Atlas Shrugged
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Atlas Shrugged is a novel by Russian-born writer and philosopher Ayn Rand, first published in 1957 in the USA. It was Rand's last work of fiction before concentrating her writings exclusively on philosophy. Along with The Fountainhead, it is one of her two most famous novels and is considered her magnum opus. Its theme (as stated by Rand) is "the importance of the individual's reasoning mind in human life."
It is a highly philosophical and allegorical story that deals with themes of Rand's own Objectivism, though she was not yet known as a philosopher when it was written. It is also one of the longest novels ever written, totalling one-thousand pages or more (depending on edition of the publication).
Philosophy and writing
The theme of Atlas Shrugged is that independent, rational thought is the engine that powers the world.The main conflict of the book occurs as the "individuals of the mind" go on strike, thus no longer contributing problem-solving analysis, new ideas, inventions, medical breakthroughs, research, or inventions of any kind to the rest of the world, allowing a near-total collapse of a society that they had not only been crucial in holding together, but a society which they had even been forced to subsidize. The previous peaceful cohesiveness of the world had required those individuals whose productive work comes from mental effort. They had always naturally created in direct disproportion to forceful interference by others. But given no alternative, they eventually start disappearing from the communities of "looters," Rand's term for others seeking a free dependency on productive people.
Like the Greek titan Atlas, individuals rationally and circumspectly seeking their own long-term happiness hold the world on their shoulders. The novel's title is an allusion to this god, discussing what might happen if those supporting the world suddenly decided to stop doing so. In the novel, the allusion comes during a conversation between two protagonists, Francisco d'Anconia and Hank Rearden, near the end of Part Two, Chapter Three:
"Mr. Rearden," said Francisco, his voice solemnly calm, "if you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of this strength, and the greater his effort the heavier the world bore down on his shoulders – what would you tell him to do?"
"I … don't know. What … could he do? What would you tell him?"
"To shrug."
In the world of Atlas Shrugged, society stagnates when independent productive achievers began to be socially demonized and even punished for their accomplishments, even though society had been far more healthy and prosperous by allowing, encouraging, and rewarding self-reliance and individual achievement. Independence and personal happiness flourished to the extent that people were free, and achievement was rewarded to the extent that individual ownership of private property was strictly respected. The hero, John Galt, lives a life of laissez-faire capitalism as the only way to live consistent with his beliefs.
Atlas Shrugged is an extremely political book. It portrays fascism, socialism and communism – any form of state intervention in societal affairs, as systemically, and therefore fatally, flawed. However, Rand claimed that it is not a fundamentally political book, but that the politics portrayed in the novel are a result of her attempt to display her image of the ideal person and the individual mind's position and value in society.
The book is rooted in Objectivism, the philosophical system founded by Rand. Rand argues that independence and individual achievement enable society to survive and thrive, and should be embraced. But this requires a "rational" moral code. She argues that, over time, coerced self-sacrifice causes any society to self-destruct.
She is similarly dismissive of faith beyond reason, in a god or higher being, or anything else as an authority over one's own mind. The book positions itself against religion specifically, often directly within the characters' dialogue.
Setting
Exactly when Atlas Shrugged is meant to take place is kept deliberately vague. In 152, the population of is given as 7 million. The historical New York City reached 7 million people in the 1930s, which might place the novel sometime after that. There are many early 20th century technologies available, but the political situation is clearly different from actual history. One interpretation is that the novel takes place a hundred (or perhaps hundreds) of years in the future, implying that since the world lapsed into its socialistic morass, a global-wide stagnation has occurred in technological growth, population growth, and indeed growth of any kind; the wars, economic depressions, and other events of the 20th century would be a distant memory to all but scholars and academicians. This would be in line with Rand's ideas and commentary on other novels depicting Utopian and dystopian societies. Furthermore, this is also in line with an excerpt from a 1964 interview with Playboy magazine in which Rand states "What we have today is not a capitalist society, but a mixed economy – that is, a mixture of freedom and controls, which, by the presently dominant trend, is moving toward dictatorship. The action in Atlas Shrugged takes place at a time when society has reached the stage of dictatorship. When and if this happens, that will be the time to go on strike, but not until then," thus implying that her novel takes place at some point in the future. The concept of societal stagnation in the wake of collectivist systems is central to the plot of another of Rand's works, Anthem.All countries outside the US have become, or become during the novel, "People's States". There are many examples of early 20th century technology in Atlas Shrugged, but no post-war advances such as nuclear weapons, helicopters, or computers. Jet planes are mentioned briefly as being a relatively new technology. Television is a novelty that has yet to assume any cultural significance, while radio broadcasts are prominent. Though Rand does not use in the book many of the technological innovations available while she was writing, she introduces some advanced, fictional inventions (e.g., sound-based weapons of mass destruction, torture devices, as well as power plants), although it could be argued the sound weapon was modeled after experimental German weapons developed during WWII.
