Stoning people was a tradition practiced by many countries as a way of punishing a citizen for committing a crime. This went on for centuries, until someone finally realized the true horror of this act. Life is full of traditions that people respect only because their ancestors before them did so. However, there comes a time when traditions, even those practiced for thousands of years, no longer benefit society or yourself. All it takes is for someone to realize their immorality. In Ayn Rand's Anthem, the word "I" no longer exists in society. Everyone is referred to as the royal "we", but a young man named Equality 7-2521 begins to question, reluctantly at first, this act. Equality 7-2521 is different from the start and he knows he's special, even if he doesn't want to be. Rand's own life experiences played a major role in her work. She uses her escape from Russian society as a building block for Equality's own journey toward individual freedom. Ayn uses other symbols such as light, the unexplored forest and scrolls, to convey the idea of ​​individualism. Currently, the only light available to citizens of this society is candles. Equality 7-2521 actually creates a light bulb and brings it to people. The Uncharted Forest is a forbidden forest that houses relics from the era before the Great Renaissance. Equality 7-2521 must hide in the forest after his plans for greatness head south. Anthem is told to us from Equality's point of view as he writes about manuscripts he stole. Also after finding an old house in the forest, Equality 7-2521 finds dozens of scrolls which he reads and eventually discovers the words "I". These symbols help to reinforce his hatred of collectivism. At the same time, it stings... middle of paper... the self must come first and everything else will follow. This is exactly the idea she modeled Equality 7-2521 on. Equality 7-2521 "emphasizes the idea that respect for oneself and one's freedom requires a similar respect for the freedom of others" (Cox np), in this way its idea of ​​selfishness is not not exchanged for selfishness which is the inherent need to control others. . Rand wanted a society where the only control is to control yourself. The idea of ​​a collective unit thinking and acting alike disgusted by Ayn and their own past experiences is a good indicator of why this is so. She wrote Anthem to tell her story, in a hyperbolized way, to show people that collectivism harms those in her society. No one except the people at the top can thrive in a collectivist society and that is why Equality 7-2521, much like Rand herself, had to escape and start from scratch..