42 pages • 1 hour read
Ayn RandAnthem
Fiction | Novella | Adult | Published in 1938A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
Tunnel
Equality 7-2521 and International 4-8818 find an abandoned tunnel while they are working behind the Theatre. The description of the tunnel leads readers to assume it is constructed from concrete—“it felt like stone, but it was not stone”(14)—and it has steel tracks at the bottom, which suggests that it is an old subway tunnel. These details are among the many clues that a more technologically advanced society once existed in the space now occupied by Equality 7-2521’s benighted world. Whatever this prior society was, all knowledge of it has now been either forgotten or repressed.
Given its importance as a setting, the tunnel comes to symbolize multiple concepts, including Equality 7-2521’s personal rebellion, his individualism, and his mind. The tunnel becomes a symbol of Equality 7-2521’s rebellion when he explores it and urges International 4-8818 to keep it secret. This shared secret subsequently becomes a symbol of the friendship between the two characters. As Equality 7-2521 returns to the tunnel to think, research, and write, it becomes a symbol both of his individualism and his mind. The tunnel represents Equality 7-2521’s mind at the beginning of his enlightenment journey, and it is complemented by light. The tunnel is dark when he first enters it, just as his mind is unenlightened. He uses a candle at first, which represents his curiosity, and later uses electric light, further illuminating the dark tunnel—a symbol of his progressing enlightenment.
Light
Light appears as a recurring symbol of various types of knowledge, thus becoming a motif of knowledge in general. It is first introduced as candlelight, which represents Equality 7-2521’s curiosity and his limited access to information. His insecurity that he will not be able to progress his knowledge is symbolized in his conservation of his stolen candles—“It matters only that the light is precious and we should not waste it to write when we need it for that work which is our crime” (4). Light continues as a symbol of knowledge as Equality 7-2521 discovers electric light. However, this electric light represents self-generated or individualistic knowledge, and it serves as a symbolic transition between the limited knowledge he has access to in the World Council and the later freedom to pursue knowledge he experiences in the forest. He narrates, “There was nothing left around us, nothing save night and a thin thread of flame in it, as a crack in the wall of a prison” (31). Light appears again during Equality 7-2521’s first day in the forest. The light is no longer constrained by wires or flames, and it shines on the world. The final appearance of light is contained in Equality 7-2521’s chosen name of Prometheus, the Greek god who stole light and gave it to humans. Again, light is a symbol of knowledge, as Equality 7-2521’s intention is to share his knowledge with the rest of the world.
Uncharted Forest
The Uncharted Forest first appears as a forbidding space: Rumor holds that a few men have entered the forest, but none have returned. After escaping from the World Council of the Scholars, Equality 7-2521 unknowingly flees into the Uncharted Forest—“We knew that men would not follow us, for they never enter the Uncharted Forest” (42). Before Equality 7-2521 runs away to the forest, the Uncharted Forest represents the fear of the unknown. However, when Equality 7-2521 spends time in the forest, he discovers that it is not intimidating. During the day, the forest is bright and beautiful, representing Equality 7-2521’s enlightenment and joy. The joy he feels as a result of his enlightenment is reflected in the personification of the Uncharted Forest: “The forest seemed to welcome us” (44). The Uncharted Forest contributes to the author’s overall advocacy for egoism by suggesting that personal enlightenment, while seemingly intimidating, is beautiful and joyful.
Unspeakable Word
The Unspeakable Word appears briefly in Part 2. Equality 7-2521 notes that the World Council has erased one particular word from the language, which is now referred to as the Unspeakable Word—“which no men may speak nor hear” (25), and which is the only crime punishable by death. The only person Equality 7-2521 knows of who knew the Unspeakable Word was the Saint of the Pyre. The Unspeakable Word symbolizes the connection between Equality 7-2521 and the man who was burned for knowing the word. The Unspeakable Word is revealed in the final word of the story—“Ego.” It becomes a symbol of the philosophy of Objectivism, which relies heavily on the concept of ethical egoism.
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