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The book Atlas Shrugged begins following Eddie Willers as he walks to the Taggart Terminal.  He passes a homeless man who remarks, “Who is John Galt?”  Shuddering Eddie walks off. The Taggart Terminal is a high ceiling train terminal with a large statue of Taggart Transcontinental’s founder, Nathaniel Taggart.  Eddie promptly gets in an argument with James Taggart, who is the President of Taggart Transcontinental, over a dispute involving an order of steel from Orren Boyle, who is president of Associated Steel because it is over 6 months late. Jim insists that Orren is his friend, and that he will come through.
'''''Atlas Shrugged''''' (ISBN 0451191145) is a [[novel]] by [[Ayn Rand]], first published in [[1957]] in the [[United States|USA]].  
Our heroine, Dagny Taggart, who is Operating Vice-President of Taggart Transcontinental, later gets in from her trip to inspect the Rio Norte Line, which is in worse shape then she expected.
 
She is Jim’s sister, and both of them are direct descendants of Nathaniel. James, or Jim, as he is most often referred to as, doesn’t really know how to run a railroad, but he does have ‘friends’.
==Philosophy and writing==
When Dagny returns she tells Jim she canceled the order of steel from Orren Boyle.  She instead ordered Rearden Metal, invented by Hank Rearden of Rearden Steel, which is has three times the strength of steel but only a fraction of the weight, but it has never been used for anything.
 
Jim is outraged at Dagny because Orren is his friend.
The theme of ''Atlas Shrugged'' is the role of the mind in life and society. Rand argues that independent thinking, creativity and inventiveness that comes from this, is the motor that runs the world. In ''Atlas Shrugged'' she shows what she thinks would happen to the world if the "men of the mind" went on [[Strike action|strike]]: the motor of the world would shut down and civilization would fall apart. The book has its roots entirely in [[Objectivist philosophy|Objectivism]], the systematic philosophy pioneered by Rand.
When the railroad association forces a certain company in Colorado to go out of business, Dagny quickly strives to build rail out to Colorado to prevent the big industries in Colorado from being without transportation to move their goods. Because Jim doesn’t want to have the bad publicity of making a line of rail out of Rearden Steel, Dagny temporarily forms another company to construct the John Galt Line.
 
After completing the Line, she and Hank Rearden take the first ride over the whole line. The Line is important because Colorado’s industry has been exploding lately.  When they arrive in Colorado they spend the night at Ellis Wyatt’s house, an oil tycoon whose brilliant methods promise to make oil flow continuously. That night they have sex for the first time, despite the fact that Hank is married.
Rand suggests that a society will stagnate to the extent that independence and individual achievement are discouraged or demonized. Inversely, a society will become more prosperous as it allows, encourages, and rewards independence and individual achievement. Rand believed that independence flourishes to the extent that people are free, and that achievement is most fairly rewarded when [[private property]] is strictly observed. She advocated [[laissez-faire capitalism]] as the [[political system]] she believed to be the most consistent with these beliefs. These considerations make ''Atlas Shrugged'' a highly political book, especially in its portrayal of [[socialism]] and [[communism]] as fundamentally flawed.
They go on a ‘vacation’ together, staying in hotels under false names, all the while looking at old factories, looking for ideas or things that can be reused.  At the remains of the Twentieth Century Motor Company they find the remains of a self-sustaining motor that drew static electricity from the air.
 
Dagny traces the history of the ownership of the Twentieth Century Motor Company to find the man who invented the motor.  Long after Hank returned home, her search led her to a dinner, where the cook was Hugh Akston, a philosopher taught at the renown Patrick Henry University.  He gives her some insight and a cigarette bearing the sign of the dollar.
Rand also argues that traits like independence and individual achievement, which currently drive the world, are actually virtues, and in her worldview are central to a "rational" [[moral code]]. She strongly disputes the notion that self-sacrifice is a virtue, and is similarly dismissive of human faith in a god, higher being and indeed any form of mysticism. The book itself addresses — and refutes — [[Christianity]] specifically. This is often done openly by the novel's characters. These ethical considerations are prominent in ''Atlas Shrugged''.
All over the world at this time people are advocating the practice of helping others, and that there is no mind.  They say that man’s biggest delusion is that he thinks that he thinks, whereas in reality, no one is capable of thinking.  A book is published called “Why do you think you think?”  They do things because of a ‘feeling’, not because of logic.  They criticize people like Hang and Dagny because they think logically to make money and they want to keep what they earn instead of giving it to other people just because ‘they need it.’  They all use the phrase “Who is John Galt?” in conversation, referring to a question that can’t be answered.
 
