Chapter 3, Anthem Summary and Analysis

Anthem was published in England in 1938 and concerns the meaning of the human ego. The novelette imagines a future where men have accepted collectivism and its consequences, returning to savagery and stagnation. They no longer use the word "I" or any singular pronouns; only plural pronouns remain. The story covers the rediscovery of "I" and the excerpt includes the thoughts and words of the man who made the discovery.

The man realizes that it is he who exists, he who thinks and wills. His being needs no explanation or sanction. His happiness is not a means to an end but is its own goal; he is not the means to anyone else's use and owes nothing to his brothers. He chooses friends among men, but not slaves and masters. "We" must not be spoken save by decision and as...