Liberty and Equality: New Names

Throughout Anthem, Liberty and Equality don’t have what we would consider to be real names. Towards the end of the book, they take on new names. Equality takes the name Prometheus, while Liberty takes on the name of Gaea. Both of these names are from Greek mythology. But how do these names relate to the characters, and what do they represent? First we will look at the historical significance of Prometheus. This is a name that comes from an old Greek myth.

First let’s take a look at Prometheus’s main myth. He was a titan that was known for being untrustworthy. He gave the gift of fire and the skill of metal working to the humans. He was punished horribly for this. He was chained to a rock where an eagle ate his liver every day.

Then later Hercules killed the eagle and Prometheus was freed. Now let’s compare that myth to Equality’s role in Anthem.

Equality rediscovers lightbulbs and electricity. He brings his incredible invention to man. Yet he is punished and persecuted for it. He is chased into the woods and is forced to flee. Then Liberty comes along and they both are freed from the society that they lived in. They come across a house which acts as a shelter for them. Next let’s talk about Gaea. She had the first children that would become gods. The names of these new deities are Uranus, Ourea, and Pontus. Then her children gave birth to the titans, a new set of deities.

Get quality help now

KarrieWrites

Verified

Proficient in: Individuality

5 (339)

“ KarrieWrites did such a phenomenal job on this assignment! He completed it prior to its deadline and was thorough and informative. ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

And the titans gave birth to the gods. And those gods brought forth even more gods. So Gaea was basically the mother of all of Greek mythology. She gave birth to an entire new era. So how does this compare to Liberty?

At the end of the book Liberty is pregnant with a child. It is explained that the child will be raised as an individual and will be taught to be proud of himself. In the previous society that Liberty and Equality lived in, this was forbidden. Her child will become a new era of thinking and man. Her child will bring about change. Just as Gaea did. This name is fitting for Liberty because SHE is going to get the ball rolling with all this change. So whose name suits them more? At the end of the book Equality reveals his plan to go back into the city of his birth and bring his friends and those who think like back up to his house. He also says he will fortify his house with electricity. But if he gets caught he will be punished. Just like Prometheus was tortured for bringing the knowledge of fire to humans. Also, Equality tried to give electricity to the Council of Scholars but he was rejected and cast aside. But unlike Prometheus, when he was captured he had been able to escape easily. Work Cited Page