Guest Author - Cynthia Phillips
Today is the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama, I could write a piece on that but, I always remember my Mom telling me, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all.” In my case I won’t write it…on with a book review.
It is winter time and I hope you have a few good books to curl up with this season. May I suggest a novella called, Anthem by Ayn Rand. This is an easy read and I read it in a day (so can you, if you have the time). It is only 100 plus pages.
The theme that I found recurring in the story is individualism vs. collectivism. Here is a definition of individualism according to Wikipedia: “the moral stance, political philosophy, or social outlook that stresses independence and self-reliance. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires, while opposing most external interference upon one's choices, whether by society, the state, or any other group or institution.” While, collectivism “is a term used to describe any moral, political, or social outlook, that stresses human interdependence and the importance of a collective, rather than the importance of separate individuals. Collectivists focus on community and society, and seek to give priority to group goals over individual goals.” I hope you keep these definitions in mind while reading this review.
The protagonist, Equality 7-2521, faces a struggle within himself. Will he succumb to the conformists’ status quo or break free from the dreaded “We” society? Equality 7-2521 refers to himself as “we,” “us,” and “our,” which is very interesting in the world of literature. Also, his name is an oxymoron because his character does not reflect him an equal to the others. This novella reminded me of the “Yes, We Can,” slogan that were chanted during the past election. Also, the “We are One” concert for the inaugural celebration was eerily lingering in my mind while reading this book.
Ayn Rand, the founder of Objectivism has said that a collectivist society will lead to totalitarianism. Maybe another ism like socialism will be in our future? In our economy, we already have corporate socialism with all these bailouts. I suppose that we can squeeze out our individual rights, after all it’s “change that we can believe in.” Obama in his speeches pretty much states that we need to change because the world is changing, I wonder what that means to us freedom loving Americans? So, do we have to sacrifice our individuality for the sake of the “common good”—whatever does that mean?
Alright, so I couldn’t help but say not so nice things about Obama, it’s not like I called him a dictator—yet. But, in literature, fiction tends to imitate real life and when analyzing literature you have to use real life examples. And, reading Anthem, will remind you of a society that we could be heading towards—happy reading!
