Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only €10,99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Anthem
    Anthem
    Anthem
    Ebook96 pages1 hour

    Anthem

    By Ayn Rand

    3.5/5

    ()

    Switch to audiobook
    Read preview

    About this ebook

    A dystopian terror for teens and adults

    Ayn Rand's shortest work images a world where education is banned and there is one word punishable by death -- "I." The hero discovers that man's greatest duty is the pursuit of his own happiness and embodies the philosophies explored in Rand's later and longer works, Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.
    This Xist Classics edition has been professionally formatted for e-readers with a linked table of contents. This eBook also contains a bonus book club leadership guide and discussion questions. We hope you’ll share this book with your friends, neighbors and colleagues and can’t wait to hear what you have to say about it.

    Xist Publishing is a digital-first publisher. Xist Publishing creates books for the touchscreen generation and is dedicated to helping everyone develop a lifetime love of reading, no matter what form it takes



    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherXist Publishing
    Release dateMar 10, 2015
    ISBN9781623958015
    Author

    Ayn Rand

    Ayn Rand (San Petersburgo, 1905; Nueva York, 1982) fue una escritora y filósofa nacida en Rusia y nacionalizada estadounidense. Tras publicar sus dos primeras novelas, Los que vivimos (1936) e Himno (1938), el éxito le llegó con El manantial (1943) y La rebelión de Atlas (1957), su obra cumbre. En ellas, Rand desarrolló su filosofía, conocida como Objetivismo, en la que concretiza su original visión del hombre como «un ser heroico, con su propia felicidad como el propósito moral de su vida, con el logro productivo como su actividad más noble, y con la razón como su único absoluto».  Más tarde, establecería los fundamentos teóricos de dicha filosofía en sus libros de no ficción: Introducción a la epistemología objetivista (1979), La virtud del egoísmo (1964), Capitalismo: el ideal desconocido (1966) y El manifiesto romántico (1969). Deusto ha publicado sus obras completas. Su legado continúa siendo enormemente influyente entre conservadores y libertarios, tanto en Estados Unidos como en el resto del mundo, porque choca de frente contra la inercia cultural adquirida, cuestionando el eje «misticismo-altruismo-colectivismo» y sustituyéndolo por una filosofía basada en «razón-egoísmo-capitalismo».

    Read more from Ayn Rand

    Related to Anthem

    Related ebooks

    Science Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Bill Gates On How Humans Misunderstand Progress

      Apr 16, 2018

      The philanthropist emailed with TIME about the new book Factfulness, written by his late friend and trusted adviser Hans Rosling, the Swedish statistician. Rosling, who grew famous from his TED Talks and for his creative presentations of data, died o

      2 min read

    • Article

      Who Cares About Plagiarism?

      Feb 11, 2022

      worksinprogress.co The only people who care about plagiarism are “wussies and pussies”, according to Bob Dylan. That was his response to claims that he had stolen lyrics from other sources, says Stuart Ritchie. And his attitude makes sense given th

      1 min read

    • Article

      The Myth Of Sisyphus

      Aug 10, 2020

      The Myth Of Sisyphus
      10 min read

    • Article

      After Dinner Conversation Magazine – November 2021

      Nov 10, 2021

      This magazine publishes fictional stories that explore ethical and philosophical questions in an informal manner. The purpose of these stories is to generate thoughtful discussion in an open and easily accessible manner. Names, characters, businesses

      1 min read

    • Article

      Five Poems

      Dec 1, 2022

      You have to first Sit in the temple gloom In the mahogany chair & despair. The only glimmer In the temple (being the inlaid bits of The Mother-Of-Pearl shells On the tall, more than humanly tall Chair back, for these These too Are the reputed “Tears

      3 min read

    • Article

      From Israel, Thoughts On Passover In A Pandemic World Order

      Apr 7, 2020

      This year, the Passover Seder may be a smaller affair, but it offers our writer comfort, and a chance to reflect on the world we hope to reenter.

