to enter the Unchartered Forest must not think." and live to tell the story. To all, the forest is a mystery. To some, it is unknown. They blocked it out of their mind. They believed that the forest was evil and demonic, thus, they stayed away from it.

(p. 31) "Of a sudden the earth fell in When Equality and International found before us, and we saw an old iron grill this black hole, it was an open door to over a black hole." solve the unknown. The color black represents mystery and the unknown. This hole was like nothing that they had ever seen. It was unknown and it was a mystery.

(p. 32) " But we could not follow, for Once Equality entered the hole, it was very we were losing the puddle of light difficult for him to see because it was so behind us." dark. Light represents the conscious and the known. When Equality was losing the the light behind him, he was entering a new world. A world of the unknown and full of mysteries. Once he began to lose sight of the light, he had to turn around and go back to the light, the world of the known.

(p. 38) "Women work in the fields, and When Equality first lays sight on Liberty, their white tunics in the wind are like the he is breathless. She was like nothing that wings of seagulls beating over the black he has ever seen. She was of pure beauty soil." and innocence. This is demonstrated with with the usage of the word white. White represents innocence and purity.

(p. 42) "And the drops of water falling Water represents the mystery of creation, from their hands, as they raised the water the cycle of death, and rebirth. When to their lips, were like sparks of fire in Equality meets Liberty, she started a new the sun." life for him. It was a rebirth. He found a new reason for life. He found Liberty.

(p. 47) "And beyond the city there lies This forest must be very mysterious. Not a plain, and beyond the plain, black upon only is it referred to as black, which the black sky, there lies the Uncharted represents mystery, it is also a forest, which Forest." represents the unconscious. To everyone, this forest is a mystery to all and it is unknown, hence causing more wonder. The The people believed that whoever dared to enter it was sure to die.

(p. 58) "He blew out the candle. Darkness Darkness represents mystery, the unknown, swallowed us." chaos, and evil. When Equality burned out this candle, he blew out his knowledge of what he knew. The darkness represents this. He was know in a world of chaos and evil. Unable and not knowing how or why anything happens.

(p. 61) "... and they would destroy us Light represents the known. By taking and our light." away Equality's knowledge, he is destroyed and has nothing else to live for. Equality's light is an archetype which which symbolizes his knowledge.

(p. 66) "'The light... The light... The Again we see another reference to light. light...'" Light is a very important prospect of this novelette because the characters in this book had nothing. Their only possession was knowledge, what little they had of it. Without their knowledge, their existence had no purpose. They were just there to be slaves for the council.

(p. 68) "It is dark here in the forest." This is the first time Equality and Liberty have ever been to the forest. It is dark and mysterious. It is unknown to them. This is demonstrated by the usage of the word dark. Once again, we see the author expressing the mysterious forest. She does this to enhance our thoughts and pictures of the forest. When we picture a forest, she doesn't want us to merely see trees, she wants us to see the negative features of the forest, the darkness and isolation.

(p. 71) "Let us bring a new light to Equality is conscious of the evils of the men!" city. He understands that others are not so fortunate. By using "new light," he is showing that he wants open the world's eyes and show them what it has to offer.

(p. 75) "Trees taller than we ever The tree is a symbol of the life principal- seen before stood over us in great growth, fertility, creativity, and silence." regeneration. The usage of tree symbolizes Equality's life with Liberty. After meeting her, he unlocked the door to himself and he became free. He has transformed and become a new man or rebirth.

(p. 79) "... as an arrow at a bird..." A bird symbolizes imagination and because birds are associated with air, they represent spiritual transcendence. When Liberty and Equality escape from the city, they enter a new world, a world they know nothing about. It's become a imaginary place, hence the usage of a bird.

(p. 82) "Their white tunic was torn..." White is a color of purity and innocence. When Liberty was back at the city, she always did what she was told to do, but, of course, she wasn't taught differently. After she left to go to the woods with Equality and never return, she lost her innocence and she became a new woman. This is shown by the usage of "torn, white tunic."

(p. 88) "...crossing a chain of mountains." Mountains are a point of contact between the earth and the sky. Their journey to the mountain top corresponds to the struggle for spiritual elevation and intellectual achievement.

(p. 88) "We climbed paths..." The path is a passageway between the real world and the inner self. Since this symbolic passageway usually requires sacrifice and risk, it often occurs as a mountain path. Liberty's and Equality's quest is coming to an end because they are almost to the end of the path. This journey was actually a search for freedom and knowledge.

(p. 92) "We brought water from the A stream represents the flowing time stream." into eternity. This is used to show that Equality and Liberty loved each other very much and that they would, most likely, be together forever.

(p. 94) "I stand here on the summit of The mountain represents the point of the mountain..." contact between the earth and the sky. Equality has discovered the one most powerful word, I. This is a revelation to him, a new discovery. He can do anything now. He knows the forbidden word. That single, yet powerful, word, "I".

(p. 104) "Through all the darkness..." Darkness symbolizes mystery and the unknown. He realizes that all the struggles that he went through, it was worth it. He was finally free to be himself. He now new who he was and he felt that he could conquer anything, even the world.