Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

Anthem by Ayn Rand

1 review

librarymouse's review against another edition

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challenging reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Anthem is the weird ancestor to 1984 and The Giver. As the book shifts between parts, the progression of the plot was somewhat easy for me to guess ahead of time.
Prometheus is an interesting and apt name for the narrator to give himself, as is Gaea for him to give to the golden one. When the two escaped into the uncharted forest, I was sure they were going to become the next incarnation of Adam and Eve. The use of names from Greek mythology was an interesting way to use and change that concept. The final parts of the novel have a lot of biblical themes. Prometheus's goal to return to the city and retrieve his friends to bring them to his home/compound and build a new world is reminiscent of Noah's ark. He wants to encourage enlightenment among his former brothers, but is willing to let them continue to suffer if they are not willing to learn. Aside from the syntactic idiosyncrasies and the "I'm not like other guys/girls" nature of the narrator and his love interest, I found the concept of Anthem interesting and the characters scaling between tolerable and likable. The fact that some of those willing to fully bend to the will of plurality and collective identity were also willing to compromise and put themselves at risk to protect the narrator as a preferred friend show that there is quiet dissent among the individuals in the world they live in whether or not there is a way to express it.

Overall, the story is enjoyable, though I don't agree with the political ideology the book seems to promote in terms of rejecting all ideas of collectivism as the erasure of individual identity.
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