On Mar 3, 7:08 am, "George Dance" wrote:

Here is text file I am still working on, I believe it is a better
sounding interpretation than this "Gas." Do you have a link to the Gas
article.

The events that surrounded Rand's life, notably the rise of Communism
in Russia, heavily influenced her work. Her distaste for Communism and
collectivism in all forms is apparent throughout Atlas Shrugged.
Although her earlier novels were criticized for their deeply anti-
Communist stance, Atlas Shrugged was published at the height of the
Cold War, and its message was welcomed by an America that feared and
despised Communism. At the end of World War II, even when the
totalitarian threat of the Nazis had been eliminated, much of Europe,
followed by China, Korea, and Cuba, fell under Communism. Communism, a
collectivist system that forces individuals to sacrifice their own
interests for the good of the state, threatened the personal and
intellectual freedoms Rand considered essential. Although the United
States opposed Communism in the Cold War era, many of the collectivist
beliefs of Marxism had support among American academics and those who
favored an expanded welfare state and greater regulation of private
industry. Rand wrote Atlas Shrugged in opposition to these views.

As a student of American capitalism, Rand believed that unfettered
economic freedom was the factor most responsible for the major
achievements of American inventors and businessmen during the
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Atlas Shrugged attempts to demonstrate
what might happen to the world if such
economic freedom were lost, if emerging
collectivist trends were to continue
to their logical conclusions.

The novel shows in detail the resulting collapse of efficient
production and the rise of corruption among businessmen and
politicians who look to live off the production of others without
producing anything themselves. In Atlas Shrugged, the system falls
apart to the point that the remaining producers choose to simply
withdraw rather than perpetuate the corruption. This withdrawal is the
strike at the center of the novel's action. In this strike, the
thinkers withdraw their minds to protest the oppression of thought and
the forced moral code of self-sacrifice that obligates them to work
only to serve the needs of others. Without the minds of these
thinkers, society is doomed to utter collapse.

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/atlasshrugged/context.html

Atlas was considered a leader, and was so in the battle between the
Titans and the Olympians. The Titans were defeated in this war and
were placed in Tartarus as punishment. However, Atlas wasn't granted
this punishment and was instead forced to carry the entire weight of
the sky on his shoulders. Atlas was relieved of his duty once by
Hercule's, but was later tricked into resuming his burden.

Now the heavens might be made mostly of cloud, but you'd be surprised
how heavy they are. (In fact it's a miracle they managed to stay up so
long before ATLAS showed up.)

ATLAS nipped off to get the apples but wasn't inclined to resume his
burden. "Here, hold this a minute while I scratch my back," said
HERACLES. And ATLAS, not the brightest apple in the barrel, did so
while HERACLES made a sharp exit.

The awful burden was made slightly easier for ATLAS to bear when
PERSEUS came along and turned him to stone with the head of MEDUSA.
He's now known as Mount Atlas.

Since the middle of the sixteenth century, any collection of
cartographic maps has come to be called an atlas. Gerardus Mercator
was the first to use the word in this way, and he actually depicted
the astronomer king.

Atlas continues to be a commonly used icon in western culture (and
advertising), as a symbol of strength or stoic endurance. He is often
shown kneeling on one knee while supporting an enormous round globe on
his back and shoulders. The globe originally represented the celestial
sphere of ancient astronomy...

http://www.gods-heros-myth.com/godpages/atlas.html
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/atlas.html
http://www.godchecker.com/pantheon/greek-mythology.php?deity=ATLAS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_(mythology)

Themes

Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a
literary work.

The Importance of the Mind

The "strike of the mind" led by John Galt demonstrates this central
theme of the novel. When the best creative minds are systematically
removed from the world, their importance is laid bare. Without the
great thinkers, society spirals quickly downward. The economy
collapses, and irrational looters seize power. Rand's belief in the
central importance of the mind opposes the prevailing wisdom that
labor is responsible for prosperity. As the events of the novel show,
the mind enables creation and innovation and powers the engine of the
world. Labor alone cannot achieve productivity and prosperity without
the guidance of the mind.

The Evils of Collectivism

Rand sets out to demonstrate through the novel's action what happens
when governments follow socialist ideas. She argues that when men are
compelled, through collectivism's forced moral code, to place the
needs of their neighbors above their own rational self-interest, the
result is chaos and evil. Incentive is destroyed, and corruption
becomes inevitable. The story of the Twentieth Century Motor Company
illustrates this brilliantly. After the plant adopted a method in
which workers were paid according to perceived needs and ordered to
work based on perceived ability, the workers became depraved and
immoral, each seeking to show himself or herself as most needy and
least skilled. The plant failed, and the community was destroyed by
mistrust and greed. For Rand, any economic or political plan based on
sacrifice of the individual for the group leads to chaos and
destruction.

