Anthem, Rand (chapters 7-12)

Summary
In this section , Equality 7-2521 presents his invention to the scholars and they reject his idea. They want to destroy it because they hadn't come up with it in a group. They threaten him because he has broken all of the laws of society to bring them the light bulb which they condemn. He runs away in order to protect his invention and ends up in a forest . In the forest , Equality 7-2521 discovers what freedom is like. He is not confined to the rules that society had set up for him. He has a choice in everything he does. During his experience with freedom he sees his own reflection for the first time. He also does not care that he is damned from society because he realizes his freedom. The golden one joins him in the forest and he realizes that living in solitude brings him happiness , more than he was when he lived with his "brothers". The golden one brings up the first incident where referring to herself in third person, as everyone in the book does, is not enough to express what she wants to say. Equality 7-2521 soon discovers the word "i". he has not realized it has been missing from his vocabulary until that moment. After his discovery, he believes his purpose was to treasure his thoughts and his will and to be free. He completely disregards the old society and plans to live out the one from the unmentionable times. He decides to raise his son based on this new society and to recruit some of his old friends to live under this new society as well.

Quote
“I am. I think. I will.” (Rand 94)

Reaction
This quote is significant because it is the first time that Equality 7-2521 refers to himself in first person. This causes him to want to build a new society based on fulfilling ones own will.