Ayn Rand Atlas squared his shoulders. Atlas Shrugged read online Apollo Shrugged

Very briefly, the bandit government deprives large entrepreneurs and talented scientists of development opportunities, thereby destroying the state. The best minds unite and leave a society doomed to destruction.

Part one. No contradictions

Chapter 1. Theme

The largest New York railway company is heading towards collapse - the dilapidation of the railway on one of the profitable routes leads to the loss of profitable customers, huge losses and the gradual displacement of the enterprise from the transportation market.

Company President James Taggart ignores these facts by concluding contracts with unscrupulous suppliers. He invests money in areas that are obviously unprofitable and believes that competitive advantages are gained through connections with legislators and politicians.

His sister, vice-president of the company Dagny, understands the catastrophic nature of the situation and decides to carry out an urgent reconstruction of the railway. To save the company, she terminates the fake contracts concluded by her brother, deciding to purchase rails from a new alloy, which was invented by the steel industrialist Rearden.

James is outraged by his sister's plan - the new metal is not approved or recognized by anyone. Dagny takes full responsibility for the reconstruction of the railway.

Chapter 2. Chain

The production of the new metal was "the result of a ten-year persistent quest of the mind" of the steel magnate and inventor Rearden.

By buying up failed steel mills, Henry always made their production profitable. For the last ten years, he has been obsessed with one idea - to invent a new metal that is superior to steel in all respects. The alloy was much stronger than steel, cheaper and more resistant to corrosion.

The chapter ends with a description of this hero's family - a cold wife, a callous mother and a helpless brother. Henry feels nothing but indifference towards them. He gives his wife a bracelet made from his own alloy, but his wife compares the gift to “the chain on which he holds us all.”

Chapter 3. Top and Bottom

Taggart meets with "people from Washington". Lobbyists are concerned about the upcoming reconstruction of the railway - the company’s orders went to a person who acquired “almost a monopoly on natural resources that ultimately belong to everyone.” Competitors consider it unfair for Rearden to increase production and make profits alone. They decide to do everything to prevent “one person from destroying an entire industry.” James enlists the help of the "people from Washington", promising them help in destroying Rearden.

Dagny withdraws all the company's capital from the unprofitable Mexican line, deciding to invest it in new construction. She does not understand what prompted the construction of this road - the copper king D’Anconia did not provide any information about the mines. Many businessmen took him at his word, investing millions in the project. Her brother, when he became president, “made it clear that his friends in Washington, whose names he never named, were very interested in building this line.” The mines were under development, the road did not pay for itself, and the company was suffering losses.

Chapter 4. Unshakable prime movers

The copper mines and unprofitable railroad line are nationalized by the Mexican government. At a shareholders' meeting, James states that he has managed to "remove valuable equipment and replace it with obsolete equipment, and remove or replace everything possible" while preserving the company's capital.

Lobbyists pass a law “Against Predatory Competition”, prohibiting the activities of several companies in the same territory - “after all, not profit, but service to society is the primary task of the railways.” The law leads to the destruction of healthy competition and the death of many successful companies.

Dagny is outraged by this policy, since “nothing can justify the extermination of the best. A person cannot be punished for his abilities, for his ability to do a job. If this is fair, then it’s better for us all to start killing each other, since there is no justice left in the world.” She does not understand the absurdity of what is happening, asking the question: “If the rest can only survive by destroying us, then why should we even want them to survive?”

Large oil industrialist Wyatt demands that she resume transportation, otherwise his oil business and the entire industrial region will fall into decay. The heroine decides to speed up the reconstruction timeline and shares her plans with Rearden, who also wants to “save the country from the consequences of their actions.” Being present at the construction of the road, they feel like “prime movers” saving the world.

Chapter 5. The apogee of the D’Anconia family

Copper King Francisco D'Anconia has always achieved phenomenal success in all areas. He received the best education, studied science, spoke several languages and traveled all over the world. At the age of twenty, Francisco became the owner of his own factory. Everything he undertook brought enormous profits.

But then D’Anconia changed - he squandered his fortune, showing off on the pages of newspapers. He gained the reputation of a swindler and playboy. These rumors were confirmed by the story of the Mexican mines, when all the businessmen who believed him lost millions.

