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.

Final Reaction

In my thirteen years at Gulliver I have been given a plethora of novels to read, and my final opinions of those novels have been varied. Only a handful of the literary works have had a positive effect on my life and even fewer have changed my thought process, but Atlas Shrugged is the only book that has ever made me reanalyze my perceptive on life. Atlas Shrugged hits upon so many different topics and point of views, which I had never considered before. Ayn Rand spoke about topics that range from politics to sex; all of which were are controversial, and a woman with so firm and grounded convictions must have been controversial as well. It is incredible and surprising how relevant the things she wrote about still are half a century later. I could find connections in my own life and in our current government on almost every page.  Through the 1,079 page classic, I felt frustration, excitement, anger, relief, confusion, happiness, and hope; and through this literary adventure my opinions on economy, politics, sex and love have been reconsidered, reanalyzed and in some cases completely changed.

In the realm of politics I have often considered myself illiterate. I have always put my good faith in the leaders of our country, assuming that they would make the right decision for the country and its people. Since I am not yet a tax payer and my life has never really felt directly influenced by the government until fairly recently, I have neither sought out a reason to complain nor contemplated the structures and fundamental policies of our government. My parents are both registered Independents and topics like the policies on Medicare and income taxes do not come up too often. My only knowledge of such things come from the little my parents spoke of it and the lecturing of my social science teachers and social studies text books who all seemed to preach about the perfection of our leaders. I am and have always been able to read between the lines, especially after discussing outrageous laws and avoidable conflict turning into war, but I chose not to let it bother me. Through Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand showed me the type of people that are given the chance to run our country, if we allow them access to Washington. She depicted them through outrageous characters such as Wesley Mouch and Jim Taggart. They seemed to be greatly hyperbolized but as I looked honestly at our government and the people who make decisions, I’ve realized that these “exaggerated” characters are not too far off from some real life politicians and bureaucrats.

Ayn Rand believes in a Lassie Faire economic system. That implies a completely free market with absolutely no rules or regulations on the market place. I am studying economics this year, and we have examined both the free market system and centralized planned economy. In theory and in practice the free market system is far superior to the centralized planned economy which cannot properly predict changes in demand and supply. I am not as extreme as Ayn Rand. She believes, or so she implies in her novel, that government is only in place to provide protection and regulate a justice system. In my opinion the government needs more power than that. There needs to be taxes to fund the military and to build things like highways and bridges between state lines. I believe that certain types of regulation in the market places provide safety and prosperity, but Ayn Rand did show me that extensive regulation can lead to the removal of rights, like property, and lead to the failure of the economy as a whole.

Francisco D’anconia’s speech about sex was inspiring to me. I never considered that your sexual partner could reflect how you feel about yourself? Ayn Rand explained that physical pleasure is an extension of mental capacity and pleasure. Those who are the happiest with their lives and their own personage are the people who understand the power and pleasure that sex provides. A man, who claims to love his beautiful and virtuous wife but sleeps with an immoral prostitute, is just as low and disgusting as the people he sleeps with. I also found it interesting that Ayn Rand claims that you earn the love you receive. In her novel Dagny is a symbol, to John Galt, of everything he wishes the world to be. He refused to sleep with her until they both had earned each other’s love. Love in this manner is then aligned with sex for those who earn it.