The Need to Integrate Mind and Body

Rand rejects the mind-body dichotomy that is central to many
philosophies and religions. She opposes the idea that the thoughts and
achievements of the mind are pure and noble, but the desires of the
body are base and immoral, and she presents Dagny as a character who
also rejects the idea. Dagny is proud of her sexuality and sees her
physical desires flowing logically from the evaluations and
rationality of her mind. At first, Rearden accepts the mind-body
split. His transformation occurs when he comes to integrate the two
facets of himself into a rational whole.

Dr. Stadler represents another aspect of this mind-body dichotomy. He
sees the pure science of the mind as removed from practical affairs
and wonders why the mind that made the motor would bother with
practical applications. For him, the mind is cut off not just from the
body but from practical life. Again, Dagny represents the integrated
whole when she concludes that the motor's inventor worked within the
reality of practical life because he liked living on earth.

Motifs

Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, or literary devices that
can help to develop and inform the text's major themes.

Rhetorical Questions

The literary device of rhetorical questioning frequently draws
attention to key thematic elements. The most obvious example is the
unanswerable "Who is John Galt?" The question takes on many layers of
meaning: as a slang reference to hopelessness and futility, as a
source for speculation about the mythical figure who may have found
Atlantis, and finally as a public response to Galt's radio broadcast.
Stadler's "What can you do when you have to deal with people?" is
another recurring rhetorical question that takes on different meaning
based on context. For example, Stadler's disillusioned question is
turned against him when Floyd Ferris uses it to coerce him into
speaking at the demonstration of Project X.

Motive Power

Motors are everywhere in the novel. The revolutionary motor built by
John Galt embodies the power to harness energy and move things with
it. Metaphorically, the motive power of the world is in the rational
mind, and when the mind is withdrawn, the "motor of the world" begins
to stop. In a real sense, motive power is essential to Dagny, who
continually searches for decent locomotives to pull her trains.

Bridges

Bridges serve to represent the great things that can be accomplished
by the application of the mind. Rearden's design for the bridge on the
John Galt Line, the first to be made from Rearden Metal, shows a
creative solution to a problem that he takes joy in solving.
Similarly, the great Taggart Bridge, which links the East and West in
a single transcontinental line, represents the product of Dagny's
grandfather Nathaniel's tireless effort and ingenuity. The destruction
of the bridge in the Project X disaster demonstrates that the products
of the creative mind are no longer appreciated or understood, and the
end is near.

Symbols

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colors used to represent
abstract ideas or concepts.

The Sign of the Dollar

The dollar sign is the symbol of the strikers. Their cigarettes are
stamped with it, and their town square displays a giant dollar sign.
For them, the symbol is not merely shorthand for money, but a symbol
of a way of life. The dollar sign represents the things it is
exchanged for, namely, the productive abilities of man and the goods
and services created by the mind at work. The very existence of money
suggests that there are goods produced and people able to produce
them, which is what makes money meaningful and valued. In his "money
speech," Francisco says, "To trade by means of money is the code of
the men of good will." The strikers value the dollar so much that they
have their own mint in the valley and use only gold as the standard
for exchange.

The Bracelet

The bracelet Rearden creates from the first batch of Rearden Metal
symbolizes everything he has worked toward for ten years, and in a
larger sense, the purest product of the unfettered, creative mind. It
represents his pride in and love for his work, and he wants
desperately to share these values with someone. Lillian, who hates and
wants to destroy Rearden, misses the point entirely and wears the
bracelet only to mock him. She wrongly interprets its meaning as a
reference to her bondage, though it is clearly Rearden who is chained
to her. Dagny, on the other hand, understands all that the bracelet
stands for and shares the values it represents, as demonstrated by her
insistence on trading her diamonds for it. In their reactions to the
bracelet, we see a sharp contrast between the two women, and it
becomes clear that Dagny is the one for Rearden.

Wyatt's Torch

Before Ellis Wyatt disappears to join the strike, he destroys his own
oil fields by setting fire to them, and the fires continue to burn
night and day. Wyatt's Torch, as the huge flame comes to be known,
symbolizes his unwillingness to sanction and participate in the
looters' system or to offer them any useful resources to drain. The
flame is a powerful symbol of individualism and the refusal to
surrender the mind. Wyatt's Torch is the very last thing the
passengers see before dying in the Taggart Tunnel disaster and the
only part of the outside world visible to the residents of the
valley.

Atlas

Atlas, the hero of Greek mythology who carried the weight of the
heavens on his shoulders, symbolizes the exploited industrialists,
particularly Rearden, whose hard work and great strength support the
parasites who live off their productive capabilities. When Francisco
tells Rearden that he would advise Atlas to shrug and let go of his
burden, he is referring to the strike and calling upon Rearden to lay
down his burden and stop believing it is his duty to bear so much
weight for the undeserving. Rearden's only reward for his efforts is
the persecution of a corrupt government and the exhaustion of carrying
others. Francisco knows it is unjust for Rearden, or anyone, to be
cast in this role. By recruiting him for the strike, he tries to show
Rearden a way out.

