Since the beginning of civilization, humans have been searching for contentment. Throughout history, there have been different beliefs as to what the true purpose of life is and which lifestyles bring the most success to individuals. Some believe that the main duty every one is born to fulfill is to contribute to society. Others believe that people must focus on their own personal goals and success before they attempt to work towards the greater good. The advantages and adversities of these opposing theories are commonly analyzed in works of dystopian literature. Although both lifestyles have major differences, a combination of both may be the most effective. The ideas of collectivism and objectivism have been analyzed through the characters and actions of the people who leave Omelas in “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” by Ursula Le Guin, Equality 7-2521in Anthem by Ayn Rand, and Bernard and John in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

Le Guin describes a society in “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas” in which all citizens are truly content with their lives while one child lives in complete and utter misery. The people who cannot bear the reality of this child’s misfortune leave the society. This short story promotes the theory that people must think about the wellbeing of the public before that of an individual. The child is personally unsuccessful, but the pain he deals with allows every one else to be untroubled. Although the citizens are aware of the child’s suffering, they make no collective attempts to alleviate his agony because “they all know that it has to be there” (Le Guin 4). The citizens know that the happiness of the entire community depends on the torment of this one child, so they do not make an effort to jeopardize it. Le Guin exemplifies the belief that individuality should come as an afterthought to the functioning of society. This story shows that in some situations, hurting an individual is necessary to benefit the public, and the wellbeing of an individual cannot be placed above an entire society.

On the other hand, Ayn Rand holds an objectivist outlook on life and exemplifies this through the characters in Anthem. Equality 7-2521 quickly learns that he does not fit in with his selfless “brothers” who are constantly working at the will of the City Council to benefit the society without any regard to their own wishes and desires. Unlike the others, Equality 7-2521 yearns to learn about how the world works and by satisfying this thirst for knowledge, he eventually generates electricity, which is a useful modern invention. Although the society in Anthem rejects this creation, in general, his invention would be praised. Rand depicts that following personal goals can lead to success that benefits the entire society. It is not necessary for citizens to devote their entire lives to the community in order to make a positive difference. Rand shows that blindly following society can lead to wasted potential. Equality 7-2521 was intellectually superior to the other street sweepers. However, if he had failed to recognize his intelligence, he would not have been able to learn so much about science and electricity. He would have spent his entire life believing that he is worth no more than a street sweeper. However, by allowing himself to give into his desire to learn despite society’s disapproval, Equality 7-2521 was able to surpass the expectations that were predetermined for him by the City Council.

Similar to Rand, Aldous Huxley shows the importance of individuality in order to attain personal contentment. In Brave New World, Huxley describes a society in which every one is happy with their lives because they have been conditioned since birth to enjoy the lifestyle and social class that they have been assigned. However, Bernard yearns to feel pain and negative emotions so that he can feel like an individual instead of merely being another tread on the wheel of society. Likewise, John believes that pain and suffering are an essential part of humanity and that attaining happiness without any effort is worthless. Although pain is a negative experience, it is necessary for people to experience it to develop their own identity. Without any strong emotions of torment or affection, the citizens of this society are all literally identical within their class and the only purpose they serve is to make the society more productive. Through this literary work, Huxley describes how a collectivist society strips people of their individual identities, leaving them functioning more like a machine than an actual human with deep thoughts and emotions of their own.

Although there is no singular, wholesome way for all of humanity to truly be happy, many theories have been discussed by dystopian authors to shed some light on the possible outcomes of certain lifestyles. Le Guin discusses that it is often necessary to allow the suffering of an individual for the greater good because an entire society should not be allowed to perish in order to prevent the torment of one person. Ayn Rand exemplifies that people can make essential contributions to their community while following their own personal goals without allowing the society to control every aspect of their lives. Huxley describes that although unpleasant, the negative aspects of our lives are essential to our identity as individuals. Works such as “The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas”, Anthem, and Brave New World serve to inform readers of the societal issues that may occur in the future and caution them to consider the adverse effects of certain lifestyles.