Anthem takes place in a futuristic world in which society functions as one collective whole. “I” does not exist, only “we.” The novel explores themes of freedom, human will, and individuality. You are introduced to the narrator, Equality 7-2521, through this writing style of only using collective pronouns. The book, while quite short, teaches you important values about humanity through the eyes of a person “rediscovering” it.
It’s a very quick read, so if you have a little time, give this book a try. At first, it might be a bit difficult to get used to the way the book is written, but the “we’s” and “our’s” Equality 7-2521 to describe “themself” grew on me after a while. It’s not formatted like most books, with a beginning, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. There’s not some long, drawn-out plotline that Equality follows to reach a goal, but they grow, nonetheless. It’s a dystopian world like no other I’ve seen before. Most dystopian novels have characters lose some facet of their individuality, but Anthem does it in a unique way. Everyone is one entity, and anything that is not approved by all is considered evil. It goes to show how, even though order and agreement is important in a society, too much of it creates a rigid system that stagnates change, for both the better and the worse.