The End

Last Post: New Ideas and New Questions

The book was a lot to take in. Just by straightforwardly explaining what she opposed, Ayn Rand exposed all of its faults without any ambiguous justification or circumventing the issue, which is surprising taking into account the length of the book. I thought that she could have cut out many pages at first, but the meticulous unwrapping of the subject imprints into readers minds everything that she sees and believes. I look at the world in a new light, and don’t know yet if this new filter has added to my clarity or distortion. 

I am not sure if this book is the future of America. I definitely do no think that John Gault and his followers represent Republicans while Jim Taggart and his “social welfare” supporters represent Democrats, despite the simple connections that can be assumed. Ayn Rand is speaking of a government unlike what we have which is pure capitalism (we have aspects of free market and planned economy in our system), and like she pointed out, cannot be compromised with anything, because she believes anything else will lead to failure. She is speaking of starting from scratch where government only has control, over military, police, and a court system with rational and not overbearing laws (many of our laws are hardly rational). She was speaking on behave of her own ideas and pure capitalism, not anything that “tries” to be what she believes, but what is what she belives. This does not include Republicans (Mr. Chow). 

This book really made me think if this way of life, which almost seems like a utopian way of living, is possible and can be successfully implemented into a big, diverse, and complex country like the United States. Then, I thought if it was inevitable for this country to crumble and face devastation if we do not change. Immediately my answer was no. Atlas Shrugged shows the importance of ideas, and one that has been implanted in most Americans’ minds is the fear of Communism. Our history with the Cold War, the Red Scare, and other issues has caused a common opposition to Communism, planned economy, and even the word socialism causes people to become uncomfortable. It is almost a natural reflex to hate those ideas, so I cannot fathom the United States becoming what it has continuously fought, yet you never know. 

There are reasons why government prevents businesses and companies to do whatever they see fit to make money. I will not dispute the benefits of businesses being “left alone”, because we spent 1069 pages reading about those benefits. However, there are reasons why we take measures there are restrictions on big companies. Not all regulations are bad and are corrupt, like having a minimum wage. This prevents the use of sweatshops in our country, even though we can use them elsewhere (not that logical). Regulations also make businesses, who’s desire to make money could cloud aspects of their reason (which I think Rand would say is impossible so maybe I’m wrong), comply with safety regulations that could have prevented tragedies like the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, in which employers locked exists so workers could not take prohibited breaks. I personally also favor limitations on certain companies CO₂ emission in the atmosphere, but who is one to care about the environment.

If the world was made people who had the mindset of Hank, Dagny, and Ayn Rand,  that society would be the ultimate utopia. Yet, even successful people today, who have made something out of nothing, and work for their own profit, see no fault in giving to those in need. You can ague that this is the fault of being brainwashed by socialist values, or that is just how I am. I do not think that because you need more, you deserve more, or that need should be an excuse for not working hard. However, even after John Gault’s speech, I still would be able to say the word “give” without thinking twice, and its possible because I take a selfish satisfaction in knowing I helped someone, or because I l simply like to give. 

I never wanted to have a career where I am not directly helping people and their lives. This book showed me that having a job like Hank Rearden’s helps and also has a widespread effect on people’s well being.  It shows me that some peoples acts of selfishness, can actually benefit people. 

My ideas of “need” and “selfishness” have been completely altered by this book. My friend once told me angrily that 80% of the wealth belongs to 20% of the people. How I react to that figure before I read this book and after were completely different. Despite the long read, I still have some unanswered  questions, like who really “deserves” and “earns” what, and what are governments true justifiable purpose. 

One Last Post for Atlas Shrugged

The ideas of Ayn Rand are indeed very knowledgeable and quite
informative for the reader. Though they are not as blunt as what we see in
real life, they are still enlightening and come across as unique but,
necessary. Why they are necessary is because they teach us a great
many things about the events that are affect us in the present, such as:
the consequences of government regulations on businesses, the costs
that ensue indirect externals from third party organizations such as the
workers union, the media, etc. We get the impression that Rand
understands the evils that are incorporated in large governments because
she has been there. Rand use to live in the Soviet Union during the time
of the Cold War when Russian lives were considered mere puppets by
their "distinguished" leaders. The government in this country took over all
forms of business and implemented regulations on how the people were
to live their lives. During that era, we all thought that this was bad and that
is why we fought the Cold War; communism was considered heresy due
to the fact that it opposed so many of our already established
fundamentals as Americans and because our way of life was so much
better, we pulled out on top by the end of the war. In today's world, we
are having complications in the government since Congress is pushing for
more regulations on how the American people live. You cannot deny this
because the Affordable Care Act imposes itself onto the citizens by
forcing many of them to buy healthcare. This hurts small businesses since
it also forces them to pay more for their employees which means they will
have less money to invest into their businesses and less money for their
families. Now how does a business owner handle this? By laying off
workers so, in the long run, this law will indirectly cause small business
owners, which makes up the majority of the population here in America,
to either force many workers into the unemployment scale or force them
to close up shop. However, if Congress could listen to reason and hear
that the majority of the population is not in favor of this law, then maybe
they could save themselves from making a terrible mistake and for those
that believe the consequences of the Affordable Care Act tone different, I
say: take a leap into the world of Atlas Shrugged and educate yourself or
else one day you will feel great suffering to yourself and the only person
left to blame would be yourself. All-in-all, I thoroughly enjoyed the book
and believe that it should be recommended to other young minds to read.
The knowledge within has not been taught to others in ages and should
be reintroduced to the world.

