“Their body was straight and thin as a blade of iron. Their eyes were dark and hard and glowing, with no fear in them, no kindness and no guilt. Their hair was golden as the sun; their hair flew in the wind, shining and wild, as if it defied men to restrain it. They threw seeds from their hand as if they deigned to fling a scornful gift, and the earth was a beggar under their feet.”
Through the use of simile, Rand describes in detail how Equality perceives Liberty. When Equality spots Liberty in the fields, he wants to think about only her and her beauty. Rand uses the simile “their hair was golden as the sun,” to emphasize that her hair radiates strength and fearlessness. This can be seen from the description of Liberty’s eyes with “no fear in them, no kindness and no guilt,” with the repetition of the word “no” cementing the fact that she was truly fearless and strong. Rand additionally states “as if it [her hair] defied men to restrain it,” and to Equality, this defiance seems relatable. With this, Rand brings to light that the characteristics of individuality and independence that Liberty shows attract Equality, who he himself has those characteristics. 131
“Yes, we do care. For the first time do we care about our body. For this wire is as a part of our body, as a vein torn from us, glowing with our blood. Are we proud of this thread of metal, or of our hands which made it, or is there a line to divide these two?” page 61 (58)
Rand uses polysyndeton to develop Equality’s character and to emphasize his confusion to a new emotion. After creating light in his box, Equality experiences pride for the first time and starts being self-conscious. The reader knows that the light is very important to him because Rand uses the simile “this wire is as a part of our body, as a vein torn from us, glowing with our blood.” The reader can infer that it is vital, and can visualize this with the help of Rand’s use of imagery. The pride that Equality feels invokes confusion in him since he has never experienced self-worth, and he becomes unsure whether he is proud of the light or of “our hands which made it,” and then wonders if there exists a difference. The use of polysyndeton with “or” emphasizes his confusion, but it also shows that he thinks about his self-worth, which is a good advancement because such ideas are not tolerated by the society he lives in (154)
“And here, over the portals of my fort, I shall cut in stone the word which is to...
