Rand lived and worked in Hollywood for several years, experiencing firsthand Hollywood success as a writer. She settled in the United States because the economic freedoms resonated with her. Having grown up witnessing the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and emigrating to Crimea (an unstable region, then part of Ukraine), Rand idealized Western culture and society. This novel’s author, Ayn Rand, has more reason than most to promote a pro-capitalism message through her writing. Major Symbols: Dollar signs, the bracelet, Wyatt’s Torch, AtlasĬlimax: Dagny discovers the vanished men and has to decide whether or not to join their strike. Plot: Told chronologically in past tense by a third person omniscient narrator

The nationalization of railway lines and the retirement of several talented entrepreneurs is enhancing the railway crisis.Ĭonflict: Dagny has to work to keep her railroad business from collapse. Motifs: Rhetorical questions bridges motorsĮxposition: Dagny Taggart is navigating deteriorating environmental conditions as the vice president of operations for Taggart Transportation. Major Thematic Elements: The profound power of the mind the downsides of collective action the incorporated power between mind and body Do you say this is impossible? Well, that is the first of your premises to check.Antagonist: James (Jim) Taggart the government It is a philosophical revolution, told in the form of an action thriller of violent events, a ruthlessly brilliant plot structure and an irresistible suspense. This is a mystery story, not about the murder - and rebirth - of man’s spirit. You must be prepared, when you read this novel, to check every premise at the root of your convictions. Tremendous in its scope, this novel presents an astounding panorama of human life - from the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy - to the great steel industrialist who does not know that he is working for his own destruction - to the philosopher who becomes a pirate - to the composer who gives up his career on the night of his triumph - to the woman who runs a transcontinental railroad - to the lowest track worker in her Terminal tunnels. Why did he have to fight his battle, not against his enemies, but against those who needed him most, and his hardest battle against the woman he loved? What is the world’s motor - and the motive power of every man? You will know the answer to these questions when you discover the reason behind the baffling events that play havoc with the lives of the characters in this story. Was he a destroyer or the greatest of liberators? This is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world and did.

Rand atlas shrugged