Atlas Shrugged

by Ayn Rand

Review of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

“Atlas Shrugged is the astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world--and did. Tremendous in scope, breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged stretches the boundaries further than any book you have ever read. It is a mystery, not about the murder of a man's body, but about the murder--and rebirth--of man's spirit.”-from the dust jacket.

       Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is a novel that takes readers through events that take place over a period of decades and all across America.  The book starts by introducing the Taggart family and the railroad, Taggart Transcontinental, that they own and operate.  The protagonist of the novel is Dagny Taggart, the younger sister of Jim Taggart, the president of TT.  As the story unfolds we follow Dagny’s efforts to save the railroad from the incompetence and indecisiveness of the nation and her own brother.

       The country is in a stage of collectivism and the hard working industrialists are paying the price.  No one in society wants to take responsibility for anything or make anything happen.  They want things simply handed to them without reason.  Dagny and her cast of like minded objectivists constantly struggle to keep the country afloat even though it seems that the people will do nothing to prevent it from sinking.

       Other characters like Hank Rearden, Ellis Wyatt, and Francisco D’Anconia play major roles in promoting the idea that every man should have what he earns rather than every man having what he needs weather he has earned it or not.  In the book it is worded as “every man according to his ability” and “every man according to his need”.  The hero, John Galt, isn’t even introduced to the reader until 2/3 of the way through the book.  Not to worry though.  You still have 400-500 pages to go.  John Galt is Rand’s interpretation of man’s ideal.  He embodies everything her philosophy embraces.  

       Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand have developed a cult following due to the strong beliefs she portrays in the characters in her novels.  Atlas Shrugged is her masterpiece and is the last work of fiction that she wrote.  It is my favorite novel that I have read to date.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand was reviewed by Rand Fan

       Atlas Shrugged is a terribly dull and slow novel. One third of it is written in a weird symbolic language in which Rand describes facial expressions and how people get aware of eachother. Another third contains a plot. The last third consists of moral tirades in which the characters again and again talk about how terrible it is with plan economy and how capitalism is the only moral acceptable way. The climax comes when one of the novels main characters talks about how extremely evil Robin Hood was.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand was reviewed by Anti Objectivist

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