She hires a man, Quentin Daniels of the Utah Institute of Technology, to work on the remnants of the motor and try to make it work, if he succeeds, it would mean a major revolution in the world of power production.
According to a joint survey conducted in [[1991]] by the [[Library of Congress]] and the [[Book of the Month Club]], ''Atlas Shrugged'' is recognized by numerous authors as the "second most influential book for [[United States|American]]s today", after the [[Bible]] [http://www.loc.gov/loc/cfbook/booklists.html]. In addition, the [[Boston Public Library]] has named ''Atlas Shrugged'' as one of the most influential books of the twentieth century. [http://www.bpl.org/research/AdultBooklists/influential.htm]
Jim marries a girl he finds in a dollar store, and at the wedding party Hank and Dagny both attend, and a third intellectual also attends.  Francisco d’Anconia, heir and president of d’Anconia Copper and also a childhood friend of Dagny’s who was in fact the first person to have sex with her, gives a speech countering the statement that money is evil, saying that money is noble because it represents the efforts and time of whoever earned it, and that buying something is actually trading these efforts with the efforts of someone else.
 
All over the country the greatest industrialists have been quitting, just getting up and leaving their businesses and disappearing.  Among these is Ellis Wyatt, who set fire to his oil fields, due to a directive that resulted in the strangling of Colorado’s industrial success passed by Wesley Mouch, the new economic coordinator of the country, has issued a series of directives a fire that is never quenched throughout the entire novel. Dagny is convinced that there is a destroyer out there, someone who has something to say to these industrialists that causes them to just get up and leave, without a trace.
== Setting ==
Then Wesley Mooch issues Directive 10-289, which states that no one can change his or her job, no new products can be invented, no new books can be written, everyone has to spend the same amount of money, and to make the same amount of money as the did in the benchmark year.
 
Dagny attempts to quit by going to a summer home that belongs to her family. Finding it impossible to separate herself from the railroad, she returns only to find a letter from Quentin Daniels saying that he would no longer take her money, and that he would continue to work on the motor alone. She tells him not to do anything until she gets there, and she quickly gets on a train heading east to Utah.
Exactly when ''Atlas Shrugged'' is meant to take place is kept deliberately vague. In [[Wikibooks:Structure of Atlas Shrugged|section]] 152, the population of [[Places in Atlas_Shrugged|New York]] is given as 7 [[million]]. The historical [[Places in Atlas_Shrugged|New York City]] reached 7 million people in the [[1930s]], placing the novel sometime after that. There are numerous early [[20th century]] technologies available, but the political situation is clearly different from actual history. It is as if history had changed around [[1900]], and the world went unimpeded down a gradual path towards socialism for perhaps 40 years, with no [[World War]] or [[Great Depression]]. Another 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 [[scholar]]s and [[academician]]s.  This latter interpretation falls in line with Rand's own ideas and commentary on other novels depicting utopian and dystopian societies.  Indeed, she criticized the combination of societal regimentation, collectivist values, and advanced technology in other authors' works as unrealistic in light of her philosophic connection between freedom, individualism, and progress.  The concept of societal stagnation in the wake of collectivist systems is central to the plot of another of Rand's works, ''Anthem''.
On the train she meets a tramp
 
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|technology]] in ''Atlas Shrugged'', but no post-war technologies such as [[jet plane]]s, [[nuclear weapon]]s, [[helicopter]]s, or [[computer]]s; [[television]] is a novelty that has yet to assume any cultural significance, while [[radio]] broadcasts are prominent. Despite this, many of the same concepts discussed concerning the World Wars and weapons of war are addressed, as [[weapons of mass destruction]] in different forms exist in the book.  
 