Final Reaction

At first, one look at the book had me rolling my eyes and groaning from the amount of time I knew I would spend reading the next few weeks, and indeed I did spend some quality time with the book. I found this book to be unnecessarily long and at times very repetitive, but I found the message of the book to very insightful and Rand did a very good job mixing in a plot to a dramatic story to get her point across.

Although it was a long read, I dove in deep in some parts and actually enjoyed most of the book. The story was like a black hole that led you to a different end every time. Every character has somehow connected and all their actions affected one another. I liked reading about a hardship story that evolves into a love story combined with struggle and then gets mixed up with seven other different kinds of situations and makes the book seem really realistic and entertaining to read. I thought it was particularly interesting how this book was written in the late 1950’s, yet all the themes, all the ideas, all the concepts of the systems and the philosophy of the way people are as opposed to the way they should be, they’re all applicable to this time period as well. That shows that even if humans have the means and the right ideas, it may take more than fifty years to ever do anything about the way we do things or the way in which the government regulates the people and controls our mindset. I think this proves our inability to see what’s right in front us at times but we decide to ignore because the upper power neglects it. I also thought it was a funny coincidence that the government shut down while we were reading this book because it basically proved everything the book was trying to demonstrate, right.

From my understanding of the book, Rand is telling us that the government is corrupt and will always put a mask on, commit disgusting crimes against their own people, and always use the same excuse that it is all being done for the “common welfare.”

She is also telling us that, because we are the only country that was “made with the brain” by industrialist and intelligent leaders, the restrictions and limitations that lead to the modern industrialist’s termination are hypocritical to what this country stands for. Industrialists should be helped to expand and it should be promoted that business leaders be selfish and greedy and do everything for themselves rather than other people because man is a selfish creature, and so if we are made to think that we are doing our jobs for someone else rather than for our own benefit, then we will take the job lightly, reduce the quality, stop caring, and try to find a way to get someone to do your job for you. That’s the whole idea of looters. These people are snakes and vultures that first attack the successful industrialists with venom to weaken them and then  they feed on whatever they had and take whatever business they made a fortune on, claiming it to be unfair that one man would have so much power and other have nothing. This is a capitalistic society, there needs to be a difference in classes, if not, we’d become a communist country if we spread the wealth.

For the looter characters, I hated them all from the beginning. Jim especially because he was the biggest vulture with everything Dagny did that was good, but Dagny’s worst enemy whenever the public went against her. I got Rand’s message that “the people in Washington” are the people with power to take away companies from men, and their soul along with it, and that these people have their small circle of connections. These are the fable minded, the weak. The industrialists like Galt and d’Anconia and Rearden are the real heroes of this book. These type of men represent what the ideal American leaders should be. If men care for themselves and look after themselves, it will create competition, innovation, men will strive to be better. “No charity” and that’s why they succeeded, The book also showed that, as it happened to East Germany after WWII, West Germany got all the brain power and left the East to do nothing but plot on how to get back at the West for leaving them hopeless. So Galt’s Gulch represents the West, and when these men are taken away from society, it becomes complete havoc because the only people left are those who want to get free benefits and steal crumbs off of others.  

In the end, I liked the book. I thought it was an insightful read that may come in handy one day when my moral values are in question. 

Final Reaction

After cursing Ayn Rand for writing so much, and my English teacher for making me read so much, I can honestly say that Atlas Shrugged is the best novel I have read in my entire life. I now thank Ayn Rand for her inspiring work which has completely changed my view of human nature. I realize now that every single person on this planet is greedy, and that is exactly how it is supposed to be. Each of the main characters in this novel has taught me a valuable lesson. I want to share with you these lessons because I think that they are all necessary for success in life.

Dagny Taggart is the model impresario. She stands by her business regardless of the costs both economic and social. If I had to describe Dagny in one word, it would be determined. Dagny displays her determination throughout the novel. At first, she is determined to build the Rio Norte line efficiently and on time. When society makes it so difficult that everyone else gives up, she finds a way to get it done. Through her determination and unmatchable leadership abilities, the John Galt Line is completed ahead of schedule and it inspires the nation. After completing the feat of a lifetime, Dagny continues to feature her determination through the tireless search to find the creator of the motor in order to reconstruct it. After everyone who can possibly have the answer to her questions has told her that her quest is in vain, she refuses to give up. Dagny uses an alternate plan and funds the reconstruction of the motor. In this novel there is not one situation where the reader sees Dagny Taggart giving up a task. She is always determined to achieve her goal and by the time the novel is over, there is no goal she does not achieve.