Most of the action in Atlas Shrugged occurs in the . However, there are important events around the world, such as in the People's States of Mexico, Chile, and Argentina, and piracy at sea.
Plot
The novel's plot, split into three sections (though the story is coherent apart from these) is extremely complex. The first two sections, and to some extent the last, follow Dagny Taggart, a no-nonsense railroad executive, and her attempt to keep the company alive despite repeated encroachment by a society falling toward collectivism/altruism/statism. All throughout the novel people repeat a platitude Dagny greatly resents: "Who is John Galt?" It is a reflection of their helplessness, as the saying means "Don't ask important questions, because they don't have answers."
The geniuses of the world seem to be disappearing, and the apparent decline of civilization is making it more and more difficult for her to sustain her life-long aspirations of running the trans-continental railroad, which has been in her family for several generations. She deals with other characters such as Hank Rearden, a self-made businessman of great integrity whose career is hindered by his false feelings of obligation towards his wife. Francisco d'Anconia, Dagny's childhood friend, first love, and king of the copper industry, appears to have become a worthless playboy who is purposely destroying his business.
As the novel progresses: the myths about the real John Galt, as well as Francisco d'Anconia's actions, increasingly become a reflection of the state of the culture, and seem to make more and more sense; and, Hank and Dagny begin to experience the futility of their attempts to survive in a society that hates them and those like them for their greatness.
During their plight, Dagny and Hank find the remnants of a motor that turns atmospheric energy into kinetic energy, an astounding feat; they also find evidence that the minds (the "Atlases") of the world are disappearing because of one particular "destroyer" taking them away. Dagny and Hank deal with the irrationalities and apparent contradictions of their atmosphere, and search for the creator of the motor as well as "the destroyer" who is draining the world of its prime movers, in an effort to secure their ability to live rational lives.
The question "Who is John Galt?" is also answered towards the closing of the novel - John Galt is a man disgusted that non-productive members of society use laws and guilt to leech from the value created by productive members of society. He made a pledge that he will never live his life for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for him, and founded an enclave, seperate from the rest of the country, where he and other productive members of society have fled.
Social Concepts in Atlas Shrugged
Sanction of the Victim
The Sanction of the Victim is defined as "the willingness of the good to suffer at the hands of the evil, to accept the role of sacrificial victim for the 'sin' of creating values."The entire story of Atlas Shrugged can be seen as an answer to the question, what would happen if this sanction was revoked? When Atlas shrugs, relieving himself of the burden of carrying the world, he is revoking his sanction.
The concept is supposedly original in the thinking of Ayn Rand and is foundational to her moral theory. She holds that evil is a parasite on the good and can only exist if the good tolerates it. To quote from Galt's Speech: "Evil is impotent and has no power but that which we let it extort from us", and, "I saw that evil was impotent...and the only weapon of its triumph was the willingness of the good to serve it." Morality requires that we do not sanction our own victimhood, Rand claims. In adhering to this concept, Rand assigns virtue to the trait of selfishness.
Throughout Atlas Shrugged, numerous characters admit that there is something wrong with the world but they cannot put their finger on what it is. The concept they cannot grasp is the sanction of the victim. The first person to grasp the concept is John Galt, who vows to stop the motor of the world by getting the creators of the world to withhold their sanction.
We first glimpse the concept in section 121 when Hank Rearden feels he is duty-bound to support his family, despite their hostility towards him.
In section 146 the principle is stated explicitly by Dan Conway: "I suppose somebody's got to be sacrificed. If it turned out to be me, I have no right to complain."
Social classes
Rand is sometimes called an elitist. This claim is probably accurate if we allow for the fact that Rand had her own standard of eliteness – throughout Atlas Shrugged, productive and creative ability is equated with virtue.Different social classes are represented among both the heroes and the villains of Atlas Shrugged. Among the heroes, John Galt and Hank Rearden are from working class backgrounds, while Dagny Taggart and Francisco d'Anconia are from wealthy families. Among the villains, Fred Kinnan is from a working class background, while James Taggart and Betty Pope are from wealthy families.
Theory of Sex
In rejecting the traditional Christian altruistic moral code, Rand also rejects the sexual code that, in her view, is a logical implication of altruism.Rand introduces a theory of sex in Atlas Shrugged which is purportedly implied by her broader ethical and psychological theories. Far from being a debasing animal instinct, sex is the highest celebration of our greatest values. Sex is a physical response to intellectual and spiritual values – a mechanism for giving concrete expression to values that could otherwise only be experienced in the abstract.
