The values ​​at risk in Anthem are not simply those of the central luminary; these are the apparent values ​​of an entire civilization – ours. Our society is based on the notion of individual rights; its existence, as Ayn Rand describes it, cannot be conceived on any other basis. Anthem, Rand's dystopian short story, is about us and what will happen if we don't follow Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 in their discovery of the importance of individualism. Rand intends the name Equality to be a misnomer, since we know he is far superior to his peers and later comes to reject the principle his name characterizes. Liberty 5-3000 is a character meant to embody freedom, although it is quite ironic that her society calls her that, since freedom is exactly what her collectivist society destroys. Equality's decision to drop her first name shows her obstacle within a society that worships "We," unwilling to be remembered among the masses. When Equality renames Liberty and himself, he ultimately declares war on collectivism, reclaiming himself as their own—as “Man, not Men” (104). Equality decides that they must choose their own names to distinguish themselves from the rest of the proletariat – just like the names used in the unspeakable era. Equality adopts the name "Prometheus", an imitation of the ancient Greek god who brought light from heaven to man and was punished for his kindness. For The Golden One, the name of Equality prescribed to Liberty from his first meeting, he chooses “Gaea”: “[T]he mother of the earth and of all the gods” (99). Gaea was considered the primordial deity of the earth and the ancestor of life and reproduction: the Mother of All. It is on it that living beings thrived. M...... middle of paper ...... more than "freedom", because "to be free, a man must be free from his brothers" (101). Additionally, by dispensing the name that Equality creates for Liberty upon first seeing her, she shows that they do not need to describe her individual characteristics to establish her overall individuality. Prometheus's vicarious study of the past and present, via the library of books found in the House of Unspeakable Times, guides him in the decision that he will not allow the future of man to escape from the same way as before. Similar to Prometheus the Titan, Rand's Prometheus brings light and knowledge to his people by ultimately writing a hymn to the ego, embracing his identity as a revolutionary of his time and "the god whom men have sought since men were born... “I”” (97). Works Cited Rand, Ayn. Atlas shrugged his shoulders. New York: Penguin Group Inc., 1996. Print.