Atlas Shrugged

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is a novel set in the United States during a time of strict government control. It contains fictional technologies but seems to be set in the 1960's. It is the story of those who are successful, aka "producers," going on strike due to increasing government control and exploitation of them and their work.

Dagny Taggart is described as a beautiful woman of about thirty with dark brown eyes, brown hair, and a naturally authoritative nature. She is also very intelligent, and is able to run a railroad because of her extensive engineering knowledge. She is motivated by love for her railroad and by her "selfish" desire for success. Dagny doesn't understand those who aren't motivated by a desire for success and this causes her to seem rude towards them. She is also very determined; this determination can be seen on page 54:"She was twelve years old when she told Eddie Willers that she would run the railroad when they grew up. She was fifteen when it occurred to her for the first time that women did not run railroads and that people might object. To heck with that, she thought---and never worried about it again." In the beginning of this novel Dagny is determined to stop the person who is causing successful people to go on strike, but by the end of the novel is convinced that that is the only thing she can do.

The main conflict in this novel is one between those who are productive and successful and a society that uses force to exploit those producers. The story begins with Dagny trying to manage Taggart Transcontinental while having to deal with her brother, James Taggart, who is the nominal president of the railroad. While trying to build a railroad out of Rearden metal, which is a new metallic alloy developed by Hank Rearden, her railroad is criticized for exposing the public to danger even though the alloy is proven to be better than steel. After Taggart Transcontinental is forced to abandon the project Dagny renames it The John Galt Line after the popular phrase "Who is John Galt", which is used like "who knows." After the railroad is finished and the alloy is proven, the public demands that Rearden make his metal available to everyone because if he doesn't it provides an unfair advantage to those who do get the metal. This ridiculous demand causes a shortage of the metal so they demand that he give the manufacturing process to all other metal companies. This begins a chain reaction that begins to give the government more control over the businesses.

As the government gains more control businesses those who started those businesses begin to disappear. Dagny and Rearden realize that there is someone causing these men to quit and disappear and they vow to find this "destroyer" and stop him. While on a trip to abandoned factories trying to make them productive again they discover the basic plans and a prototype of a motor that would turn static electricity into energy. As Dagny tries to find the creator of the motor she learns that this man is also the one causing people to disappear.
As the economy crumbles, the government unveils a plan that puts all businesses under government control and also forbids people to quit their jobs, essentially locking them in their positions for life. This plan also causes people to avoid responsibility and only worry about keeping their jobs. Dagny finds out the identity of the inventor of the engine, John Galt, and learns of his plan to have all those being exploited by the government to go on strike. She begins to agree with him but news of a disaster on her railroad causes her to return to society. Galt makes a speech to the nation over the radio by hijacking a government broadcast and causes even more disappearances.

Dagny finds herself unable to manage her railroad due to the new government plan, and she unwittingly reveals Galt's position to the government. The government then captures Galt and tries to get him to fix the problems they have caused, but he tells them they won't allow him to do what is necessary to truly fix them. As he is being tortured he is rescued by Dagny, Rearden, and other strikers. The novel ends with the strikers ready to go back into the world after civilization as we know it has been destroyed.

The theme of this novel is that man should never be forced to sacrifice themselves or their own work for the sake of another. This can be seen by the motto John Galt requires strikers to recite before joining: "I swear by my life, and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine" (57). This can also be seen throughout the book in the way that Rand describes those who expect others to sacrifice for them and not for themselves; she describes those who live for themselves as nearly perfect people while those who expect others to sacrifice for them are described as very flawed people.

As a Christian I agree with this message. I don't think that we should expect anyone else to sacrifice themselves for us and I also don't think we should live for the sake of another man. We should make sacrifices for others but shouldn't be living for them; instead those sacrifices should be motivated by a desire to follow God's word. This is supported by Matthew 22:39 when Jesus says "And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself."

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.
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