I finished the book; Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand the first week of June. I have purposely avoided writing about it because I’m entirely too stumped to know WHAT to write. First off, the book was fantastic, the perfect balance of romance, business, philosophy, behavior, and politics. As I flew through all 65 hours of the audio book my attention was tee totally and completely unbroken. I fell madly in love with Dagny Taggart and wished only to be just like her. I idolized Hank Reardon as if he were my own flesh and blood. I fantasized about being swept away by Francisco d’ Anconia. I pitied Cheryl Brooks as she blindly misunderstood Jim Taggart. I respected Eddie Willers for always doing his best, although he had no observable capacity to really take a stand against the looters. I loathed Jim Taggart as a truly immoral and logical enemy. And I prayed for the real life existence of John Galt. I pondered, questioned, and analyzed the characters as if they were my own personal friends and enemies. For this reason alone, Ayn Rand was successful in writing a beyond describable manuscript.
I have studied a great deal of personal reviews concerning Rand’s political philosophies and there seem to be two vastly different conclusions. Either you love it, because you believe in personal responsibility and the value of retaining control over your God given mental abilities. Or, you despise Rand’s ideas because you believe people are incapable of acting on a moral basis, therefore making capitalism and an unattainable ideal. One review I read didn’t like Atlas Shrugged because they were concerned with how Rand’s philosophies failed to consider how people “feel” inside; going so far as to say Dagny repeatedly let Hank “rape” her because Hank thought of Dagny as being his personal ‘property’. Also mentioned were the people who aren’t capable of contributing to society, how does capitalism make them feel? Really??
Someone else expressed the opinion that capitalism only works when people are perfect and never take advantage of capitalistic freedoms; mentioning sweat shops, environmental pollution, low wages, child labor, etc. Truth be told these are negative consequences of capitalism but they can be policed without destroying the freedoms of others. I am afraid opponents to Atlas Shrugged are unable to evaluate the consequences of sound business and political decisions and have replaced logical consequence with intangible and unmanageable emotional fuzzy wuzzies. Readers should keep in mind this is a Science Fiction novel using characters that portray the best of the best and the worst of the worst to prove a philosophical point.
I suppose I should stop expressing my disgust with the communistic view points of others (they are free to think as they will, are they not?) and share some of my favorite Atlas Shrugged quotes.
“I swear by my life and my love of it that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.”
Atlas Shrugged (Part 3, Chapter 1, Page 731
If one’s actions are honest, one does not need the predated confidence of others, only their rational perception.”
— Francisco d’Anconia (Part 1, Chapter 6, Pg 146)
It was the greatest sensation of existence: not to trust, but to know.”
Atlas Shrugged (Part 1, Chapter 8, Page 240)
Don’t ever get angry at a man for stating the truth.”
— Dagny Taggart
Atlas Shrugged (Part 1, Chapter 10, Page 297
By the essence and nature of existence, contradictions cannot exist.”
— Hugh Akston
Atlas Shrugged (Part 1, Chapter 10, Page 303
Wealth is the product of man’s capacity to think.”
— Francisco d’Anconia
Atlas Shrugged (Part 2, Chapter 2, Page 411)
“Love is our response to our highest values — and can be nothing else.”
— Francisco d’Anconia
Atlas Shrugged (Part 2, Chapter 4, Page 490
What’s wealth but the means of expanding one’s life? There’s two ways one can do it: either by producing more or by producing it faster.”
— Ellis Wyatt
Atlas Shrugged (Part 3, Chapter 1, Page 721)
“What greater wealth is there than to own your life and to spend it on growing? Every living thing must grow. It can’t stand still. It must grow or perish.”
— Ellis Wyatt
Atlas Shrugged (Part 3, Chapter 1, Page 722
No one’s happiness but my own is in my power to achieve or to destroy.”
— John Galt
Atlas Shrugged (Part 3, Chapter 2, Page 798
She had learned… that honest people were never touchy about the matter of being trusted.”
— Narrator (referring to Cherryl Brooks)
Atlas Shrugged (Part 3, Chapter 4, Page 876
The only proper purpose of a government is to protect man’s rights, which means: to protect him from physical violence… The only proper functions of a government are: the police, to protect you from criminals; the army to protect you from foreign invaders; and the courts, to protect your property and contracts from breach or fraud by others, to settle disputes by rational rules, according to objective law.”
-John Galt
Altlas Shrugged (Part 3, Chapter 7, Page 1062)
Emotions are inherent in your nature, but their content is dictated by your mind. Your emotional capacity is an empty motor, and your values are the fuel with which your mind fills it.”
— John Galt
Atlas Shrugged (Part 3, Chapter 7, Page 1,021)
By the grace of reality and the nature of life, man–every man–is an end in himself, he exists for his own sake, and the achievement of his own happiness is his highest moral purpose.”
— John Galt
Atlas Shrugged (Part 3, Chapter 7, Page 1,014
You don’t have to see through the eyes of others, hold onto yours, stand on your own judgment, you know that what is, is–say it aloud, like the holiest of prayers, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”
— Dagny Taggart
Atlas Shrugged (Part 3, Chapter 4, Page 890
I could go on and on! If only all politicians and business men would learn the concepts taught here. Because this story is so complex with so many characters Wikipedia has graciously provided us with thisList of Characters to keep them all straight. Spark Notes also has some great questions to ponder, and the official Atlas Shrugged website is full of fascinating tidbits. A must read!