Effects of Rand's Political Beliefs on Novels

Society Über Alles
Ayn Rand, one of the most prolific authors of the late 20th century, was best known for her controversial  philosophy of Objectivism and works supporting that belief. In “Man’s Rights,” Rand writes “If one wishes to advocate a free society--that is, capitalism--one must realize that its indispensable foundation is individual rights” (“Man’s Rights” 108). As evidenced, Ayn Rand was an extremely vocal proponent of individual rights, and was openly against collective societies such as Soviet Russia’s. When examining Rand’s fiction, even her most terse work, Anthem, it become clear how profoundly her political convictions shaped her artistic endeavors.

 Ayn Rand’s intense philosophical views stemmed from childhood experiences she had with communist policies in Russia. Rand’s father was a successful businessman, but following the October Revolution and Lenin’s rise to power, they were forced to give up their wealth and flee to Crimea.  However, after graduating high school at 16, Rand’s family moved back to Petrograd where she became one of the first women to enroll at Petrograd State University. There she encountered many of the writers and philosophers who shaped her  beliefs, such as Plato, Aristotle, and Friedrich Nietzsche. She completed her work in 1924, and by this time had chosen the pen name Ayn Rand for herself. The next year, in 1925 Rand was granted a visa to visit American relatives. Her infatuation with New York, combined with her bitter memories towards Lenin’s new government, were the beginning of Rand’s Objectivist philosophy.

In the novel Anthem,  Rand’s idea that collectivized societies are fundamentally flawed is clearly evident. In “Collectivized Ethics,” Rand writes “The discovery of new knowledge is a value to men only when and if they are free to use and enjoy the benefits of the previously known” (“Collectivized Ethics” 97). In Anthem, the potentially life-changing rediscovery of electricity is beaten down by the Council, who claim that “What is not done collectively cannot be good” (“Anthem” 73). This idea that stifling individual knowledge and skill is an overall detriment to society is a recurring theme in the book, and is, non-coincidentally, one of the main principles of Objectivism. In a collectivized society, individuals are not free to explore and discover, and thus are not in control of their own lives.

Another core belief of Rand's and recurring theme in Rand's works is Individual rights: the idea that it is the natural right of men to govern their own lives and not be ruled by another. In Anthem, the antagonist is the collective society that Equality lives in, which governs every aspect of each individual's lives. For example, no one may choose their own profession; despite Equality’s love of science, he is unable to pursue a career in the field, and is instead relegated to the position of street sweeper. This type of system is directly opposed to Rand’s beliefs: In her works, she states “No man can have a right to impose an unchosen obligation, an unrewarded duty or an involuntary solitude on another man” (“Man’s Rights” 113). Contrasted with the process in Anthem, where “...the Council of Vocations came to give us our life Mandates which tell those who reach their fifteenth year what their work is to be for the rest of their days” (“Anthem” 24). Rand uses these contrasts, along with the dystopian setting, to persuade readers that a culture with individualistic morals  is superior to a collective society.

Ayn Rand fervently believed in an individualistic society, and these beliefs strongly impacted her artistic endeavors. Novels such as Anthem, although being hyperbole,  greatly emphasize the drawbacks of a collective society. Connections between her political essays and her literature are clear, making it easy to see how strongly her political views influenced her works.

Works Cited
Rand, Ayn. Anthem. New York: Dutton, 1995. Print.
Rand, Ayn. "Collectivized Ethics." The Virtue of Selfishness, a New Concept of Egoism. New York: New American Library, 1964. 93-99. Print.
Rand, Ayn. "Man's Rights." The Virtue of Selfishness, a New Concept of Egoism. New York: New American Library, 1964. 108-117. Print.