If I were to describe this book with one word, that word
would be: different. There is really no other book like this one that I have
ever read. Although I had to go on Sparknotes to remind myself of the many
events that occurred throughout the novel, this is not a book that I will ever
forget. Rand does many amazing things in this book. She keeps symbols going for
a thousand pages, and the characteristics of her characters don’t change unless
they are forced to through the passing events of the storyline. Although at the
end of the book the story gets a little bit unrealistic, I realize that it is
all to show the moral of the story and Rand’s views on the modern economy.
Before reading Atlas Shrugged, I had a sense of what must be
done to be successful in the business world. One must be selfish. That is the
biggest factor to being successful. It’s not about being a genius. If you are
selfish in the right ways, you can be just as successful as Hank Rearden. The
reason I enjoyed Dagny so much was that she always thought about herself first.
In our society, people think that we should think about the less fortunate
first and worry about ourselves later. But when you get on a plane and they go
over the safety procedures, they tell you to put the breathing mask on yourself
first and worry about others later. This goes to show that when it comes down
to the basics, like life and death, we must be selfish to survive. John Galt
was selfish in the sense that he took all of the geniuses and industrialists
from the real world and kept them for himself. He let the real world destroy
itself. The looters believed that everyone should think about the less
fortunate first: those who couldn’t get Rearden Steel or those who didn’t have
the newest technology. It was the Unification Board and all of its stupid
policies that caused the economy to go down the drain the way it did.
Following Dagny through this story was one of the most
interesting things I’ve done when reading a book. She brings you up and down
and around, but always lets you keep up with her. By the end of the book, I’m
pretty sure I fell in love with Dagny just like every other male character in
the book. She had such an interesting mind, and captivating personality. My
favorite part about Dagny was that she didn’t give up the railroad until it was
to save the man she truly loved: John Galt. I can’t say that I knew she would
stop loving Rearden, but I’m very glad with the way their relationship ended.
She tried to keep it going when she told him how much she loved him, and it
took him to tell her that she was speaking in past tense the entire time. I’m
not one to get tangled up in the gushy stuff, but I really enjoyed that part.
However, after this, their relationship seemed to slightly linger on until Hank
left the note for Dagny reading “I have met him. I don’t blame you.” I feel
like this was the most respectful way that Rearden could have passed Dagny on
to Galt. On top of all this, Rearden even joins the other strikers to save
Galt! For that, Rearden wins #2 in my book. In the beginning, when we first met
Hank, I thought he was an a**hole. He showed no emotion with his wife or
mother, he wouldn’t give a job to his own brother, and he never let a penny go
in his business. However, I believe that his relationship with Dagny changed
his personality completely. He finally learned to love someone. This made him
realize that there is more to life than just making the maximum amount of money
possible. Acquiring this knowledge allowed Rearden to open up and have a relationship
with not only Dagny, but Francisco, and especially Galt. Had Rearden never met
Dagny, I believe that Galt would have never picked him as a striker. He was not
selfish the way that Galt needed him to be, he was selfish in the sense that he
wanted all the power. Dagny changed this in him. For that, Rearden was thankful
in my mind, and it is why he helped save Galt at the end of the book.
I enjoyed reading this book, even though it felt like it was
a million pages long. As I reached page 1060 and the very end of the book, I
realized that I did not have another 100 pages to look forward to, and I found
myself wishing that there were. I hope the next book is just as interesting.
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