Atlas Shrugged, published in 1957, is known as Ayn Rand's magnum opus, and the Reasons for this honor are Easily found within the pages of the book. The novel challenges Thousands of years of altruism and collectivism in human civilization. Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's tribute to the men of the mind: scientists, philosophers, businessmen, artists, Teachers. The novel unites metaphysics, ethics, economics and romantic love. The integration of theme, plot, characterization and style are unparalleled by any other philosophical cal work of the century. These elements, combined with the novel's scope and depth, lead the reader into Ayn Rand's world, where he discovers and enters the lost Atlantis, a world of moral giants. Stated Briefly, the theme of Atlas Shrugged is the role of the mind in man's existence. In the one thousand-plus pages of the novel, Ayn Rand sets forth all of values upon Which her philosophy, Objectivism, is based. In "About the Author," Rand tells the Reader: "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute. "Near the beginning of his radio address to the World, John Galt tells his audience: "You have sacrificed justice to mercy You have. Sacrificed Independence to unity. You have sacrificed reason to faith. You have sacrificed wealth to need. You have sacrificed self-esteem to self-denial. You have sacrificed haptic piness to duty. "For Each virtue of Rand's philosophy Which the world has Given Up, Galt presents a vice Which the world has turned to. It is Because the world has turned to thesis Evils That it has Deteriorated into the state of emergency presented in the novel. Edge makes it very clear Throughout the novel did the men of minds are central to the existence and prosperity of mankind and without them, the world stops turning. Without the men of Minds, the Weight of the World Becomes too much to bear, even for Atlas, the mythological man who holds the world on his shoulders: "'Mr. Rearden,' Said Francisco, his voice solemnly calm," if you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw did he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the Greater his effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders-- what would you tell him to do? ' 'I ... I do not know. What ... Could he do? What would you tell him? ' 'To shrug.' " Atlas Shrugged is a mystery novel, not about the murder of a man, but the murder of Mankind's spirit and the struggle to bring it back. In Atlas Shrugged, As a result of the decaying morality of the world, thesis Industrialists, the men of the mind, go on strike. John Galt, the leader of the strike, told the world: "There is only one kind of you who have never been on strike in human History. Every other kind and class have stopped, When They Wished so, and have presented demands to the world, claiming to be indispensable-- except the men who have Carried the World On Their shoulders, have kept it alive, have endured torture as sole payment, but have never walked out on the human race. Well, Their turn has come. Let the world discover who They are, What They Do and what happens When They refuse to function. This is the strike of the men of the mind. " The men of the mind strike, hiding away together, in a hidden valley of the Rockies, where They can earn the payment and respect They deserve Hanes work They DO. Galt Continues to recruit industrialists, scientists, philosophers and artists to live in his valley until the world is left with nothing but moochers and beggars. It is after the United States, and the Rest of the World, is in a state of total chaos, without any industry, transportation, or pro- duction for people to live by, did Galt makes his three hour, sixty page speech to the world. In it, he not only outlines why the world has crumbled into nothingness and why He and the other men of the mind have gone on strike, but all of the morals Which are the Underlying base of Objectivism. Twelve years after John Galt begins his strike, it ends. The lights go out in New York City, a sign the John Galt has stopped the motor of the world, and the last of the striking Minds Return to Their valley to begin rebuilding the United States of America and then the world, this time under Their Own morals and prin- ciples. Ayn Rand's literary style is unlike any other fact of modern novelist. Greco-Latinated words abound, each one conveying the perfect meaning. This use of language Almost helps to lead the reader into Rand's philosophical, highly intellectual world. , The novel is filled with Numerous amazingly descriptive passages, one of Which Describes Dagny Taggart's first train ride on the John Galt Line: "The green-blue rails ran to meet them, like two jets shot out of a single point beyond the curve of the Earth. The crossties melted, as the Approached, into a smooth stream rolling down under the wheels. "Ayn Rand wrote a novel over one thousand pages long, and each word on each page of the book is Necessary, each sentence deepening the plot, Increasing the reader's awareness of the virtues within, and drawing him deeper into the world of Atlas Shrugged. Many authors are able to draw a reader into Their books while it is being read. Ayn Border draws her readers into her novel not only while it is being read, but after the book has been set aside. Her characters never leave a reader's mind, her themes force the reader to leave the world in They Live so thatthey can continue to ponder What They Mean. A reader sees the "The End" on the final page of the book and closes it, but knows deed Those words mean nothing, did the ideas edge presents will never end, and did he want Never Forget why Atlas is shrugging.