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Classic of Filial Piety (Xiaojing)

      Jan 27, 2020

      Once, when Zhong Ni was unoccupied, and his disciple Zeng was sitting by in attendance on him, the Master said, “The ancient kings had a perfect virtue and all-embracing rule of conduct, through which they were in accord with all under heaven. By the

      8 min read

    • Article

      Joyas Voladoras

      Dec 2, 2019

      Consider the hummingbird for a long moment. A hummingbird’s heart beats 10 times a second. A hummingbird’s heart is the size of a pencil eraser. A hummingbird’s heart is a lot of the hummingbird. Joyas voladoras, flying jewels, the first white explor

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Edge of Bethlehem

      Jul 26, 2021

      The Edge of Bethlehem
      18 min read

    • Article

      Why Babel Matters Today: Fighting Prejudice & Racism

      Nov 27, 2020

      In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan to show what it means to love your neighbour as yourself. In the parable, a man is travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho when thieves attack him and leave him on the road, severely wounde

      2 min read

    • Article

      My Family, My Science: One girl’s scientific coming of age.

      Mar 3, 2016

      There is nothing in the world more perfect than a slide rule. Its burnished aluminum feels cool against your lips, and if you hold it level to the light you can see God’s most perfect right angle in each of its corners. When you tip it sideways, it g

      20 min read

    • Article

      On The

      Aug 1, 2021

      On The
      4 min read

    • Article

      Poetic Licence

      Nov 21, 2020

      THESE human bodies will never seize to fail us. Their fragility can not be stressed enough. Mosquitoes kill more of us than we see them. We are waging too many wars against mother nature. We can never forget the inevitable death, but it will always b

      2 min read

    • Article

      Four Poems

      May 1, 2022

      —after Gerrit van Honthorst’s “Samson and Delilah,” c. 1621 They’ve made a monster of me, marring my namefor eternity. I’m not Delilah,but Laila. I loved him. Each night, in bed, after our bodies became one body, he would succumb to sleep, resting hi

      3 min read

    • Article

      Family

      Jan 27, 2020

      “A father would do well, as his son grows up, and is capable of it, to talk familiarly with him; nay, ask his advice, and consult with him about those things wherein he has any knowledge or understanding. By this, the father will gain two things, bot

      3 min read

    • Article

      Ilse Kleyn Prophetic Artist

      Jun 24, 2019

      Ilse Kleyn Prophetic Artist
      7 min read

    • Article

      Shelf Life

      Sep 2, 2021

      Shelf Life
      4 min read

    • Article

      Adieu

      Sep 1, 2021

      Adieu
      3 min read

    • Article

      Gene Simmons

      Apr 1, 2022

      EVERYBODY KNOWS GENE Simmons. Or at least, they think they know Gene Simmons. Kiss co-founder, blood-dribbler, tongue-waggler and possessor of one of rock’s biggest egos. But long before he became The Demon, he was Chaim Witz, a kid born in Israel an

      5 min read

    • Article

      Life Is Life

      May 3, 2024

      Life Is Life
      4 min read

    • Article

      River Crossing

      Dec 1, 2020

      My wife, my daughter, and I live on the bluff overlooking the river. The river is wide, and it is swarming with crocodiles and hippos. Courtesy of our unique ecosystem, they have developed a taste for each other’s flesh, and some days the banks are t

      29 min read

    • Article

      Seas The Day

      Mar 4, 2020

      Seas The Day
      8 min read

    • Article

      An Interview With Franz Welser-Möst

      Aug 6, 2020

      Why pair recent commissions with classic repertoire? Cleveland actually plays more contemporary music than a lot of other orchestras and we wanted to give a glimpse of what we do throughout the season. These are pieces we really believe in and which

      1 min read

    • Article

      Dream Big, Pray Big!

      May 27, 2020

      Dream Big, Pray Big!
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Anthem

    3.5/5

    2,549 ratings109 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Originally reviewed on A Reader of Fictions.

