Atlas Shrugged

By Ayn Rand

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Who is John Galt?

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This is my 3rd time reading Ayn Rand’s classic novel.  It is a great read when one feels as though the world is falling apart and frustration with national and world events and politics is reaching a peak.

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Set in a dystopian future where the U.S. is crumbling under bureaucratic control, the story revolves around Dagny Taggart, a railroad executive, and Hank Rearden, a steel magnate. Both struggle to maintain their businesses amidst widespread economic collapse and government interference.

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The novel’s central theme is the role of individual achievement in a society that penalizes success. The mysterious John Galt leads a “strike of the mind,” enticing the world’s most talented individuals from a system that exploits their innovations and efforts to build a society where they can grow and achieve to their full potential.

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This is a long novel and several times the characters go into long diatribes or monologues.  These describe much of Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism which is similar to the philosophy of the Libertarian Party.  I skipped many paragraphs of these monologues and did not feel like I lost any continuity in the storyline.

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Atlas Shrugged explores the impact of government control on personal freedom and creativity. Though its philosophical stance may be polarizing, the book is a thought-provoking examination of individualism and its role in a successful society.

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By Marie Brennan