Who is John Galt?
AynRand hits the nail on its head, with this immortal querry in Atlas Shrugged. A hard-hitting gripping story, with a relevance, 50 years after its publication, Atlas Shrugged does’nt need to reaffirm its credibility as one of the Masterpieces which time has endured over the years.
To tell what this astounding and gripping novel holds, n preaches, is beyond anyone’s reach. Mine is just a modest attempt. Atlas Shrugged is about Rebirth of a man’s spirit. It is about the profound question that Mankind has time and again, placed to its achievers. It is about people we see around ourselves every single day. It is about the relevance these people find with the self within us.
The plot of the story is set in and around the 1950’s, about the same time the novel was concieved by AynRand, over the Backdrop of a crumbling national Economy. Atlas Shrugged, (which was originally named as"the Strike" ) describes the ardours of people who though may seem irrelevant today, but find specks of relevance in each one of us, and this is what stands as the master-work of AynRand. The Pivotal Characters of the plot, Dagny Taggard and John Galt may seem idealistic to some, but the attitude they display, is one that can only be reverred. For them, their Work is worship, and they have to pay the price throughout for just one thing, love of their work.
AynRand describes with examples galore, of how a person, who has ever worked to his own capabilities, and beyond, endures the tribulations and privations of all sorts on the hands of world. Look inside yourself. Ask yourself ! Be true ! Have’nt YOU faced anything that She has described? If the answer is a Resounding YES, Atlas Shrugged has proven its point.
The theme could not have been more relevant. A world where Innovation is ridiculed, used, and still opposed is the order of day.
We find a James Taggart, the cunning and Hypocritical Industrialist, amongst most of the people moving around ourselves, in a disguised form, because, if they come out of their hiding, they know they are doomed; but we allow them to roam freely.
We find in ourselves shades of Hank Rearden the innovative and hard working Industrialist, of a Robert Deneksjoild, the robber who goes on for snatching from the Rich, that which is not theirs, when we see something not going as it should morally go; ; but we suppress him.
We find in ourselves, vestiges of Dagny Taggart, a woman, who for her supreme love of her work, and its purity, takes into her stride every privation she has to endure. But we let her die every day, because maybe we are not yet ready to endure all that miseries ourselves.
We find Fransisco D’ Anconia’s genius within ourselves, struggling to erupt and make its mark, but we manage to stifle it somehow.
The man who promised to stop the machine of this world-and did-John Galt, an epitome of brilliance, and courage. A person, who was ready to sacrifice anything, even his love for this world, for the love of it, exemplifies the level of Human consciousness, untouched by almost all of us. He reminds us of the immortal Howard Roark.
We feel after reading the plot, that "This is what I want to become" or" I want my kid to be like this". But we don’t change still !
WHY? Is it because we are afraid of changing for the betterment? Are we being too objective? Or is the novel still not relevant enough for "The strike" to begin.
AynRand leaves us with questions which we still have’nt found answers to.
If you want your kid to be given a chance to live and fight. Give him an Atlas Shrugged on his Birthday. Maybe he won’t be a Galt. But maybe he won’t be a James Taggart Either.
And the world would be a better place.
A few words for commencement.
If you would want to have a lifetime, with yourself, DO read Atlas Shrugged.