Hank Rearden is an extraordinary character and the model entrepreneur. He teaches the importance of hard work. Hank is a self made man who through his tireless efforts and hard work has become a tycoon in the metal industry. He represents the man who does not get tired or lazy and who is always ready to work. Rand uses him to show her readers that hard work pays off. His ten year efforts finally pay off and he created Rearden Metal which shocks the country, and puts the looters in his hands. Rearden demonstrates the need to be proud of one’s accomplishments and shows the reader that there is no shame in being happy with one’s profits.

James Taggart is the most frustrating character in the novel because he has all the assets and connections to be a successful and inspiring executive however he wastes his life and his talents in a game of power. James is always focused on the public opinion rather than on acting on his own beliefs. He thinks that he acts for the benefit of the country but in reality, he digs a deeper grave for the national economy. He is a major part of the looters and he shares their communist philosophies that lead to the destruction of the economy. James Taggart teaches the reader to be exactly the opposite of what he is. Rand uses this character to prove that a focus on public opinion creates failure. She stresses that a successful person follows his own moral code and is proud of his or her individual accomplishments.

John Galt is as Ayn Rand intended: the ideal man. He is the man that every person should strive to resemble. Ayn Rand teaches through Galt the importance of standing up for ones beliefs. Galt creates a strike to show people the mistake in accepting communist ideas. He puts his own personal goals on hold to change something that he knows is wrong. Galt inspires the worlds greatest men to leave their lives behind and join him in the quest of stopping the destruction of freedom. Rand creates Galt and idolizes him the way she does to show the world thats it only takes one man with the right idea to change the world.

With these four characters, Rand paints a picture for the reader of the qualities necessary to be successful in life. She gives each reader the tools to change the world, and she leaves it up to the reader to use these tools in his or her life. Rand also demonstrates the value of a capitalist society and the dire consequences of communism. She highlights the importance of individual goals over collective goals, because if everyone works towards their own success, society’s success happens automatically. 

Final Reaction

            When we were first assigned the book, I thought I was not going to enjoy the book. The more I read, I was surprise by how much I actually enjoyed reading it. The character developments, themes, and the writing style were key points to the story. Atlas Shrugged really opened my mind to what was going on in today’s society and how it could end up destroying us. It was shocking to read how Ayn Rand could predict the problems we have today. Coming from communist Russia, Rand had a first hand experience to what it was like not having the freedom to produce as much as one would like. The first two parts of the book serve as a warning of what can happen if we stay on the path of self-destruction.

            Even though I do not know much about politics, Atlas Shrugged showed me what policies such as Obamacare could do to us. After reading the book, I realized that Obama is just like the “men in Washington” who give false promises, give free hand outs, and punish those who are successful and work hard for the items they have. At times I did not want to believe that this could actually be happening to the United States, the land of democracy and freedom, but I realized that our freedom is restricted even more each day. We value those who have great minds but at the same time we envy them and shun them. Those who are successful in our world are the ones who make the most money, but what about those who are successful in other ways? We do not seem to care much about the ones who have an IQ of 130 or above. They are too advanced for us to understand. Ayn Rand points out that the key to having a stable nation is to accept everyone but not treat everyone as equals because in reality, no one is truly equal no matter how many times we tell ourselves that we are.

            Dagny kept talking about this world that she always thought she would end up in. That world failed to exist in the first two parts. A world where success is valued and not punished or where the looters loose.  Her dream was a constant reminder to her that those men in Washington were not protecting the public but protecting themselves. It made her strive even harder to prove them wrong. Her determination and hope that someday she will be praised for her achievements is what fueled her. In part three, Dagny is finally brought to her paradise. As she was exploring the valley, it reminded me a little bit of the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy goes to the city of Oz where everything seems perfect, as if it was a dream. Dagny finds it hard at first to accept that this is reality and that every man who has quit and vanished are now standing in front of her.  After the crash, she is greeted my man who shows no sign of guilt, pain, or struggle. To her, he is the perfect man. The man who has no burden. It did not seem possible that Dagny survived the crash and that the heat waves were reflecting the valley over the mountain tops. The valley did not seem possible.

            “This is John Galt speaking. I am the man who loves his life. I am the man who does not sacrifice his love or his values. I am the man who has deprived you of victims and thus destroyed your world…”  (pg. 923) Galt is the man who has stopped the motor of the world. At first, when the tramp speaks about a young man who plans to stop this motor, I thought he would be destroying every big business that has contributed to society. This was not the case. He has destroyed the world by taking away the intellects, the innovators, the ones who work hard. He took away the brain. The motor the Galt described while working for Twentieth Century Motor Company was the brain. It was not materialistic. It proved that the world would mean nothing without knowledge and the success one achieved out of that knowledge. Galt has taken away everything the public believes is evil. Instead of addressing an audience, he is “addressing a mind.”