      Actually, I have already read Anthem, ages ago, when I was in my sophomore year of high school, so long, apparently, that the yellow of my highlighting is scarcely discernible. At the time, I loathed it, as I did much of my required reading. Now that I'm older and better educated, I have a much better understanding of what Ayn Rand was up to. Though heavy-handed, there is a lot that is interesting in Ayn Rand's brief philosophical work.

      Readers unfamiliar with Ayn Rand should know some things before they launch into Anthem. One thing that would be helpful to know is that she's crazy. Her ideas are incredibly radical. She believes in the power of the individual and has loathing for anything that compels a person to do anything. As such, she very much does not approve of collectivism, and that is what she is challenging in Anthem. Though written in story format, Anthem is a thinly veiled philosophical and political tract. This was just a way for her to tell you her opinions, which she will do via her character.

      The dystopian society depicted in Anthem is a fascinating one, and I really wish that she had done justice to it. This story would have benefited greatly from more pages and less of the dreaded opinion hammer. In the world of Anthem, men live in the collective, raised to be entirely equal. They go from the Home of the Infants to the Home of the Students to the Home of their designated employment to the Home of the Useless. This is the life of all men. There is no individual, only the collective.

      To accomplish this sense of the group, the story is told in first person plural, a very unusual storytelling method, also seen earlier in Dystopian August in What's Left of Me. In essence, this means that the main character, Equality 7-2521 refers to himself as we, because there is only the we. All his life, Equality 7-2521 has not fit in properly, because he is too clever, too curious, too tall and too aware of his superiority. As such, he is forced into a menial profession. His desire for learning cannot be quenched, though, and he finds ways to sneak around and gather knowledge, quickly surpassing the Scholars of his community.

      Along the way, he becomes attracted to a woman, something entirely forbidden. He even has the audacity to speak with her and to call her by an individual name (The Golden One). Through all of his rebellion, however, his ultimate goal is to gain acceptance from his community. He wants to show them what he has discovered and to improve their lives. He just wants to be one of them, and, if not admired himself, have his invention admired.

      As I said, this could be a powerful tale about the importance of language and individualism. Rand could have made her point more strongly had she shown the reader the truth of it, rather than telling us, from her lordly perch, what we should believe, a rather ironic issue. Her tale about the importance of learning for oneself and not being told what to do is trying to set the reader's opinions.

      The other aspect I find rather upsetting is the role of the female character, Liberty 5-3000. She too sees something wrong in the society, as evidenced by her fearless, sharp eyes. However, the reader does not get to learn anything about her besides that and her attraction to Equality 7-2521. While he is inventing things, she continues to do her work. He thinks of her as The Golden One (which refers to her lovely appearance), while she thinks of him as The Unconquered (which speaks to his powerful spirit and intelligence). Even worse, when they learn about people having names just for themselves, he gives himself a name he finds fitting...and then he chooses one for her. Let her pick her own goddamn name. The patriarchal attitude inherent in this made me so incredibly angry, especially when coming from a powerful woman.