One is sexually attracted to those who embody one's values. Those who have base values will be attracted to baseness, to those who also have ignoble values. Those who lack any clear purpose will find sex devoid of meaning. People of high values will respond sexually to those who embody high values.
Though radical for the time Atlas Shrugged was published, the general idea of sexual desire as a response to the embodiment of our values originally appeared in Socrates's Speech in Plato's Symposium.
This sexual theory is illustrated in the contrasting relationships of Hank Rearden with Lillian Rearden and Dagny Taggart, and later with Dagny Taggart and John Galt.
Other important illustrations of this theory are found in:
- Section 152 – recounts Dagny's relationship with Francisco d'Anconia.
- Section 161 – recounts Hank and Lillian Rearden's courtship, and Lillian's attitude towards sex.
Companies
The companies in Atlas Shrugged are generally divided into two groups: these that are operated by sympathetic characters are given the name of the owner, while companies operated by evil or incompetent characters are given generic names. Those who use their own names to name their companies become Strikers, with the minor exception of Mr. Ayers of the Ayers Music Publishing Company.Hank Rearden's companies are all named after him; Wyatt Oil after Ellis Wyatt; and Taggart Transcontinental and d'Anconia Copper are named after their founders (and, being family-held, their present owners). Hammond Motors and Ayers Music Publishing are also presented as competent.
Orren Boyle named his government-dependent, influence-peddling company Associated Steel. The Phoenix-Durango railroad had also been insignificant, until it prospered accidentally, because of Ellis Wyatt's energy. A number of minor, but generically named, companies break contracts with Taggart Transcontinental, or otherwise let it down.
Fictional technology
Because the book centers on industrial capitalism, Ayn Rand mentions many technologies throughout the book. In addition to normal technologies, she introduces several fictional inventions, including refractor rays (Gulch mirage), Rearden Metal, a sonic death ray ("Project X"), voice activated door locks (Gulch power station), motors powered by static electricity, palm-activated door locks (Galt's NY lab), shale-oil drilling, and a nerve-induction torture machine.She also refers, however, to the "screech" of a traffic-signal, implying that it signals by moving flags on mechanical arms, which was already old-fashioned when the book was written.
Project X
Project X is an invention of the scientists at the state science institute, requiring tons of Rearden Metal. It is a sonic weapon, capable of destroying everything in a 100-mile radius. The scientists claim that the project will be used to preserve peace and squash rebellion. It is destroyed towards the end of the book, and emits a sonic pulse that destroys everything in the surrounding area, including Cuffy Meigs and Dr. Stadler, as well as the Taggart Bridge.Rearden Metal
Rearden metal is a fictitious metal alloy invented by Hank Rearden. It is lighter than traditional steel but stronger, and is to steel what steel was to iron. It is described as greenish-blue. Among its ingredients are iron and copper.Initially no one is willing to use Rearden metal because no one wants to stick his neck out and be the first to try it. Finally, Dagny Taggart places an order for Rearden Metal when she needs rails to rebuild the dying Rio Norte Line.
Galt's Motor
John Galt invented a new type of electrical apparatus described in the book as a motor. This motor was able to pull energy from the air, effectively creating energy from nothing.Dagny discovers a discarded prototype of the motor and it is superficially described in section Part 1, Chapter 9. Galt shows Dagny the motor and describes it in Part 3, Chapter 1.
Criticism
| The [Neutral point of view>neutrality] of this section is [NPOV disputedisputed]. Please see the discussion on the [National Review commissioned a highly critical review (by Whittaker Chambers) arguing against the novel's implicit endorsement of atheism whereby "Randian man, like Marxian man is made the center of a godless world."Chambers, Whittaker. "[Big Sister Is Watching You]." National Review. January 5, 2005. In response, the Objectivist magazine The Intellectual Activist argued that Chambers did not actually read the novel.Tracinski, Robert W. "[A Half-Century-Old Attack on Ayn Rand Reminds Us of the Dark Side of Conservatism]". Capitalism Magazine. January 6, 2005. Another conservative, philosopher Russell Kirk, "groused that people read her novels 'for the fornicating bits.'"McLemee, Scott. "[The Heirs of Ayn Rand: Has Objectivism Gone Subjective?]" Retrieved May 26, 2006. Writer and former Objectivist George Saunders claims that the mentality of Atlas Shrugged is very similar to neoconservativism. He says the book tells people they are special without giving any proof of it, and equates weakness with evil. He also claims that "Ayn Rand writes bad prose".Bemis, Alec Hanley. "[Mean Snacks and Monkey Shit: Talking bananas with George Saunders]". LA Weekly. May 10, 2006. Political critic Arianna Huffington asserts that Rand's vision of businessmen in Atlas Shrugged differs from how they act in reality. Rand's businessman is one "who earns what he gets and does not give or take the undeserved" and "does not ask to be paid for his failures, nor does he ask to be loved for his flaws", which, according to Huffington, contradicts with how modern CEOs act, especially in the case of the Enron scandal.Huffington, Arianna. "[The Enron bonus plan]". Salon.com. April 20, 2002. However, Rand does show examples of businessmen who act in such a manner i.e. Orren Boyle, Jim Taggart.