            As Galt first started speaking, the only people who knew his voice were Dr. Stadler, Dagny, and Eddie. Half way through the speech, I realized how Eddie knew Galt. Eddie had been speaking to a man whose face showed no lines of stress, guilt, or pain. He always seemed relaxed but always wanted to know more about Dagny, which I had always thought was strange. I made the connection. John was the man in the cafeteria. He was also the man who stood outside of Taggart Transcontinental pacing back and forth, watching her.  He was the destroyer, the one who has freed the nation of those they hate but do not want to loose. He has taken away the world’s key to growth. He is John Galt.

I Thought You Were an Egoist

When I read the last sentence of Atlas Shrugged, I felt struck with the full force of the novel. The journey Ayn Rand has led us on has been strenuous, intense, and completely unusual, but in the end it is as if we have achieved what the characters have achieved, simply by accompanying them on the journey they have taken. The level of detail and imagery of the book brings us into the world of Dagny Taggart and John Galt; they are characters I am sure most of us will never forget.

The impact of the novel is earth-shattering. It is the kind of literary work that has the potential to shift a cultural paradigm and to completely rewire a mind. It gives readers the energy and spirit that they are certainly all searching for. Its message is profound; no one should work for the happiness of anyone but himself. No one should surrender his values to the needs of anyone else.
We work for ourselves and only for ourselves.

Galt's three hour speech can be a tedious read, but the fundamental messages are ones important to the whole of humanity. They are the messages that all our lives we have been taught not to know.
Since our birth, we have, in essence, unlearned everything that makes us human.
In today's society, selfishness is heavily frowned upon. Success is condemned, and the successful hated. The men who do not share their money or feel pity are seen as inhuman, disgusting, and evil. 

Last summer, I read a book called The Psychopath Test, which made the disturbing claim that psychopaths are the most successful people on Earth. The book stated that psychopaths are those who have immeasurable charisma, and a stunning incapability to feel emotion. It is precisely for this reason that they climb the rungs of the ladder of business. They step over others for the sake of themselves and do not have a care in the world for the people who deserve pity.

The characters in Atlas Shrugged are not psychopaths; they are the highest form of a human a person can hope to be. There is, however, a parallel to be drawn between the way the public in Atlas Shrugged perceives Dagny and Hank, to the way in which our society perceives the selfish and the psychopathic. More than once, I have heard successful people branded as emotionless, sick, and twisted. It is as if not feeling pity for certain people classifies a person as not being capable of pity at all.
Hank Rearden's family criticizes him for not showing love, yet they do not feel the need to care for him in return. They want his attention and support without deserving it.

When a person refuses to help another, the public finds it disgraceful. They claim it has always been a man's moral duty to help others. Atlas Shrugged makes us question this notion; should we help a person who does not deserve to be helped? Do we need to waste time and money on the people who refuse to live at all?

The characters in Atlas Shrugged do not lack emotion; in fact, they feel far more emotion than the average human.

What sets them apart are their fervent desires to live.

When Galt sits trapped at the hands of the men in Washington, Thompson asks him, "Don't you want to live?" 

Galt replies, "Passionately".

It is this passion and ability that renders these characters the most hated people in the world. Instead of trying to be like them, the public resorts to condemning them in hatred for what they can never achieve.

In order to progress as a society, we must reject the notions of success as a sin. The origins of these values lie centuries ago, when the first commandments of religion were created to control the masses. Feeling guilt for pursuing that which gives one pleasure is self-induced torture.
Relying on laws that were set centuries ago is pure delusion.
I read a book a couple of years ago named The God Part of the Brain. It claims that every civilization that has ever existed has developed religion for the sake of self-preservation.
What separates humans from their fellow animals is their ability to be self aware. This consciousness makes them capable of acting to seek their own happiness, but it also allows them to seek self-destruction. With self awareness comes the ability to look to the future. This ability also grants humans the insight to understand their eventual fate of death.
A species that comprehends its eventual death has no reason to go on. Each member will destroy himself, or they will all destroy one another. The book I read claims that the propensity for religion is a trait selected as all traits are; through natural selection.

Religion has become a tool to reassure humans that what they achieve is not pointless and that the end is not really the end. It is, in truth, a means of self delusion to prove that A is non A.
We must think further than that. We must come to terms with our fates and make the decision to live while we are alive.

In order to find happiness, we must reject those who try to control us. It is the only way we can break free. 

Final Reaction

           1069 endless pages covered in microscopic letters. At first, I never thought I'd even come close to reaching the end, but I finally finished the book and I am so glad I did. I guess it was due to the fact that the book was so long that it took Ayn Rand a while to develop the plot and get her readers to understand what she was writing about. Once I caught on to the plot and had an idea of what I was reading, I immediately felt drawn into the book, especially all of its characters. Rand truly has a great way of describing how the characters actually feel in certain situations, which really draws you to them. 