      For anyone interested in reading dystopias, Anthem is certainly worth perusing, especially since it's so brief. Were Ayn Rand still alive, I bet she would have some choice things to say about No Child Left Behind; imagining this really amuses me.
    • 4/5
      I read this book on the serial reader app. It is the first Ayn Rand book I have read and I really enjoyed it. I read it during my breaks during work and it was very hard to put down when it was time to go back to work. I felt the story was very original and I was excited to see what would happen to Equality 7-2521. His society was very disturbing although I did find the ending to be equally disturbing. The use of the plural pronouns made the story that much more intriguing to me.
    • 4/5
      This is my first foray into Ayn Rand, not really knowing much about her philosophy except its focus on individualism vs collectivism. This is a dystopian novella, originally written in 1937, today's reader may find the story/plot cliched but one must remember those cliches came from these early writers of dystopia. It's a well-written story of a man finding himself rebelling against the post-apocalyptic world he's only known. He's being force-fed happiness and seeing through it. It ends happily enough for him and a mate he meets of like-mindedness who escape. However, unlike dystopian books written today Rand had a purpose and agenda for writing her story. the last two chapters summarise what was wrong with this society they lived in (utter hard-core socialism) then continues with how the main character will build a better future (based on Rand's philosophy). I find her "individualism" to be similar to today's "libertarianism" and frankly disagree with those philosophies since they make man his own God. However, her observations on socialism and what have come to be predictions speak volumes on our world today where the "We" use "groupthink" to merge socialist idea into realities in our present sorry society. I'm rratherinterested in reading more Rand, not that I agree with her individualistic, capitalist ideologies but I find her warnings of socialism prophetic and wonder whether I'll find her other observations of living through such an era enlightening to me as I continue the fight against such regimes.
    • 4/5
      A true dystopian novel in the spirit of 1984 and Brave New World. Anthem takes a harsh view of collectivism and ends by glorifying the individual. This being the first thing by Ayn Rand I've read, I was impressed by her writing, but a little jarred by the swinging being two extremes (collectivism and individualism in this case). Certainly a book worth discussion and thought.
    • 4/5
      A thoughtful bleak look at a degraded society and the discovery of freedom. It reminds me of Farenheit 451 and 1989 but in a way that is entirely different and mesmerizing.
    • 5/5
      This is again yet another GREAT book by Ayn Rand. It's much shorter than her other books (Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged) but still very interesting.
    • 3/5
      A parable depicting Rand's concept of individualism, otherwise known as Objectivism. Not the most riveting piece of literature.
    • 3/5
      This is on of Ayn Rand's shorter works that encapsulates her ideas about objectivism. I read both The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged in high school and found them troublingly off-putting. Anthem was no different in that respect. While I sympathize with Rand's emphasis on the importance of individuality, I have trouble with the idea that differences between human beings can and should be used as justification for unequal treatment. Condemning people to street sweeping because they are "less good" in some way than other human beings is no better than condemning people to street sweeping because they do not fit with the dominant culture's idea of "good" people, which is one of the great evils put forth by this novella. I don't think that individual differentiation should be erased by any means, but neither do I think that constructing a social system based on some perception of inherent goodness is an act of justice. Inherent goodness is a relative concept that changes with context and according to the views of the dominant majority. I think there is a middle road to be had here, one that respects individuality and skills without using that respect as an excuse for allowing the suffering of groups deemed less valuable in some way.

      I understand Rand's background coming out of the communist Soviet Union, but I don't think that socialism is the social ill that she paints it as in her works. Socialized medicine seems a very good idea to me, for instance. There is no reason that anyone in this country should not be getting the medical care that they need.
    • 4/5
      Bureaucrat or bungling idiot? "We" or "I"? I was rooting for our hero in his quest for happiness...foiled at many turns. Only an idiot would miss the individualist theme of this book.
    • 4/5
      I read this book just a few months ago and at first it wasn't very interesting. It's one of those books you have to keep reading to get into. Towards maybe the second or third chapter, you can't put it down. The story is touching. It tells of a communist society and a boy who's different from everyone else and he knows it. But it's against the law to think you're better than anyone else, even when you absolutely know you are. It's a good story and I recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting story about breaking away from society.
    • 3/5
      A dark portrait of the future. Rand pushes her agenda by showing an extreme case of individualism versus collectivism. Interesting.
    • 3/5
      This was a fairly thin dystopian novel. Not much was said here that you couldn't read in something like "We" or "1984." Rand's tone was fairly didactic, but that isn't surprising given Rand's reputation. Overall, I give it 3 out of 5 stars because I did enjoy it, but I felt that more could have been done with it.
    • 5/5
      My kind of book, utopian societies yum! First off I love the idea that the main character's name ( and everyone else's) is a concept attached to a number. Example, our main character Equality 7-2521. The descriptions of the society are facinating and the book has a happy ending. I really enjoyed the book (wish it was longer though)and would recommend it to anyone for a light read. Really, how long can you go without saying "my" "I" or and with out recognizing most societies' need for individualism, it's quite interesting how this book portrays a society that can. Read it.
    • 4/5
      Summary: Ayn Rand explores her favorite theme in a dystopian society where "I" is not allowed only "we" and "they". Two brave souls escape and figure out the wonder of living on your own terms and the value of "I".
    • 5/5
      One of my friends recently asked me to read one of his favorite books, he said though, if I am going to read it I have to read Anthem first. So I agreed and picked up this pretty short book. I adored it. The writing style of this author is so beautiful, she writes in a way that I feel is lost to the modern novel.

