"Atlas Shrugged"

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, in Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged," all of the novel's heroes believe in the primacy of individualism and capitalism. The author points out that the villains of "Atlas Shrugged" attempt to control the flow of capital and of creativity by creating a socialist state in which the greatest thinkers and entrepreneurs stifle their natural inclinations. The paper concludes that the chaos, which takes place throughout the course of the novel, illustrates Rand's thesis that money is the root of good, not evil, and that state-controlled industry is the ultimate affront to the human mind and human potential.

From the Paper:

"For example, John Galt, the statuesque hero of Atlas Shrugged, creates the "strike of the mind" in response to the government's attempt to usurp the free flow of capital and ideas. His name reflects the centrality of money to the novel's theme: Galt sound similar to gelt, a slang term of German and Yiddish origin denoting money. The meaning of Galt's name is underscored by his heroic stature. The protagonist of Atlas Shrugged, Dagny Taggart, also upholds the book's central theme of the beneficence of money."

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