          Through out the first couple hundred pages of the book, you are left with many sketchy situations and unanswered questions; which is what compelled me to keep on reading. I loved how slowly, Rand would throw out clues that would help you to start developing explanations for why a certain situation happened the way it did, or even why a character acted that way towards another. The whole concept of the phrase "Who is John Galt" followed by the clues that lead you to know that for a fact, there is a John Galt capable of doing all that the rumors stated worked great through out the whole book. When Galt finally appears towards the end of the novel I was so excited. You finally get to see all that he really is and the way he carries his principles and morals in such depth. 

         What I loved the most from this book is how many different aspects were incorporated into the book. For example, you have this strong independent woman, Daggny Taggart,  running a railroad all by herself, with her brother and his corrupt group of friends who constantly stand against everything she stands for. You have a knowledge of the Taggarts and D'Anconia's childhood due to the flashbacks that Rand provides, giving you background information of the first characters presented in the book.  Rand also incorporates different love affairs and conflicts that always end up taking unexpected turns. Finally, you have the valley and Galts group of friends, that show a completely different view of living than that which is going on in the world as Dagny and the rest of humanity know it. Rands ability to have all of these different topics keeps the readers drawn since so many different things constantly occur throughout her book. 

        The end of the book was kind of expected. It was obvious that once Galt was captured, every one from the valley would go out of their way to get him back to safety. Regardless, I enjoyed reading this part and the way they were able to talk to the guards and outsmart them. Whenever a guard would stand in their way, they would know exactly what to say to get them to let themselves pass, and if they didn't, the guards would face their own punishments. I was not surprised that while Dagny talked to the guard, the guard was afraid of her and was struggling on what decision to make, but I was surprised that Dagny ended up shooting him. I could have sworn that she was bluffing, that did not seem like her character at all, but I guess I could understand her actions since she was so desperate to save John Galt. 

         The only thing that I would have liked Rand to incorporate towards the end of the story is what ends up happening with the group of looters in Washington and what becomes of the lives of Galt and Dagny. Towards the end, all that is mentioned is that the light in New York City are officially off, so the have accomplished their jobs, but we never end up seeing what the looters do when they realize that Galt has escaped and abandoned them. Then, back at the valley, Galt is with Dagny and mentions that it is safe to go back to the real world. I didn't really understand what he meant by that already or how long they have been away from the real world. All that is really explained towards the end of the novel is how Eddie Willers is doing everything he can to keep Taggart Transcontinental alive. I think that the only reason why he does this is because it is the only think he has left of Dagny, and he knows that she would have wanted someone to take her place and try to keep the railroad alive, but with the current state of the world, that is no longer possible. 

          Regardless of the unanswered questions towards the end, I thought that this was one of the best books that I have ever read. Ayn Rand is a great writer and I hope that later on I will be able to read her other novels.

Finished

I am going to be completely honest in this post. My journey while reading this book was comparable a roller coaster. For me, part I was the part on a roller coaster where you are traveling on a horizontal surface at the beginning. It started off really slow. I was very annoyed and did not enjoy reading part I. It did not really have a good story line and slowly dragged along. The book at this point seemed like it was taking forever to read. However, know that I know the ending of the book, looking back makes a lot more make sense. For example, I now know what the cigarette with the dolor means, the “Who is John Galt?” saying has a completely different meaning now, and the significance of including the very blunt conversations between Eddie and the random worker with in the cafeteria.

I initially thought that this book was not going to have very good story line that it ended up having. I was expecting them to talk more about the background and the business itself (although Rand included an enormous amount) of the Taggart family. Right from the beginning Rand sets up the roles of Jim and Dagny as two siblings who are partners, millionaires, and also opposites. By including the minor details that show their divide in the first section, it helped set up the next two sections of the book.

Part II of the book is comparable to the part of the roller coaster where you slowly ascend to the top of the giant drop. We start to learn more and more about each character and conflicts start to emerge. However, the main part of this section that caught my attention was the politics that was occurring. Rand made it so the reader got a true view of what the divide was. Not only did I enjoy reading this part, but it also made me understand the current political situation in the United States better. I know have a strong opinion on what should be done after viewing how going one way can end up.

            Finally, Part III of the Atlas Shrugged might be one of the most actions packed, twisted, and best sections of a book that I have ever read. It can be compared to the drop on a roller coaster. As the section progresses, Rand keeps on throwing more twists at you. I really enjoyed reading it. In my opinion, she chose a great way to make the story come together as a whole. I like how Dagny did not meet John Galt on purpose and it kind of ended up being a big coincidence.