      I loved the content of the book. I think that this book feels like a true dystopian. If you are a fan of dystopian fiction and have not read this book, you are missing out. It is written very stylized and very methodical, as the world in the book is. I enjoyed that most of all. I was awwed by this author and already started 'The Fountainhead".
    • 5/5
      This is a work that has inspired me to live outside the box, to stand for my belief and to live life. This is an excellent work for those who want to believe in something within themselves.
    • 1/5
      I wanted to like this book. It's quite readable but still awful. I think Ayn Rand is a very interesting character. I'm not an objectivist but I still like Ayn, she just can't write fiction, not at all. I don't mind the 2D characters, it's that the story is so unbelievable. There is quite alot of science in this book and it's clear that Ayn has no idea what she's talking about.
    • 3/5
      This is on of Ayn Rand's shorter works that encapsulates her ideas about objectivism. I read both The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged in high school and found them troublingly off-putting. Anthem was no different in that respect. While I sympathize with Rand's emphasis on the importance of individuality, I have trouble with the idea that differences between human beings can and should be used as justification for unequal treatment. Condemning people to street sweeping because they are "less good" in some way than other human beings is no better than condemning people to street sweeping because they do not fit with the dominant culture's idea of "good" people, which is one of the great evils put forth by this novella. I don't think that individual differentiation should be erased by any means, but neither do I think that constructing a social system based on some perception of inherent goodness is an act of justice. Inherent goodness is a relative concept that changes with context and according to the views of the dominant majority. I think there is a middle road to be had here, one that respects individuality and skills without using that respect as an excuse for allowing the suffering of groups deemed less valuable in some way.

      I understand Rand's background coming out of the communist Soviet Union, but I don't think that socialism is the social ill that she paints it as in her works. Socialized medicine seems a very good idea to me, for instance. There is no reason that anyone in this country should not be getting the medical care that they need.
    • 4/5
      First: Some questions that went through my head while reading this.
      1. If we lived in a collective society, how would we experience or ignore certain events that come to pass that would feel abnormal or alien to us?
      2. Would the mind automatically wonder of things forbidden? or would this happen to only a few? (like the main character and what he thinks is his curse).
      3. Is this society possible? could it ever exist? Are we already living in a society where this is happening (in certain ways)?

      To be someone without an identity, a mindless herd. I put myself in the shoes of the main character and threw myself into this word as best I could... and I found it to be terrifying to think of. Thinking of it, I realize that out society has many similarities to the world and characters within the story. Going day to day, doing the same thing, without original thought or identity is something that happens all the time. But the question is... how much does original thought and identity really matter? If looked at on a whole, our existence matter very little once our time has ended. We believe it's important to have our own voice and ideas but in the end it plays a part only DURING our existence in the here and now. If you put religion or spiritual beliefs into the equation then the view will change but without those things there is hardly a reason for doing anything or experiencing anything.

      I do not like feeling this way about life and tend to avoid if fairly successfully. This book brought those questions and thoughts through my mind again. It is just another way of looking at our existence and trying to make meaning of it. This is not to say it is the truth behind our humanity and the meaning of life.... nothing. It should be tread lightly lest you take it's subject matter too closely to your heart and mind.

