Atlas Shrugged Analysis

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand takes place in the United States where Dagny Taggart, the vice president of Taggart Transcontinental Railroad, is trying to rebuild the failing Rio Norte Line which is a big railroad in the Colorado area. Dagny goes to visit the Rio Norte Line to inspect it and sees that it is doing more poorly than she thought. She heads back to Taggart Transcontinental Railroad to talk to her brother Jim Taggart, the president of Taggart Transcontinental. She explains to her brother how they need the new metal for the Rio Norte Line and Jim tells her he has it under control and that he ordered the metal from Orren Boyle, but Dagny knows it’s been months since he ordered that and she tells him she cancelled the order and placed an

There Orren argues that Rearden Steel has an unfair advantage because it owns iron mines, while his Associated Steel does not. Then at the office Jim confronts Dagny about the shoddy (?) trains. She tells Jim she removed everything from the San Sebastian Line to minimize the losses if Mexico nationalizes the line. There they argue about the San Sebastian Line, the first major project Jim began after becoming the president of Taggart, and one Dagny disapproved of from the beginning. Then Eddie Willers, Dagny’s assistant, is brought back into the story. He enters a cafeteria where he sits next to a coworker, whom he doesn’t know his name, and discusses with him about the railroad. His coworker seems very interested in Dagny’s personal life, and Eddie, surprised, tells the worker all that he

He had been the pilot of the plane she followed and is the inventor of the motor and the destroyer Dagny had feared. She had injured her ankle and he carries her away from the wreck. On the way to his house, she discovers that the remote mountain valley is the home of all the vanished industrialists. The industrialists all built businesses, and the valley is self-sufficient. At a dinner later that night, John Galt then explains to Dagny that they are all on strike.

The Government then unveils the Thompson Harmonizer, a new super-weapon. The weapon uses sound waves to destroy all living things. Dr. Floyd Ferris convinces him it is necessary to control a big crowd.

After finding out that Dagny is ok, Jim insists that she appear on a radio show that night to reassure everyone she isn’t deserting the railroads and that they are safe, but Dagny then refuses. Then she gets an unexpected visit from Lillian and tells her that her affair with Rearden will be exposed if she doesn’t go on air. That makes Dagny agree to appear on the radio show. On the air she proudly tells the public about her affair with Rearden. Later that night she sees Rearden and he finally confesses his love for her, but she tells him that her real love’s name is John