Also, I loved the concept of the society known as Atlantis that Rand included. Having all of the great thinkers of the world in one location trying to revolutionize society in ways that people would never imagine (such as creating the motor, the shield, etc.) was a great idea. What was even better was that they kept it a secret from everyone else. I think the reason that I really enjoyed this is because of my background and passion for engineering. I truly tried to place my self in the shoes of these great innovators who are seeing others get credit for and exploit there work. This is the case for John Galt, Hank Rearden, Richard Halley and many more.

Another thing that I found very interesting that appeared throughout the book was the choice of Rand to include the personal lives of all of these characters. Wee extramarital affairs from Hank and James, we see two characters who were each others first loves, and finally, we see a situation where two best friends both are in love with the same girl. Not only did this create tension at some points n the book, but it also made it so that some of the characters really cared for one another. This ultimately affected and changed things in other spectrums such as the business spectrum. Out of love for Dagny, Hank decides to hand over rights of his prized Rearden Metal.

Overall, even though this book was EXTREEMLY LONG, when I look back on the whole book, I actually liked it. It had a great plot, which ultimately drew my attention. The conflicts that were created were fantastic and the overall theme was the icing on the cake. n my opinion, it would not be appropriate if I did not end my journey in this book with a question. Who is John Galt?

Final Reaction: The Start of a New Beginning

Atlas Shrugged. When we were given the book on the first day of class and everybody instantly checked to see how many pages it consisted, the first thought that came into my mind as I read 1069 at the bottom of the last page was “This better be a good book”. Fortunately, it did prove itself to be a phenomenal book, and I am glad I had the opportunity to read it.

One aspect of the novel that I was highly intrigued about was how Ayn Rand was able to incorporate a main conflict and theme with various other minor conflicts throughout the book. The story depicts perfectly the story between the looters and the “Galt’s” (as I named them), and how their views of society were complete opposites. Other minor conflicts came as relationships between the characters of the story, mainly between a looter and a Galt, such as Hank vs. his family, and Dagny vs. her brother. The interconnection between the minor conflicts and the major conflict of the story, which portray the same theme, is what in my opinion allows the reader to understand both the big picture and the small picture, how the dispute of ideas between how to run a nation affects the overall economy and how the differing ideas between individuals affect personal relationships.

From the start of the novel, I began to admire Dagny. How she ran Taggart Transcontinental, got things done, put effort into her work, fought for her opinion and actions and showed passion for her career is exactly what I believe to be essential in order to find success in one’s life. As I read the multiple examples throughout the endless pages of the book of how Dagny was able to construct the John Galt Line over all of the haters, how she was able to pursue her own interests and fight against the looters, I saw a perfect example of a businesswoman that can lead the world in the right direction. In addition to Dagny, Hank was another character that I got close to as well. Portraying similar traits to Dagny, I was also in complete accordance with all of his actions regarding the way he ran his business, and particularly with Rearden Metal. During the countless arguments between him and the looters, who wanted a fair share of his metal and the freedom to manufacture it themselves, I was giving them the same answers in my head as Rearden was in the novel. It is his metal! He put the work in and he researched it and he produced it for his own profit! Why in the world would he be required to share the profit with looters that took no part in the production of the “Miracle Metal” as they call it? Throughout the entire novel, the level of hatred I felt for the looters was indescribable. I couldn’t deal with the way they thought, and the stupid ideas they had about running society. Don’t even get me started on the pathetic Directive 10-289, as I read through the laws pertaining to it, I had a constant “I can’t believe this is actually happening” face on.  I just found it unbelievable how people in the world can have such ideas and believe that they can actually work.

As the story went on and the looters began attaining more and more power, I knew that society was doomed. It is impossible to live under such pathetic conditions. It is illegal to quit? Really?! Well its not their fault that whatever action one does the Unification Board will get them arrested for. All that the new Directive did to society was prevent innovation and action. No one wanted to give orders since if something went wrong, they were the ones to blame and they were the ones who would have to face the pathetic Unification Board. I couldn’t deal with it anymore and I was glad when John Galt was finally discovered and came to save the world. I knew from the first time I read the line “Who is John Galt?” that he would turn up sooner or later and have a huge impact on society. His land, Atlantis, in my mind, is the description of what a successful society and government should look like. The idea of no borrowing and paying for everything might seem harsh, but it is the perfect solution to keep money flowing and passing from hand to hand so that the economy is fit and well run. I enjoyed the idea that the worthy people fled form the destructive society of the looters and waited in a perfect land until the looters reached their doom to come back out and start an entire new beginning in an efficient and effective way.

All in all, I thought that Atlas Shrugged was one of the best novels I’ve ever read. The pages were worth it, and I particularly enjoyed the “Super Hero” ending of the Galt’s saving their leader John Galt and bringing him back to safety to plan for a new start to the world that should have always been led by the Galt’s. A nation should be led by people in society that are able to get things done and that understand how to run a free private market economy, the method proven to be essential for a successful nation. As I read the description of the United States at the end of the novel, I couldn’t believe the state that Directive 10-289 brought it to, and understood that one should not let any aspect of his life be led by “looter” ideals, as the end is proven by history not to be a positive one. 