      The books world is a nightmare. It is the type of society that I have nightmares about. Having no free will, no identity. Where is the reason for life? Everything is a machine, no reason for anything. It touches on many topics that I fear from my own thoughts. It was hard to read only because it brought those fears around again. On the other hand, I put myself into the world and felt the excitement of discovery, of seeing familiar things in a new light. Of appreciating what we have in the world around us and not wanting more then what is usual. All these things I have been reminded of through this book. I highly recommend it but caution those who will take those subjects and brood on them... I know it can be done and it's not easy to handle. Stay away, if you are one of those few.
    • 3/5
      An interesting critique of socialism; probably best not to try and base a neo-conservative agenda on it though.
    • 3/5
      Bland, flat, simplistic, primitive account of dystopian government and the conflict between individual vs. the collective. Read Huxley or Orwell instead.
    • 2/5
      Pulled this out of an old box of books that belongs to DH. While I can appreciate the concept of individualism, this was a little over the top. I'm also not a fan of her atheistic views.
    • 5/5
      This book presents a vision of a future world where collectivism is prized as a societal value. During the cold War our policy makers let Capitalism become the antithesis of Communism but it is possible to make money in a Communist system one thing not present is freedom. Heavy censorship. Making capitalism our core guiding policy resulted in massive waste, chaos, fraud, and inertness of progression. This book reminded me that we need Freedom to be prized once again.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this because I enjoy dystopian fiction. However, I don't read this with Rand's political views in mind. There are many ways to avoid terrible dystopian futures without Rand's ill-conceived philosophy of life. If you can put her politics aside and just read it for the plot, it's worth a read.
    • 2/5
      Everyone's names in the book are numbers becuase they lost all individuality. Equality 7-2521, a boy in the book, the protagonist, is discovering individuality. It's an okay book, it wasn't my favorite though.
    • 3/5
      Occasionally stirring, but apparently if you've read The Fountainhead you've read all of Ayn Rand's books. Not her best book.
    • 3/5
      When I read the first page of Anthem by Ayn Rand, I thought what I was not going to like this book at all. As I kept on reading this novel I simple enjoyed it and it made me think about the future for the human race. In the story the people living in this town don't have names and everyone is treated the same no matter what unless you are the ones that the in the group of Equality. In this group one member Equality 7-2521, he is smart and wants something better for his town since they have been in a different kind of depression. I won't say much more because if I do I may just tell you the whole story. I recommend this book to anyone who is always thinking about what may happen in the future.
    • 2/5
      Anthem is a bit over the top in its portrayal of a communist society, but it's still an entertaining read with a feel-good ending. Ayn Rand is heavy handed about the lack of individualism and the stifling pressure to conform. Luckily, it's a short read and a good dystopian novel.
    • 2/5
      This is Rand at her absolute worst. Same message as always, but presented in the least profound and most dumbed down way possible. Do not read.
    • 5/5
      I think. I am. I will.

      This book is about rediscovering individualism. It's about a future possibly where people are deprived of names, independence, and values. It is a very short but good read.

    Book preview

    Anthem - Ayn Rand

    range.

    PART ONE

    It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil. It is as if we were speaking alone to no ears but our own. And we know well that there is no transgression blacker than to do or think alone. We have broken the laws. The laws say that men may not write unless the Council of Vocations bid them so. May we be forgiven!

    But this is not the only sin upon us. We have committed a greater crime, and for this crime there is no name. What punishment awaits us if it be discovered we know not, for no such crime has come in the memory of men and there are no laws to provide for it.

    It is dark here. The flame of the candle stands still in the air. Nothing moves in this tunnel save our hand on the paper. We are alone here under the earth. It is a fearful word, alone. The laws say that none among men may be alone, ever and at any time, for this is the great transgression and the root of all evil. But we have broken many laws. And now there is nothing here save our one body, and it is strange to see only two legs stretched on the ground, and on the wall before us the shadow of our one head.

