Atlas Shrugged
by Ayn Rand
Nomination: National Book Finalist 1958
Date Read: March 18, 2004
Rand is clearly a gifted storyteller and I truly enjoy her books, if not her politics. This was her the fourth and final novel she wrote and considered it her crowning achievement.
Atlas Shrugged depicts a future U.S. where privately held businesses struggle under increasingly burdensome laws and regulations, causing capitalists to defend themselves against "looters" who want to exploit their productivity. John Galt, the main character, stands up to this exploitation and encourages the capitalists to abandon their companies in protest and gather to form a new capitalist society.
The problem with this is these individuals are not necessarily productive in their own right but simply hold the capital required to form a company. The workers are the ones that make the company productive. In my mind, Rand's proposal here is simply a tantrum, asserting that the capitalists aren't being properly honored, respected or given enough free rein so they are going to "take their toys and go home." As an almost prophetic novel, here we are discussing these same topics in today's politics, with corporations arguing they face onerous regulation, preventing them from achieving unfettered profit. They have been provided deregulation, unparalleled tax breaks and unlimited opportunity to move work forces overseas, yet it never is enough.
I bristle at the idea that certain individuals are more worthy or important than their workers. Yet, this is exactly what Rand argues in Atlas Shrugged. She never mentions any obligations these individuals have to their communities. They profit from the free education provided their workforce. The roads they use to ship their goods. The list goes on. But, sure. You are successful because you're smarter than the rest. The argument just doesn't hold water.
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