Anthem-Ayn Rand

Anthem is the first novel so far where I have to admit that I held some sort of bias before going into the book. While I haven't read it before, I have some staunch opinions about the book's author, Ayn Rand. For those who are unfamiliar, Ayn Rand is considered a prolific author for her books Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. She is famous for the highly individualistic messaging in her novels and rejects any forms of collectivism, attitudes which were inspired by her growing up in Soviet Russia. The situations she presents in her works have made her a staple reading for modern libertarians and conservatives, two groups whose values oppose mine. Rand was also publicly homophobic, arguing that homosexuals were immoral and shouldn't receive equal employment rights under the law. Suffice to say, we have very different views of the world, and I didn't want to get my opinions down without acknowledging that.

Walking in with knowledge of Rand's political philosophy made this book seem absolutely ham-fisted. The novella takes place at some time in the future in a dystopian society where individuality has been completely eliminated, going as far as to ban the use of the word "I." Children are raised in community houses, assigned a job for life, and die at age 40. Technology has regressed so terribly that the latest invention is candles. The narrator, a street sweeper, begins secretly exploring the natural sciences. When he discovers electricity and shows it to the world, they despise him for going outside of his role and not serving his fellow man as he is supposed to. He flees to the woods and discovers the joys of living for oneself. For me, the storyline completely lacks nuance; its entirely transparent that Rand is taking her aim at political collectivism and, in that way, it lacks creativity. Additionally, compared to the other books I've read, I couldn't really see this political structure play out in real life. It was cartoonishly evil. While some people may be into that, when it comes to writing that is meant to have a greater political meaning, I definitely resonate more with situations/storylines I could actually imagine existing in the real world.

As much as I didn't care for the book, it did lead me to do a little digging into Rand's life and look at her inspiration for the novel. Rand initially conceived the novel when she was still a teenager living in Soviet Russia. She faced desperate conditions there, at times nearly starving. She probably saw the regression of technology and individual freedoms firsthand in Russia, which understandably would have influenced her writing. So while I hate what her ideals have done to influence political activity in the west, I can understand in her situation why those values were so important to her.

Do you guys struggle with entering readings with a bias? Have you ever walked into a novel with certain expectations and were proved wrong? Sound off in the comments!