A Name Means Much More In the book, Anthem, this future society has taught its people that

it is a sin to be an individual. An individual has its own thoughts, ideas and talents. An individual person is different from others and society thought being different was bad. Society had to act as one. People were forced to be like everyone else. They were strip of their right to be themselves. Since people were not individuals they could not say the word I. This was known as the Unspeakable Word. One had to refer to himself as We because he is thought to be a part of his fellow brothers. Society was so strict about everyone acting as one that people did not even have a name of their own. Ayn Rand gave each character in her novella a name with a meaning behind it. A name consisted of two parts; a word and a five digit number. A group of people shared the same name but the numbers identified a specific person (aynrandnovels). The first part of a name rand got from statist slogans (aynrandnovels). The second part of a name Rand got from telephone numbers (aynrandnovels). By these names Ayn Rand is showing that society is doing everything they can to destroy the word I and its meaning. The main character in Anthem is Equality 7-2521. Equality 7-2521 is a man unlike the rest of his brothers. He has superior intelligence. He is different and because of this people say that he is cursed. The author, Ayn Rand, gave Equality 7-2521 an ironic name (sparknotes). Equality 7-2521 does not believe that all men are equal (sparknotes). He believes that each man is his own person with his own gifts and talents (sparknotes). Rand gives him this name to show that society is trying to suppress Equality 7-2521 and make him conform to their ways (sparknotes). His name is just another reminder that he is not like all the other people in society. Equality 7-2521 feels the heavy burden of his name but he refuses to comply with it. His

name changes when he meets a girl named Liberty 5-3000. She calls him the Unconquered. Liberty 5-3000 calls him this because she can see that nothing, not even society, can conquer him. He is unstoppable. His name changes again at the end of the book. He has been studying and reading books and had discovered the Unspeakable Word, I. He realizes that his conscience was right all along. He is an individual. Through the literature that he reads he learns about a man name Prometheus. Prometheus took the light of the gods and brought it to mankind. He suffered the wrath of the gods but he was a great hero to humanity. Equality 7-2521 was so intrigue in Prometheus because he saw himself in him. He decided to change his name to Prometheus because he too brought people into the light. He brought people into the light in two ways. Equality 7-2521 created electricity and he wanted to share it with humanity. He presented it as a gift to the Scholars but it was denied for many reasons. The unspoken truth as to why they denied the gift was solely because they were envious. Equality 7-2521 also brought the people into the light with knowledge. He was the leader of a small rebellion. He was not going to conform to societys standards. He was going to be himself. By demonstrating this society realized that they too are individuals. Equality 7-2521 was a hero to humanity just like Prometheus. Another main character in Anthem is Liberty 5-3000. Author, Ayn Rand, gave Liberty 53000 the perfect name (shmoop). She has a fierce spirit that can not be tamed (shmoop). She does not conform to societys ways (shmoop). She freely expresses herself as an individual (shmoop). Liberty 5-3000 lives in the House of Peasants. She is different from all the other women. The way she holds herself is what makes her beautiful. This is what Equality 7-2521 loved about her. She was different just like him. Equality 7-2521 falls in love with Liberty 53000. To show his affection he gives her a new name, the Golden One. He calls her this because

he can see that she is special. Liberty 5-3000 goes through another name change at the end of the book. Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 are living together happily, isolated from their old society. Equality 7-2521 had read a story about a goddess named Gaea. She was the mother of the earth and of all the gods. Equality 7-2521 named Liberty 5-3000 Gaea because she is the mother of a new kind of gods. She is also the mother of Equalitys unborn son. Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 plan a new future society for their son. A society in which everyone is an individual and everyone would say I. Their family will be the start of a new era. An era in which one was proud to be themself. Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 have gone through many hardships together. Ayn Rand changes their name to symbolize that they are leaving their old life of we behind and starting a new life of I. Together they plan on creating a society that consists of individuals. No longer will people have to act as one. They now have the freedom to be themself. Equality 72521 carved the word ego into a stone in case their society dies their legacy lives on forever.