    The walls are cracked and water runs upon them in thin threads without sound, black and glistening as blood. We stole the candle from the larder of the Home of the Street Sweepers. We shall be sentenced to ten years in the Palace of Corrective Detention if it be discovered. But this matters not. 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. Nothing matters save the work, our secret, our evil, our precious work. Still, we must also write, for—may the Council have mercy upon us!—we wish to speak for once to no ears but our own.

    Our name is Equality 7-2521, as it is written on the iron bracelet which all men wear on their left wrists with their names upon it. We are twenty-one years old. We are six feet tall, and this is a burden, for there are not many men who are six feet tall. Ever have the Teachers and the Leaders pointed to us and frowned and said:

    There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has grown beyond the bodies of your brothers. But we cannot change our bones nor our body.

    We were born with a curse. It has always driven us to thoughts which are forbidden. It has always given us wishes which men may not wish. We know that we are evil, but there is no will in us and no power to resist it. This is our wonder and our secret fear, that we know and do not resist.

    We strive to be like all our brother men, for all men must be alike. Over the portals of the Palace of the World Council, there are words cut in the marble, which we repeat to ourselves whenever we are tempted:

      "WE ARE ONE IN ALL AND ALL IN ONE.

      THERE ARE NO MEN BUT ONLY THE GREAT WE,

      ONE, INDIVISIBLE AND FOREVER."

    We repeat this to ourselves, but it helps us not.

    These words were cut long ago. There is green mould in the grooves of the letters and yellow streaks on the marble, which come from more years than men could count. And these words are the truth, for they are written on the Palace of the World Council, and the World Council is the body of all truth. Thus has it been ever since the Great Rebirth, and farther back than that no memory can reach.

    But we must never speak of the times before the Great Rebirth, else we are sentenced to three years in the Palace of Corrective Detention. It is only the Old Ones who whisper about it in the evenings, in the Home of the Useless. They whisper many strange things, of the towers which rose to the sky, in those Unmentionable Times, and of the wagons which moved without horses, and of the lights which burned without flame. But those times were evil. And those times passed away, when men saw the Great Truth which is this: that all men are one and that there is no will save the will of all men together.

    All men are good and wise. It is only we, Equality 7-2521, we alone who were born with a curse. For we are not like our brothers. And as we look back upon our life, we see that it has ever been thus and that it has brought us step by step to our last, supreme transgression, our crime of crimes hidden here under the ground.

    We remember the Home of the Infants where we lived till we were five years old, together with all the children of the City who had been born in the same year. The sleeping halls there were white and clean and bare of all things save one hundred beds. We were just like all our brothers then, save for the one transgression: we fought with our brothers. There are few offenses blacker than to fight with our brothers, at any age and for any cause whatsoever. The Council of the Home told us so, and of all the children of that year, we were locked in the cellar most often.

    When we were five years old, we were sent to the Home of the Students, where there are ten wards, for our ten years of learning. Men must learn till they reach their fifteenth year. Then they go to work. In the Home of the Students we arose when the big bell rang in the tower and we went to our beds when it rang again. Before we removed our garments, we stood in the great sleeping hall, and we raised our right arms, and we said all together with the three Teachers at the head:

    We are nothing. Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are we allowed our lives. We exist through, by and for our brothers who are the State. Amen.

    Then we slept. The sleeping halls were white and clean and bare of all things save one hundred beds.

    We, Equality 7-2521, were not happy in those years in the Home of the Students. It was not that the learning was too hard for us. It was that the learning was too easy. This is a great sin, to be born with a head which is too quick. It is not good to be different from our brothers, but it is evil to be superior to them. The Teachers told us so, and they frowned when they looked upon us.

    So we fought against

    Enjoying the preview?
    Page 1 of 1