Rand's "Anthem" Anthem, a science fiction novel, deals with a future primitive society in which the forbidden word "I", which is punishable, has been replaced by "We". Anthem's theme seems to be about the meaning and glory of man's ego. In this novel, Rand shows that the individualism needed for building a complex technological civilization has been suppressed by collectivism. Rand glorifies man's individual ability to think, and appeals to emotion. The emotion is displayed at various time throughout the story; the encounters of Equality and Liberty, on the occasion regarding the discovery of the light bulb, and during the time the two find the house in which they will live in for the re