Although she considered herself to be a European writer, Ayn Rand’s novel, Atlas Shrugged offers, in my opinion, an excellent critique of America’s society (The Ayn Rand Institute). Written in 1957, the 1096 page book reflects the power that every human has and the horrible consequences that result when people are not interested in hard work.
When I first picked up Atlas Shrugged I was informed that it was, in essence, the bible of conservatism. As a result, if you don’t support conservative ideals, than you probably won’t support the ideas in this book. Nonetheless, it’s worth reading because it can help you strengthen your arguments for liberal ideas.
The novel is the story of Dagny Taggart, a woman who “moves the world.” Given the time period of the novel, one might assume that Dagny would struggle to accomplish anything due to her gender, but Rand shows us that Dagny has all of the respect, if not more, of any man. Rand’s vivid descriptions reveal that Dagny is a brilliant leader. She has the ability to accomplish anything that she sets her mind to, but that does not mean that it is easy for her to pull these things off. While Dagny’s railroad is booming, with the assistance of her friend and muse, Hank Rearden, the American government continues to pass legislation aimed at destroying large, prosperous, businesses like hers. As the pressure for these businesses to fail gets heavier, many of the people that Dagny considered to be her only worthy contemporaries start to disappear.
By the end of Rand’s novel, Dagny has discovered where her equals were disappearing to and why, but it leaves her with the challenge of deciding whether or not to join them. She must decide if she wishes to continue to fight the American government and attempt to save Taggart Transcontinental, or if she is willing to just let all of her hard work go so that she can live freely with no one to answer to but herself.
As readers study the challenges in this theoretical American society, Rand establishes the many difficult questions that humans must answer throughout their lives, such as, Should I work hard or be lazy? Should I be a leader or a follower? Should I work for the common good or just for myself? What is important in life? Should I follow the rules even if I disagree with them? Through Dagny’s eyes, Rand shows the complex internal battle that some individuals have when they must answer these questions.
Before reading this novel, I believed that the largest difference between Republicans and Democrats was economic status. After reading this book and asking myself these questions, however, I see that the real difference is actually work ethic and the value that one places upon their work. Reading this, I see that the people who believe that hard work is the only type of work, and man’s only purpose, are divided into two groups, which form the political parties. On one hand, there are the people who believe that hard work should be used to help everyone, regardless of what they contribute to society (Democrats), and on the other hand, there are the people believe that their hard work belongs only to them and should only be shared by their fellow hard workers (Republicans).
Rand’s Atlas Shrugged, is a book that forces readers to think about, or in some cases, rethink their beliefs. The novel is far deeper than just the tale of Dagny Taggart and Hank Rearden as it provides a study of the different governing ideals in America, and the possible outcomes of each style. I highly recommend this book, because I believe that there is much to be learned from it, especially for teenagers who are at the age where they must ask themselves these large questions. For anyone concerned about the daunting length of the book, I assure you that this book is hard to put down, and the many pages pass quickly, and painlessly.
Edit: As of December 7, 2009 at 11:26 p.m., I would like revoke my recommendation of this novel. Today I realized that while Atlas Shrugged is a superb piece of literature, it has, quite honestly, ruined my life. This book is an eye opener, and has made me question the way that I have been living. It is not, however, a manual, and it doesn’t hold any answers or instructions on how to turn your life around, just questions to make you realize that something must be done. Yes, I loved this book, and I love being able to see things clearer, but it has made it impossible for me to continue living the way that I had been; it’s literally painful for me to.
Perhaps no one else would feel this way after reading this book, but to be completely honest, that’s the reason that I feel the way that I do. This novel has actually made me a more selfish person because it’s made me realize that while I love the Republican ideals, I have been living those of the Democrats, and I want to change that, no matter what it does to anyone else. Tragically, I do not think that anyone else would understand my reasoning, which is simply more encouragement for me to make the change.
I have a feeling that reading this addition to my book review has piqued your interest for reading this novel, far more than anything else that I’ve written and right now you’re trying to decide if you should change choice reading books. But I mean it when I say do not read this novel. Not unless you have the time to sit still for hours and reevaluate your life and your actions. I am confident in saying that many, if not most, teenagers would not be affected the way that I have been as a result of having read this book, but if it doesn’t ruin your life, the way that it has mine, it will have been simply a waste of your time. Atlas Shrugged is 1100 pages of wisdom, but if you are not able to absorb any of this knowledge, than you will have simply spent hours reading a story about a woman named Dagny Taggart who owned a railroad and tried to fight the world.
-Caitlin
I feel that this is a superb example of a high school book review. There was just enough summary for the reader to understand what was going on, and there was enough analytical thought to allow for the reader to understand what the book was trying to say. What stood out most to me was all of the questions raised by the book that you elaborated on in paragraph 5. These are basic down to earth inquiries that everybody eventually asks themselves even if they do not fully realize it. I enjoyed your review, and I perhaps will enjoy the book someday too.
-Peter Rustad
I have to say, your edit of original review is quite funny, even if you didn’t intend on it being such. I only say this because of how your opinion changed so drastically on the book in a course of 24 hours. I understand why your opinion changed and I support your reasoning. I have to admitt, however, that if I had ever come across this book, I may have read the back of the cover- maybe not all of it- and would have set it back down. I am afraid that politics have never intrigued me, nor have I ever ask myself if I would be a liberal or conservative. I think that I value people’s actions and opinions more than I do expressing my own in regards to politics. I can’t say I am as educated on the problems of society and the government, but the individual people intrest me more. I agree that the story line of the characters themselves are intresting and I might have chosen to read it based on that, but the offical talk and choices show otherwise.
Caitlin-
I am going to read this book whether you like it or not. While the knowledge you gained from this book may haunt you for the remainder of your life, aren’t you glad that you learned it now, rather than on, say your deathbed? Obviously this book has impacted your life in a huge way, and even if you chose not to recommend it to anyone else, I think that we all need to ask ourselves the questions this novel presents. I know that you are now confused and possibly angry at this book, but isn’t it when we stop questioning and stop looking for truth that we begin to lead a life that we will regret?
Anyways, wonderful book review
-Emma Faye Dennis
Hey Caitlin!
You really sparked my interest in Atlas Shrugged, seeing that it changed your life. As predicted by you, it makes me curious to read it and see what the hubbub is. What really got my attention was the edit you inserted on Dec. 7. It really has affected you, hasn’t it? If it means anything to you, I don’t think you need to be bound by the names of these political ideals or be worried about what you’re classified as. As long as you’re true to your own beliefs why worry about the labels? In any case, I don’t know your whole story, and I hope that you’ll find insight to help your situation. The story in your book review, however, sounds like a good read. I’m very interested in Atlas Shrugged because of your wonderful review.
I really enjoyed reading your book review. I like how you incorporated so information about the author right at the beginning. I also thought it was good that you included the year the novel takes place in. This helps me, as a interested reader, decide if that time period is something I would be interested in reading about. I am considering reading this book because of how you explain that it presents conservative points-of-view. I am always interested in learning about everyone’s point-of-view, whether they are similar or completely opposite. Good job on your book review, I have placed this book on my “need to read” list.