Anthem Q&A

Prometheus remembers watching a man being burned alive for committing the only crime that is punished by death in their society. Readers learn that the man being burned alive is being punished for uttering the forbidden word, although we do not learn what this word is. The rest of the text seems to indicate that the forbidden word is ‘I.’

In the final moments of the Transgressor’s life, the protagonist believes that the Transgressor looks directly at him. He describes the man as a saint, who was seemingly unaffected by the flames as he had achieved the ultimate realization of self. He believes that the Transgressor entrusts him to be his successor with that final look.

The council of scholars is deeply offended by the Protagonist, who has defied the law by following his path of a scholar instead of abiding by the role of a street sweeper which had been entrusted to him. They are fearful of the new invention that he presents, and vote to destroy the invention as their certain that it could not be approved by all the world councils. The council explains that inventions have been destroyed in the past for similar reasons, and even the useful invention of the candle had taken several decades to be approved.

Gaea, as she is later renamed in the novella, defies society as she chooses to follow the Protagonist into the uncharted forest after his disastrous encounter with the World Council of Scholars. She explains to him that she had seen how he was different from all men, as even in subjugation he held his head high, and he chose to follow his own will rather than that of the society. She feels a deep love for the protagonist and prioritizes the expression of that love rather than continuing to live with society.

Initially, Prometheus himself believes that he is creating the invention for the benefit of the people, and he presents the idea to the council with the belief that it will aid his people. However, he has a deeper realization of the true intent of his work after he has been rejected by the council of scholars. As he walks the forest alone, he realizes that he had created the invention for himself, and for the sake of the idea of the bulb itself. He realizes then that he doesn’t need to live in society, seek their approval, or even look out for their interest since his most important priority ought always to be himself.