Most of the action in ''Atlas Shrugged'' takes place in the [[Places in Atlas_Shrugged|United States]]. There are, however, events occurring in countries around the world that affect the plot, such as those in the People's States of [[Mexico]], [[Chile]], and [[Argentina]] or those involving [[piracy]] on the world's oceans.
 
==Plot==
<!-- TODO: this needs work! -->
*'''[[Structure of Atlas Shrugged]]'''
*[[Atlas Shrugged part one|Part one]]
*[[Atlas Shrugged part two|Part two]]
*[[Atlas Shrugged part three|Part three]]
 
==Publications==
 
* ''Atlas Shrugged'', Ayn Rand; Signet; (September 1996) ISBN 0451191145
* ''Atlas Shrugged (Cliffs Notes)'', Andrew Bernstein; [[Cliffs Notes]]; (June 5, 2000) ISBN 0764585568
* ''The World of Atlas Shrugged'', Robert Bidinotto/The Objectivist Center; HighBridge Company; (April 19, 2001) ISBN 156511471X
* ''Atlas Shrugged: Manifesto of the Mind (Twayne's Masterwork Studies, No. 174)'' Mimi Reisel Gladstein; Twayne Pub; (June 2000) ISBN 0805716386
* ''The Moral Revolution in Atlas Shrugged'', [[Nathaniel Branden]]; The Objectivist Center; (July 1999) ISBN 1577240332
* ''Odysseus, Jesus, and Dagny'', Susan McCloskey; The Objectivist Center; (August 1, 1998) ISBN 1577240251
 
== Foreign translations ==
 
* Norwegian translation: "De som beveger verden" (2000). Publisher: Kagge Forlag. ISBN 8248900835 (hardcover), ISBN 8248901696 (paperback). Translator: John Erik Bøe Lindgren.
* Swedish translation: "Och världen skälvde" (2005). Publisher: [http://www.timbro.se/rand/ Timbro Förlag]. ISBN 9175665565. Translator: Maud Freccero.
* German translation: "Wer Ist John Galt?". Publisher: GEWIS Verlag, Hamburg, Germany. ISBN 3932564030.
* Turkish translation: "Atlas Vazgeçti" (2003). Publisher: Plato Yay&#305;nlar&#305;. ISBN 9759677261. Translator: Belk&#305;s Çorapç&#305;.
* Spanish translation: "La Rebelion de Atlas". Publisher: Editorial Grito Sagrado. ISBN 9872095108 (hardcover), ISBN 9872095116 (paperback)
* Polish Translation "Atlas Zbuntowany" (2004) Publisher: Zysk i S-ka. ISBN 83-7150-969-3 (Twarda) Translator: Iwona Michalowska.
 
 
==External links==
*[http://astore.amazon.com/objectivism-20/detail/0452011876 ''Atlas Shrugged'' on Amazon.com]
*[http://www.aynrand.org Excerpt from ''Atlas Shrugged''] at the [[Ayn Rand Institute|ARI]]
*[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480239/ ''Atlas Shrugged'' - the movie]
*[http://www.cordair.com/gaetano/ ''Atlas Shrugged'''s cover illustrator Nick Gaetano] at [[Quent Cordair Fine Art]]
 
[[Category:Atlas Shrugged]] [[Category:Fiction Books]]

Latest revision as of 01:53, 4 September 2010

Atlas Shrugged (ISBN 0451191145) is a novel by Ayn Rand, first published in 1957 in the USA.

Philosophy and writing

The theme of Atlas Shrugged is the role of the mind in life and society. Rand argues that independent thinking, creativity and inventiveness that comes from this, is the motor that runs the world. In Atlas Shrugged she shows what she thinks would happen to the world if the "men of the mind" went on strike: the motor of the world would shut down and civilization would fall apart. The book has its roots entirely in Objectivism, the systematic philosophy pioneered by Rand.