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/atlasshrugged/themes.html

Plot Overview

In an environment of worsening economic conditions, Dagny Taggart,
vice president in charge of operations, works to repair Taggart
Transcontinental's crumbling Rio Norte Line to service Colorado, the
last booming industrial area in the country. Her efforts are hampered
by the fact that many of the country's most talented entrepreneurs are
retiring and disappearing. The railroad's crisis worsens when the
Mexican government nationalizes Taggart's San Sebastian Line. The line
had been built to service Francisco d'Anconia's copper mills, but the
mills turn out to be worthless. Francisco had been a successful
industrialist, and Dagny's lover, but has become a worthless playboy.
To solve the railroad's financial problems, Dagny's brother Jim uses
political influence to pass legislation that destroys Taggart's only
competition in Colorado. Dagny must fix the Rio Norte Line immediately
and plans to use Rearden Metal, a new alloy created by Hank Rearden.
When confronted about the San Sebastian mines, Francisco tells Dagny
he is deliberately destroying d'Anconia Copper. Later he appears at
Rearden's anniversary party and, meeting him for the first time, urges
Rearden to reject the freeloaders who live off of him.

The State Science Institute issues a denunciation of Rearden metal,
and Taggart's stock crashes. Dagny decides to start her own company to
rebuild the line, and it is a huge success. Dagny and Rearden become
lovers. Together they discover a motor in an abandoned factory that
runs on static electricity, and they seek the inventor. The government
passes new legislation that cripples industry in Colorado. Ellis
Wyatt, an oil industrialist, suddenly disappears after setting fire to
his wells. Dagny is forced to cut trains, and the situation worsens.
Soon, more industrialists disappear. Dagny believes there is a
destroyer at work, taking men away when they are most needed.
Francisco visits Rearden and asks him why he remains in business under
such repressive conditions. When a fire breaks out and they work
together to put it out, Francisco understands Rearden's love for his
mills.

Rearden goes on trial for breaking one of the new laws, but refuses to
participate in the proceedings, telling the judges they can coerce him
by force but he won't help them to convict him. Unwilling to be seen
as thugs, they let him go. Economic dictator Wesley Mouch needs
Rearden's cooperation for a new set of socialist laws, and Jim needs
economic favors that will keep his ailing railroad running after the
collapse of Colorado. Jim appeals to Rearden's wife Lillian, who wants
to destroy her husband. She tells him Rearden and Dagny are having an
affair, and he uses this information in a trade. The new set of laws,
Directive 10-289, is irrational and repressive. It includes a ruling
that requires all patents to be signed over to the government. Rearden
is blackmailed into signing over his metal to protect Dagny's
reputation.

Dagny quits over the new directive and retreats to a mountain lodge.
When she learns of a massive accident at the Taggart Tunnel, she
returns to her job. She receives a letter from the scientist she had
hired to help rebuild the motor, and fears he will be the next target
of the destroyer. In an attempt to stop him from disappearing, she
follows him in an airplane and crashes in the mountains. When she
wakes up, she finds herself in a remote valley where all the retired
industrialists are living. They are on strike, calling it a strike of
the mind. There, she meets John Galt, who turns out to be both the
destroyer and the man who built the motor. She falls in love with him,
but she cannot give up her railroad, and she leaves the valley. When
she returns to work, she finds that the government has nationalized
the railroad industry. Government leaders want her to make a speech
reassuring the public about the new laws. She refuses until Lillian
comes to blackmail her. On the air, she proudly announces her affair
with Rearden and reveals that he has been blackmailed. She warns the
country about its repressive government.

With the economy on the verge of collapse, Francisco destroys the rest
of his holdings and disappears. The politicians no longer even pretend
to work for the public good. Their vast network of influence peddling
creates worse chaos, as crops rot waiting for freight trains that are
diverted for personal favors. In an attempt to gain control of
Francisco's mills, the government stages a riot at Rearden Steel. But
the steelworkers organize and fight back, led by Francisco, who has
been working undercover at the mills. Francisco saves Rearden's life,
then convinces him to join the strike.

Just as the head of state prepares to give a speech on the economic
situation, John Galt takes over the airwaves and delivers a lengthy
address to the country, laying out the terms of the strike he has
organized. In desperation, the government seeks Galt to make him their
economic dictator. Dagny inadvertently leads them to him, and they
take him prisoner. But Galt refuses to help them, even after he is
tortured. Finally, Dagny and the strikers rescue him in an armed
confrontation with guards. They return to the valley, where Dagny
finally joins the strike. Soon, the country's collapse is complete and
the strikers prepare to return.

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/atlasshrugged/summary.html