There is one crime punishable by death-the spoken first personal singular. This is apparent by the often confusing dialog("It is a sin for us to write this" "our name is Equality" "Their name is Unity"). The hero, in fact, has seen an execution, and was profoundly moved, as if the condemned man is passing the mantle on to him.
Yes-our hero is a young street sweeper called Equality (there are no conventional names, just Equality, Liberty, Union, etc-not many names, but each has an ending consisting of a series of numbers.

At first, Equality tries playing it by the book-as a student, he tries to do well, but not too well, as not to shame the other students. on graduation, at 16, he honestly tries to accept the lifelong existence of a street sweeper, his assigned job. He attends recreational activities that are approved for those in his station in life,works hard, and feels guilty when his mind aspires to more.

But at the age of twenty, two elements, seemingly not looked for, enter his life;while sweeping along his regular course of streets, he comes upon a grid; with the help of a fellow sweeper, he investigates, and finds an underground, developed area; although he cannot understand much of it, he knows that it was once developed. and therefore must belong to the forbidden times. He begins to work on inventions there, stealing wire, glass, and candles for night work (the two most recent inventions sanctioned by society are candles, and glass for window panes).

The second discovery is an attraction to a young woman, Liberty, who works in a field along his sweeper's route. She is attracted, too, sneaks him water, and converses with him. Although sex is not forbidden, it is restricted to twice a year, with a partner chosen by the leaders. A part of the old ways (male ego) is discovered when Equality asks her age, and finds she is a year too young to have been sent to the mating centers. He is overjoyed, and determines that, somehow, he will prevent her from going. Soon, they have special names for each other-she,The Golden One, he The Unconquered.

But soon, there is trouble. Using his group recreation time in the evening to work on his inventions, he one night fails to return on time. Beaten, he refuses to tell his whereabouts, and is locked in prison. Since there are hardly ever challenges to authority, the jail is under guarded, and he is able to escape. Finishing his first primitive invention, a small light bulb, he brings it to his superiors, who pursue him to a forest which is universally feared.

His fear soon subsides, he learns to hunt his own food, and soon his joy is made complete by the presence of the Golden One, who has followed his tracks. They find a house, obviously built during the forbidden times. The book ends with the Golden One (once more renamed Gaea) pregnant, and Equality-now Prometheus), planning to return and liberate some of his friends.

This book is much shorter than Rand's other novels, and, while it may not hold ones interest for as long,much more to the point. It shows how a collectivist society, with each person working toward the common good.

Rand's philosophy is the opposite; that working for oneself, generating competition, is the way that is most beneficial to the society as a whole; many have said that making money, and greed, are her ultimate ideals; but there are times when the general public seems to want tacky, cheap, products,immoral, unprincipled entertainment; does Rand approve of these pursuits, even if they make more money? In this book, the two young people set out for a forest that means almost certain death; it is a few days until they can contemplate the possibility of survival; even later the possibility of any sort of happiness.

One thing I did find annoying is The Golden One's total subservience to her lover, and fascination with clothes and material things (once she has some). She doesn't join Equality in reading the well-stocked library; when he suggests the new name for her (Gaea) she doesn't even ask to look at other names, but says "that will be my name". A field worker and a street sweeper should have had similar academic educations, one would think, and a woman who survived through a rough trek through a forest should have developed some ideas of her own. Probably some of Rands philosophy concerning the ideal man (most prominent in The Fountainhead,has begun to surface here. (In such relationships, the man is the ideal, but the woman who is worthy of him is also educated and productive). Still, in a novel with little character development, this kind of woman can be annoying-even less interesting than her boundaries require.

The title of this review comes from the author's most ambitious (and last) opus. Atlas Shrugged contains three brilliant men who drop out of society, refusing to use their minds for the public good, and encouraging others to do the same, despite the financial cost. An actress, likewise, has retired, because the only roles she can get are immoral ones. This book displays what would happen if no such people had ever existed, or acted upon their principles.

So, while capitalism is usually the greater good, sometimes the only thing to do is postpone making one's fortune, or making it in the first place. Maybe it's the language barrier; but, contrary to popular opinion, sometimes the most financially lucrative way is not Rand's best.

This short oeuvre is a good introduction; short, to the point-we're even introduced to the flaws we will have to live with


Recommended:
Yes