Final Reaction

After I scribbled down my last annotation and closed Atlas Shrugged, I was left in a mindset of vulnerability and confusion caused by my new insight on human nature and interaction. My heart cringes a little bit more when I exit our English room and see faults in our society identical to the ones in Atlas Shrugged. I don’t know whether to give credit to Ayn Rand who had such a clear grasp on the American government and transferred her emotions perfectly on paper or to hate her because I am left feeling insecure and worried about my future and the changing societal values. However, maybe it is for the better that I see the potential outcomes of liberalism and socialism, especially when I have spent the majority of my life in progressive institutions like schools. After reading the novel, I am left with a new perspective on money and existence.

“He raised his hand and over the desolate earth he traced in space the sign of the dollar,” (pg. 1069.) The sign of the dollar is the emblem of the utopia of greed, the rational being, and free trade and free minds. In Dagny’s perspective, this sign that had once marked destruction has become a sign of deliverance. The desolate earth justifies the sign of the dollar because it is waiting for the industrialists’ to retake truthful reign over the land. The Washington DC politicians have extrapolated the earth to its limit, causing their control over American citizens and the economy to wither away into nothing.  Through John Galt’s motion over the desolate earth, he is reclaiming the arena that his fellow industrialists will compete over to gain the most profit and to promote their self-progress. To the Atlantis industrialists, the dollar is not the exchange of meaningless rectangle papers that’s artificial value is faith and cooperation. Instead, it’s the exchange of autonomous labor that’s true value is clear business development. The sign of the dollar will be the foundation for the new industrialist era that supports the ethics of greed, life, egoism, and the commitment to doing the best within human ability.

The commitment to doing the best within human ability is a particularly large component of the industrialists’ outlook on their moral code, which causes rational decisions and profitable actions. Throughout the book, the Washington DC officials always blame their failures on the fact that they can never act perfectly in every situation. They remained attached to the idea that brotherhood would fix any fault in their system, which only led to more discouraged laborers and the creation of more regulations and directives. On pg. 1068, Rand describes Ragnar reading a volume of Aristotle’s works about the foundation of the industrialists’ moral code, “…for these truths hold good for everything that is, and not for some special genus apart from others. And all men use them, because they are true of being qua being.” Aristotle stretches the industrialists’ moral code to all men who are fully committed to the mind and life and applies it to all differing scenarios. All humans can access the versatility of “A is A” and its universal application. My favorite part of that quote is the phrase “being qua being,” which I translate as living in your utmost potential at the spur of the moment. Not only does this apply to the industrialists’ decisions to disappear to Atlantis and lead their own life without regulations, but it also draws attention on Rand’s atheism. I think that atheism is a side effect of objectivism, which states that human values and knowledge are determined by nature of reality. This is the essence of “being qua being,” people seeking profit and progress should solely focus on the reality and forget about the bullshit of karma, faith, predetermination.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It was long, redundant, and monotonous at the expense of driving Rand’s ideas into our souls and minds. I have read plenty of books and stories in English classes that I forget in a year or two (although, they suddenly showed up in my SAT essays.) I am certain that it is safe for me to assume that I will never forget the ideologies expressed in this novel, including objectivism and individualism. The majority of my future decisions and actions will probably stem out of these themes. Yet, I think that Rand’s focus on selfishness and greed is not practical in society, even though they are necessary. Unfortunately, these rights are trapped in unforgiving negative connotations.  

Final Reaction

Im not going to lie, I never got around the idea of reading, and whenever I did, it was focused around the basis of an assignment. Atlas Shrugged changed my perception on reading completely. Sitting in class on the first day of school and being given this thick book, I felt a bit intimidated, and pretty skeptical on whether Mr. Shapiro was being serious or not. For the first month, I think it's safe to say that I procrastinated my way through the first half of the quarter, and I did not find too much pleasure in reading the book and blogging on Sundays. With the October 17th due date of the book slowly looming, I began to start pushing myself to read more, and through it, I began to really enjoy the book, and appreciate its worth. 

Initially, I thought all of the elaborate explanations and countless paragraphs where only descriptions of a character's emotions were present were all just annoying and trivial. I mean, it took a lot to get through some parts of the book whenever Rand was just speaking about how and what a character was feeling. But after reading part three, it made all the sense in the world to me. If not included, the readers would not be able to soak in all of the greatness and meaning present behind Rand's theme. Even the small details like the strategic chapter titles at the end, or lines including greek gods like Prometheus to help describe Galt were just all necessary in order to brand the book with the great reputation it has built over the years.

The characterization of the looters in the novel was a great revelation in my eyes as well. The looters like James Taggart and Mouch always seemed to act in a certain way. They'd complain and scream all day until they got what they wanted, and if they did not get what they wanted, they'd cry and complain like babies. I'm glad Rand pointed the looters under this certain light. Sometimes, I'd find myself acting in such a way as well, and it hurt to a certain extent to notice that I acted like these idiots that I was critiquing while reading about them. I'm glad that the novel was able to point that out to me, and I'm now more conscious about the topic. 