A leftist columnist for The Washington Monthly claimed that Atlas Shrugged is the seventh most harmful book of the 19th and 20th century, calling it "absurd – and interminable" and claiming that it "appeals mostly to impressionable teenagers who quickly grow out of it."Drum, Kevin. "[Books We Former Ayn Rand associate Nathaniel Branden argues that Atlas Shrugged "encourages emotional repression and self-disowning" and that it, along with Rand's other major Objectivist novel, The Fountainhead, contains contradictory messages. Though he notes that the book shows that Rand understood the human need for social interaction, Branden claims that "rarely you find the heroes and heroine talking to each other on a simple, human level without launching into philosophical sermons," which he believes is used to increase the reader's self-alienation. He further questions the psychological impact of the novel stating that John Galt's claim that contempt and moral condemnation are appropriate responses to wrongdoing clashes with the recommendations of psychologists, who say that this kind of behavior only causes the wrongdoing to repeat itself.Branden, Nathaniel. "[The Benefits and Hazards of the Philosophy of Ayn Rand: A Personal Statement]". 1984. On the other hand, Howard Dickman of Reader's Digest wrote that the novel had "turned millions of readers on to the ideas of liberty" and said that the book had the important message of the readers' "profound right to be happy." The libertarian Cato Institute held a conference to celeberate the fortieth anniversary of the publication of Atlas Shrugged."[Cato Events: Hundreds Gather to Celebrate Atlas Shrugged]". Cato Policy Report. November/December 1997. Conservative Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Clarence Thomas cites Atlas Shrugged as among his favorite novels,Bidinotto, Robert James. "[Celebrity 'Rand Fans' – Clarence Thomas]". Retrieved May 26, 2006. as does libertarian conservative Larry Elder.[link] Chip Mellor of the libertarian Institute for Justice writes that "Whether they have adopted her philosophy wholeheartedly or found her writings of more transitory interest, countless individuals working to secure liberty have found inspiration in the works of Ayn Rand. With her unique ability to depict heroism, idealism, and romance behind the creativity of the individual, Rand inspires readers to come to the defense of free minds and free markets. [link]" In a notoriousSubject of article: Headlam, Bruce. "[Forget Joyce; Bring on Ayn Rand]." The New York Times July 30, 1998, G4 (Late Edition, East Coast).Subject of article: Yardley, Jonathan. "The Voice of the People Speaks. Too Bad It Doesn't Have Much to Say." The Washington Post August 10, 1998, D2 (Final Edition). Retrieved from ProQuest Historical Newspapers. three-month online poll of reader selections of the hundred best books of the twentieth century, administered by publisher Modern Library, Atlas Shrugged was voted number one, ahead of The Fountainhead, Battlefield Earth, and The Lord of the Rings, while the list chosen by the Modern Library panel of authors and scholars contains no works by Rand."[100 Best Novels]". RandomHouse.com. Retrieved June 20, 2006. Because Battlefield Earth and two other books by science fiction writer and Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard were in the top ten, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ray Jenkins compares Rand's popularity to that of Hubbard, calling her "a goddess of a great American cult."Jenkins, Ray. "Ayn Rand after a century: Who was she – and why?" Baltimore Sun February 16, 2003. Retrieved from http://www.rickross.com/reference/general/general531.html. He goes on to state that her works were "ignored or deplored by the critics of the day" and that even the most dedicated fans find Galt's sixty-page speech to be "heavy slogging." Literary critic Harold Bloom found Atlas Shrugged to have merit, including Rand in an anthology he edited [link]. Film adaptationRights to the novel Atlas Shrugged were purchased by the Baldwin Entertainment Group in 2003. Lions Gate has picked up worldwide distribution rights, and James V. Hart is writing the screenplay; Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (both fans of Rand's works) are rumored to be cast as John Galt and Dagny Taggart.McClintock, Pamela. "[Lionsgate shrugging: 'Atlas' pic mapped]". Variety. April 26, 2006.Two works of Rand's – The Fountainhead and We the Living – have been adapted into movies so far. See alsoReferencesFurther readingPublications
Foreign translations
Reviews
Satires and parodies
External links
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