Rand's Anthem

97 Pages·2000·0.91 MB·English

by  Andrew Bernstein

Rand’s
Anthem
By Andrew Bernstein, Ph.D.
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About the Author Publisher’s Acknowledgments
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Table of Contents
Life and Background of the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Personal Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Education and Early Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Immigration to the United States . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Career Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Rand’s Philosophy: Objectivism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Introduction to the Novel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
A Brief Synopsis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
List of Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Character Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Critical Commentaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Chapter 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Chapter 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Chapter 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27
Chapter 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29
Chapter 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31
Chapter 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33
iv
CliffsNotes Rand’s Anthem
Chapter 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35
Chapter 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37
Chapter 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
Chapter 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43
Chapter 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45
Chapter 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Character Analyses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Equality 7-2521 (Prometheus) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .57
Liberty 5-3000 (Gaea) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
International 4-8818 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61
The Saint of the Pyre . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Critical Essays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64
The Meaning and Importance of “I” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
The Role of Free Will in Anthem . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68
The Regression of a Future Collectivist Society into a Second Dark Age . . . .71
CliffsNotes Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77
CliffsNotes Resource Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84
Table of Contents v
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LIFE AND
BACKGROUND
OF THE AUTHOR
Personal Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Education and Early LIfe . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2
Immigration to the United States . . . . . .2
Career Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3
Rand’s Philosophy: Objectivism . . . . . .3
2
CliffsNotes Rand’s Anthem
Personal Background
Ayn Randwas born Alissa Rosenbaumin 1905 in St. Petersburg,
Russia. Rand was raised in an upper-middle-class, European-oriented
family, in the midst of the mysticism and nationalism of Russia.
Having taught herself to read, Rand, at the age of 8, became captivated
by the heroism in a French-language serial adventure titled The
Mysterious Valley. At the age of 9, Rand decided to become a writer,
inspired especially by Victor Hugo’s novels. Hugo’s writing helped arm
her against the fatalistic view of life that dominated Russia, a country
she later described as “an accidental cesspool of civilization.”
Education and Early Life
In February of 1917, Ayn Rand witnessed the first shots of the
Russian Revolution, and later that year she witnessed the Bolshevik
Revolutionas well. In order to escape the fighting, her family went to
the Crimea, where Rand finished high school. The final Communist
victory brought the confiscation of her father’s pharmacy and periods
of near-starvation. When introduced to American history in her last
year of high school, Randimmediately took America as her model of
what a nation of free men could be. Her love for the West—especially
America—was fueled by the Viennese operettasand American and
German films, which the Soviets temporarily allowed to be shown.
When Rand and her family returned from the Crimea, she entered
the University of Petrograd to study philosophy and history, graduat-
ing in 1924. She entered the State Institute for Cinema Arts in 1924
to study screenwriting. During this period, Randproduced her first for-
mal writings, essays about Hollywood, published in 1999 by The Ayn
Rand Institute Press as Russian Writings on Hollywood.
Immigration to the United States
In late 1925, Ayn Randobtained permission to leave the Soviet
Union to visit relatives in the United States, on the pretext of learning
the American film business. After six months with relatives in Chicago,
she moved to Hollywoodto pursue a career as a screenwriter. On her
second day there, she had a chance meeting with her favorite American
director, Cecil B. DeMille, who took her to the set of his epic film The
King of Kingsand gave her a job, first as an extra, then as a script reader.
Life and Background of the Author 3
During the next week at the studio, she met an actor, Frank O’Connor,
whom she married in 1929; they were married until his death 50 years
later.
Career Highlights
After struggling for several years at various non-writing jobs, includ-
ing one in the wardrobe department at the RKO film studio, Rand sold
her first screenplay, Red Pawn, to Universal Studios in 1932. Rand saw
her first stage play, Night of January 16th, produced in Hollywood in
1934 and then on Broadway in 1935. Her first novel, We the Living,
was completed in 1933. The most autobiographical of Rand’s novels,
We the Livingwas rejected as too anti-Communist and wasn’t published
in the United States until 1936. In 1937, Rand devoted a few weeks to
write her novella Anthem, which was soon published in England but
was not published in the United States until 1947, ten years later.
Although positively reviewed, neither We the LivingnorAnthem
garnered high sales. Not until the publication of The Fountainheaddid
Ayn Randachieve fame. Rand began writing The Fountainhead in 1935,
taking seven years to complete the book. In the hero of The
Fountainhead, architect Howard Roark, she presented for the first time
the kind of hero whose depiction was the chief goal of her writing: the
ideal man, man “as he could be and ought to be.” The Fountainhead
was rejected by 12 publishers but finally accepted by Bobbs-Merrill.
Although published in 1943, The Fountainheadmade history by becom-
ing a bestseller two years later, through word-of-mouth, and it gained
for its author lasting recognition as a champion of individualism.
Ayn Rand returned to Hollywood in late 1943 to write the screen-
play for The Fountainhead, but wartime restrictions delayed production
until 1948. Working part-time as a screenwriter for producer Hal Wallis,
Rand wrote such scripts as Love Lettersand You Came Along, and she
began her major novel, Atlas Shrugged, in 1946. In 1951, Rand per-
manently moved back to New York City and devoted herself full-time
to the completion of the novel Atlas Shrugged. Despite extremely neg-
ative reviews, Atlas Shruggedquickly became a bestseller.
Rand’s Philosophy: Objectivism
After the publication of Atlas Shruggedin 1957, Ayn Randrealized
that she would have to identify the philosophy that made her heroes