Part three in my eyes had its masterful moments and its unrealistic moments. I think Jose touched on these topics also, but it really did stand out to me. I think the beginning of part three when Dagny crashed landed into Galt's Gulch was simply awesome. All the details that I spoke about in the paragraph above began to really make sense to me. Although saying this, I think the end was a bit over exaggerated and I feel like Rand may have gotten a little lazy in how she presented the ending. The ending to me stood out as if it were ripped out of a comic book. It was just so convenient how Hank, Ragnar, and Francisco all make it in time to save Galt and to help Dagny. Rand could have definitely elaborated more on the ending as well. It seemed to me that it ended too quickly. Not to mention how easily Hank and Francisco dropped their love for Dagny so easily. If I loved a girl half as much as Rand described them as loving Dagny, I don't think I could let them go so easily. Take this with a grain of salt, though, because I do believe Atlas Shrugged is probably the best book I've read so far, I'm just critiquing a little bit. 

Atlas Shrugged has changed the way I look at not only reading, but the way I look at my future. A few months ago, I wanted to apply to certain colleges based on name worth, rather than whether I'd be happy or not. Rand's use of Dagny, Hank, Galt, and everyone living in Atlantis, has opened up a new scope of how I'm going to tackle the future. I think Rand's main theme is to aspire towards rationality within the individual. 

After reading the novel, I realize that I just want to be happy, and I want to aspire towards happiness, rather than aspiring towards something that makes me feel better in accordance to how other people will judge me. 

Final Reaction

          When I read the first page of “Atlas Shrugged,” I never imagined it would end the way it did. From small yet influential fights among industrialists, all the way to a national breakdown in the economy and in society, Ayn Rand gradually took the readers on a journey of the demise of the United States of America. 

From beginning to end, my favorite, most interesting and courageous character was Dagny; and I bet everyone would agree with me about that. I admired her power and values from the start. I found it amazing that she managed to carry her principles with her throughout any situation; staying true to the person she was and not changing for anyone. Her strongest act of love and dedication to the people is demonstrated when she decides to go back to the outer world and fight for humanity. Though she is a realistic, intelligent businesswoman, she always has hope for humanity and believes that there is a way to get out of the mess the nation is in. Another moment that made me love Dagny even more was when she was happy that Hank disappeared. The fact that his absence made her happy showed that she wanted to be the only victim of all of the bad things happening in the world, and wanted no one else to have to fight against it. She literally puts the world on her back.  

        A huge theme emphasized throughout the entire novel (more towards the last half) is that of morality. When Dagny finds herself in the hidden valley, all we ever hear is how wrong everyone in the outer world is. Every industrialist in the secret location stresses the importance of moral values, and how the lack of these is what has caused all of the damage in the world. I respect these industrialists for their views, and appreciate them for taking a stand in what they believe in.  The reoccurring theme of morality is one that is engraved in the readers’ minds. Ayn Rand does a great job of influencing the readers to stick to the righteous and correct things to do, and if I did not have this kind of mindset before, I definitely would after I read the book. 

         John Galt’s 56-page speech leaves the entire nation in awe.  Some wonder whether it is real, some don’t know how to react to it. The looters do everything they can to convince themselves that no one fell for it and that they would triumph. Nevertheless, John Galt literally lets out every opinion he has on the crisis the nation is undergoing, and everyone listens attentively. His speech talks about how every man should work for his happiness, and not for anyone else’s. That morals are what will bring the country out of the catastrophe, and that the looters need to step down and let the good reign. 

         The people are left with no choice but to go along with what the government says; Dagny and the rest of the team are literally fighting against the government and the looters, while simultaneously trying to bring the common people out of their oblivion and wake them up to what is actually going on. But Dagny never gives up. Even when she hits rock bottom she is determined to fight for what she believes in. 

          The end of the novel was sort of depressing, despite the fact that we are assured that the good industrialists are saved. Regardless, it is implied that they have much more trouble, fighting, and chaos ahead of them in order to rebuild society and the government. Though the entire novel contains an ongoing theme of economical downfall, we are always left with a sense of hope, and Ayn Rand continues to leave us with this feeling at the end despite the terrible times to come. 

         I feel that this was the perfect time to have read “Atlas Shrugged.” Much of what happens in the book is pertinent to our world today. The economy suffers from the struggle between socialists and capitalists, and many of the events we read about in the novel are similar to some that occurred in our government recently. Though some of the parts of the book seem a bit unrealistic, Ayn Rand’s whole theme of rationality and morality are well conveyed. I liked how the author tied together the love stories, economical crisis, personal lives, and politics in the story to make the novel enjoyable and interesting. It was long as hell, but I am glad to say that I read “Atlas Shrugged”... all of it.