Ayn Rand: Anthem

[SFG75]

A pithy read at that.

I didn't catch on to the improper use of "we" until later in the book, a good device to "hook" the reader on to her main point about objectivism, at least in my case.:lol: The story could've used more detail and character development, but I think she was sticking with her grunge about collectivism.

 

[Andy.McKinney]

I read this a while ago because I am a big fan of the Canadian rock band Rush and I know that she influenced a lot of their lyrics. It is definitely good at showing how extreme communism limits personal freedom. I haven't read anything else by her yet.

 

[Mr. A]

Her book We The Living deals with communist Russia, and you can see the effect it has on the characters within it. My favorite main female characters of Rands is Kira Argounova, who is in it.

Are you planing to read more of her writing? Like Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, or any of her nonfiction works?

Im a huge fan of her works, myself.

 

[Andy.McKinney]

I may read some more eventually Mr. A although I will probably re-read Anthem first.

 

[Mr. A]

I've been rereading some of her works right now, myself. I just read Atlas Shrugged for the third time, and now I am rereading The Fountainhead.

 

[Kaioti]

Anthem was my introduction to Rand. I found it to be profoundly well done, especially for the time/genre. I recommend it to anyone and everyone, particularly those who are unfamiliar with her work.

 

[Mr. A]

The Fountainhead was my introduction, that was many years ago.

 

[JGL]

The Fountainhead was mine as well. It was Christmas Eve, my freshman year of college. I spent the rest of the evening, and most of the next day reading it straight through. There's something about reading Rand at the right moment in your life. I'm not sure I agree with every tenet, or even most tenets, of Objectivism, but Rand is one of the few writers I know who mastered the ability to empower a person.

 

[SFG75]

The Fountainhead was mine as well. It was Christmas Eve, my freshman year of college. I spent the rest of the evening, and most of the next day reading it straight through. There's something about reading Rand at the right moment in your life. I'm not sure I agree with every tenet, or even most tenets, of Objectivism, but Rand is one of the few writers I know who mastered the ability to empower a person.

The motivational part is what I think "the catch" is with those who are avid fans. It's one thing to align yourself and your actions up to an ideology, it's another to act based on your own self-interest. We all do that to a degree when we decide to go back to school, to get a better job, or compete in a game of pick up basketball or something. She advocates that you set up a higher bar for yourself and that as a result of your actions, your life will drastically improve. Look at her portrayal of James Taggart in Atlas Shrugged. How can anyone read about him and in any way, feel that they want to emulate him? He represents everything that we detest in ourselves and our fellow man. He makes excuses, he views himself and his actions as a result of conditions around him, not as his decisions determining outcomes. Taggart and a few other characters portray collectivists in a very unappealing light, one that gets the goat of liberals on every continent. On a separate note, while I do think she is the equal of Theodore Dreiser and Steinbeck, objectivism lacks well-roundedness.

 

[JGL]

Look at her portrayal of James Taggart in Atlas Shrugged. How can anyone read about him and in any way, feel that they want to emulate him? He represents everything that we detest in ourselves and our fellow man. He makes excuses, he views himself and his actions as a result of conditions around him, not as his decisions determining outcomes. Taggart and a few other characters portray collectivists in a very unappealing light, one that gets the goat of liberals on every continent.

I concur. Taggart is one of the few characters I've ever read I absolutely detest. I'm usually fairly good at seeing every character, regardless of affiliation, through a lens of gray, but Taggart embodies everything I despise in a person. His weakness, and unwillingness to take responsibility for his actions dig into the core of everything I hate about professional victims and the effects they have on others. He really is the absolute extreme in this sense, the piñata Rand uses to flagellate everything she hates about those who embrace Collectivism.

On a separate note, while I do think she is the equal of Theodore Dreiser and Steinbeck, objectivism lacks well-roundedness.

I'm inclined to agree with you here too, though I think Steinbeck was probably a better writer, certainly a better novelist, than both Rand and Dreiser. East of Eden is as fine a novel as I've ever read, and The Grapes of Wrath almost rivals The Great Gatsby in terms of its ability to perfectly capture a time and place. Any kind of political zeitgeist is always hard to pull off, but Stienbeck manages to do it in fashion which doesn't sacrifice prose or literary quality. Major kudos for that one.