The Golden One likewise makes a life-altering decision in the face of alternatives. When she hears that Equality 7-2521 has fled into the Uncharted Forest, she is confronted by a difficult dilemma. If she chooses to pursue Equality 7-2521, she faces excommunication from the only society she has known and probable (from her perspective) death in the untamed wilderness. But if she selects the physical and psychological safety of the culture in which she was raised, then she loses the man she loves. The Golden One’s choice is as bold as International 4-8818’s. She chooses to risk all, including her life, to find Equality 7-2521. In her choice, too, the stakes are high. If she selects the safety of conformity, then Equality 7-2521 is alone, and his attempt to initiate a new society is undercut by his lack of a wife.
Even the society of drones who blindly follow the edicts of the Councils are shown to do so voluntarily. These people are not brainwashed by means of drugs or physical torture; they are not beaten into submission. Rather, they simply conform. They go along with what they are taught. They do not question the councils, even in their own minds. They are not like Equality 7-2521 or the Golden One. They show no independence of spirit. It is true that no open dissent is tolerated by the rulers—and punishment for disobedience is swift and, in some cases, terminal. But none of the followers shows any indication that, like Equality 7-2521, they have nurtured—in private and quietly—a mind of their own. The entire populace of the city stood in the public square and witnessed the execution of the Saint of the Pyre. But so far as we know, none of the others is haunted by the memory nor seeks the meaning of the Unspeakable Word. Certainly, nobody but Equality 7-2521 defies the Council’s commands to pursue personal values. All that the citizens have been taught is that the wisdom of the Councils is complete—so they accept it and obey.
The members of this society, including the adults, are like obedient children who unquestioningly accept what their parents tell them. Equality 7-2521, the Golden One, and International 4-8818 question the Councils in their own minds; the others accept what they are told. In the face of the alternative between independent thinking and blind compliance, different individuals make different choices.
It would be mistaken to morally condemn the masses for their unwillingness to keep alive their own minds and spirits. They are not evil but are cowed by the authoritarianism of the rulers. The Councils that mandate blind obedience are evil. Rather, the intriguing question raised by the heroic characters is how they manage to keep alive their own minds in the face of such oppressive pressure to conform. Ayn Rand’s purpose is not to criticize the crowd, but to glorify the rare individuals who know, against all teaching and social pressure, that their minds are sacred and not to be surrendered to authority.
Such individuals exist in real life, as well. Children who are raised by tyrannical parents rebel against the arbitrary dogma forced on them. Closer to the situation of Anthem are those brave souls who oppose the governments of Nazi or Communist regimes, men and women who are dissidents or even members of an armed resistance. Countries such as Russia, China, and various East European states were or have been Communist for many decades, with entire generations born, raised, and educated under collectivism. Most of the populace of these countries, as depicted in Anthem, accepted and followed the teachings of their leaders. But some chose to be dissidents, risking their lives by speaking out against the regime, seeking greater freedom, and in many cases going to prison or concentration camps for their convictions. Many were executed for their outspoken activities. The extraordinary heroism displayed by Equality 7-2521, International 4-8818, and the Golden One lacks neither historical precedent nor current example.
