why so much comfusion with figuring out who tells the story.

The narrator of Anthem is Equality 7-251. This character narrates throughout the novel. The only thing that might possibly confuse you initially is the use of the collective "we", and the ensuing use of the word "I", which is the "unspoken word." In order to understand this, you have to realize is that individuality is supressed in this society, people are not seen as autonomous..... it is all about the group, working for the whole, serving the needs of the whole. This is a collectivist society, emulating the regimes put forth by the dictatorial regimes of Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, Communist China.