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.
Literary Devices
Setting and Tone
Both the setting and the tone of Anthem change as the plot advances and as Equality 7-2521 moves through his character arc. The changes in tone and setting take place simultaneously, representing the shift in Equality 7-2521’s perspective as he begins to understand the oppressive system he has been living under. The initial setting, the underground tunnel, is accompanied by a rebellious and perilous tone. It introduces readers to the idea that Equality 7-2521 is rebelling against the World Council and that by doing so he is in danger. The setting then transitions to the larger City, where Equality 7-2521 develops his backstory. Here, the tone feels conforming and desperate, as Equality 7-2521 is ashamed of his nonconformity and futilely wishes that he could fit in with everyone else. The desperate and dangerous tones are carried through to the prison setting in the Palace of Corrective Detention. A prideful tone appears just before he leaves the setting of the prison, as he prides himself on having kept his secrets during the torture he experienced.
The most significant shift in setting and tone occurs in Chapter 8, when Equality 7-2521 spends his first day in the Uncharted Forest. While the forest is first introduced as mysterious and dangerous—“Men never entered the Uncharted Forest, for there is no power to explore it and no path to lead among its ancient trees which stand as guards of fearful secrets” (24). However, when Equality 7-2521 experiences the forest himself, the tone changes to amazement. He narrates, “It has been a day of wonder, this, our first day in the forest” (44). The changing tones reflect Equality 7-2521’s changing outlook as he is allowed to explore his powers of autonomy. The final shift in setting and tone occurs as he and Liberty 5-3000 find the house. At this point, Equality 7-2521 takes on a confident and competent tone. He has found the knowledge he has been seeking, and he feels it his duty to share it with the world.
Simile & Imagery
Similes and imagery appear in conjunction throughout the novel. They are primarily used to develop a clear visual image of the setting and to enhance the tone. In describing the tunnel, for example, Equality 7-2521 says, “The walls are cracked and water runs upon them in thin threads without sound, black and glistening as blood” (4). The line not only creates a detailed sensory depiction of the tunnel, but also evokes a dark and dangerous tone by comparing the water dripping down the walls to blood. Later, observing the weather, Equality 7-2521 says, “The sky is like a black sieve pierced by silver drops that tremble, ready to burst through” (11). This simile generates a clear visual image along with a tone of suspense, suggesting that some pent-up force is about to burst into the open.
The author also uses simile and imagery to portray characters. Remembering his appearance before the Council of Vocations, Equality 7-2521 says, “Their hair was white and their faces were cracked as the clay of a dry river bed” (10). The simile of a dry riverbed suggests not only that the council members are very old but that they are intellectually barren—devoid of human qualities like wisdom, empathy, and imagination. The line “For this wire is as a part of our body, as a vein torn from us, glowing with our blood” (32) uses both imagery and sensory language. It is intended to elicit a disturbing mental image and to help the reader understand how deeply attached Equality 7-2521 is to his discovery of electric light.
Allusion
Several allusions, or references to external occurrences, are incorporated into Anthem. The names Equality 7-2521 selects for himself and Liberty 5-3000 allude to Greek mythology. His discovery of electricity by animating the legs of a frog alludes to the work of Luigi Galvani, an 18th-century Italian scientist who lost his job as a result of state repression. He names himself Prometheus as an allusion the Greek god who gave fire to humanity, thus signaling his plans to enlighten others: “He took the light of the gods and be brought it to men, and he taught men to be gods” (57). The name Gaea—after the Greek goddess of the earth, mother to all life—hints at the maternal role Equality 7-2521 expects Liberty 5-3000 to fill.
Related Titles
By Ayn Rand