Rand suggests that a society will stagnate to the extent that independence and individual achievement are discouraged or demonized. Inversely, a society will become more prosperous as it allows, encourages, and rewards independence and individual achievement. Rand believed that independence flourishes to the extent that people are free, and that achievement is most fairly rewarded when private property is strictly observed. She advocated laissez-faire capitalism as the political system she believed to be the most consistent with these beliefs. These considerations make Atlas Shrugged a highly political book, especially in its portrayal of socialism and communism as fundamentally flawed.

Rand also argues that traits like independence and individual achievement, which currently drive the world, are actually virtues, and in her worldview are central to a "rational" moral code. She strongly disputes the notion that self-sacrifice is a virtue, and is similarly dismissive of human faith in a god, higher being and indeed any form of mysticism. The book itself addresses — and refutes — Christianity specifically. This is often done openly by the novel's characters. These ethical considerations are prominent in Atlas Shrugged.

According to a joint survey conducted in 1991 by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club, Atlas Shrugged is recognized by numerous authors as the "second most influential book for Americans today", after the Bible [1]. In addition, the Boston Public Library has named Atlas Shrugged as one of the most influential books of the twentieth century. [2]

Setting

Exactly when Atlas Shrugged is meant to take place is kept deliberately vague. In section 152, the population of New York is given as 7 million. The historical New York City reached 7 million people in the 1930s, placing the novel sometime after that. There are numerous early 20th century technologies available, but the political situation is clearly different from actual history. It is as if history had changed around 1900, and the world went unimpeded down a gradual path towards socialism for perhaps 40 years, with no World War or Great Depression. Another 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 latter interpretation falls in line with Rand's own ideas and commentary on other novels depicting utopian and dystopian societies. Indeed, she criticized the combination of societal regimentation, collectivist values, and advanced technology in other authors' works as unrealistic in light of her philosophic connection between freedom, individualism, and progress. 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 technologies such as jet planes, nuclear weapons, helicopters, or computers; television is a novelty that has yet to assume any cultural significance, while radio broadcasts are prominent. Despite this, many of the same concepts discussed concerning the World Wars and weapons of war are addressed, as weapons of mass destruction in different forms exist in the book.

Most of the action in Atlas Shrugged takes place in the United States. There are, however, events occurring in countries around the world that affect the plot, such as those in the People's States of Mexico, Chile, and Argentina or those involving piracy on the world's oceans.

Plot

Publications

  • Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand; Signet; (September 1996) ISBN 0451191145
  • Atlas Shrugged (Cliffs Notes), Andrew Bernstein; Cliffs Notes; (June 5, 2000) ISBN 0764585568
  • The World of Atlas Shrugged, Robert Bidinotto/The Objectivist Center; HighBridge Company; (April 19, 2001) ISBN 156511471X
  • Atlas Shrugged: Manifesto of the Mind (Twayne's Masterwork Studies, No. 174) Mimi Reisel Gladstein; Twayne Pub; (June 2000) ISBN 0805716386
  • The Moral Revolution in Atlas Shrugged, Nathaniel Branden; The Objectivist Center; (July 1999) ISBN 1577240332
  • Odysseus, Jesus, and Dagny, Susan McCloskey; The Objectivist Center; (August 1, 1998) ISBN 1577240251

Foreign translations

  • Norwegian translation: "De som beveger verden" (2000). Publisher: Kagge Forlag. ISBN 8248900835 (hardcover), ISBN 8248901696 (paperback). Translator: John Erik Bøe Lindgren.
  • Swedish translation: "Och världen skälvde" (2005). Publisher: Timbro Förlag. ISBN 9175665565. Translator: Maud Freccero.
  • German translation: "Wer Ist John Galt?". Publisher: GEWIS Verlag, Hamburg, Germany. ISBN 3932564030.
  • Turkish translation: "Atlas Vazgeçti" (2003). Publisher: Plato Yayınları. ISBN 9759677261. Translator: Belkıs Çorapçı.
  • Spanish translation: "La Rebelion de Atlas". Publisher: Editorial Grito Sagrado. ISBN 9872095108 (hardcover), ISBN 9872095116 (paperback)
  • Polish Translation "Atlas Zbuntowany" (2004) Publisher: Zysk i S-ka. ISBN 83-7150-969-3 (Twarda) Translator: Iwona Michalowska.


External links

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