Dagny understands that D'Anconia knew that "the mines have no value and are absolutely hopeless." She demands reasonable explanations from her old friend, but he only grins at the failed businessmen who “thought it was quite safe to make money at the expense of my intelligence, believing that my only goal was wealth.” The millionaire says that money flows “not to those who produce the best, but to the most corrupt. By the standards of our time, it is the one who creates the least that wins.”

Chapter 6. Non-profit

Rearden's wife is hosting a reception to celebrate their wedding anniversary. The guests are vigorously discussing the law “on equal opportunities,” which, according to rumors, should be approved at the state level. This bill would prohibit, during a crisis, “one person from owning many businesses in different industries, while others have nothing.” Society agrees with this - “the country’s economy is adversely affected by the fact that a handful of entrepreneurs have concentrated all natural resources in their hands, thereby leaving no chance for others.”

Henry doesn't believe the law will be passed. According to his conviction, “a person should do what is reasonable and not crazy, that a person should always strive for what is right, because reality ultimately always prevails, and the senseless, wrong and unfair have no future, cannot lead to success, can do nothing but destroy itself.”

D’Anconia is present at the reception, who voices the “moral commandments of our time”:

Selfishness, self-interest and the desire for profit are vicious.
The goal of any enterprise is not production, but the welfare of workers
When hiring, one must take into account not the employee’s abilities, but his needs, because “in order to receive a benefit, it is enough to need it.”

Dagny hears the legend of John Galt, who “found Atlantis,” but does not attach importance to this myth. Struck by the beauty of the metal bracelet, she asks Rearden's wife to give it to her in exchange for a diamond necklace.

Chapter 7. Operators and exploited

Despite enormous difficulties from lobbyists, Dagny and Henry continue to reconstruct the railway. They are supported by oil industrialist Wyatt, who is interested in restoring the line.

Officials offer Henry to remove the metal from the market or sell the rights to it for any money, but he refuses. The government institute officially recognizes the metal as dangerous for use. Dagny meets with Dr. Stadler, one of the most outstanding minds of our time, who heads this institution. She wants the scientist to refute the false claims about the alloy, but the physicist refuses. He explains to her that “truth and reason are inaccessible to people. They are deaf to them. Reason is powerless against them... If we want to achieve something, we must deceive people into allowing us to achieve it. Or by force. There is no other way with them. They don't understand any other language. We cannot count on support for reasonable endeavors or high spiritual aspirations. People are vicious animals, greedy predators chasing profit and indulging their whims.”

Dagny founded his own private company and named the road under construction the John Galt Line. Lobbyists argue for the "Equal Opportunity Act," but the heroes are determined to fight for the road, continuing to resist "thugs and their laws."

Chapter 8. John Galt's Line

The adopted law forces Rearden to sell most of his businesses. Despite this, he delays the payment of money by Taggart's company for the metal supplied.

The persecution is gaining momentum - the public and the press are spreading information about the impending disaster if the line is launched. Many "committees of disinterested citizens" are demanding a ban on the operation of the railway.

Despite fierce pressure, construction of the line is being successfully completed. At the opening ceremony, Dagny gives a speech in which he declares that "John Galt is us."

The train triumphantly arrives at the final station, symbolizing the victory of the main characters in a fierce struggle. They celebrate their success at the home of oil industrialist Wyatt, who has supported them all this time.

Chapter 9. Holy and profane

The success of the Gault Line has a beneficial effect on the economic situation of the area - many companies are moving to a promising and developing state. James feels humiliated, but accepts congratulations as a winner - with his sister returning to the post of vice president, the new line becomes the property of his company.

During their vacation together, Dagny talks about making train engines. Rearden recalls a bankrupt company that once produced the best engines.

They find themselves in an abandoned factory, where they find an engine that has no analogues in the world. Dagny realizes that this invention can change the whole world and decides to restore it. But for this you need to find the genius who created this miracle.

Chapter 10. Ellis Wyatt's Torch

Dagny hides the engine and continues the search for the inventor.

The plant where the brilliant inventor worked went bankrupt - “everyone at the plant, from the cleaners to the director, received the same salary - the bare minimum.” All participants in production collectively determined the abilities and needs of each when dividing the income of the enterprise.

She finds the great philosopher and thinker Exton, who was the teacher of many gifted people, but he only explains that “based on the essence and nature of being, there are no contradictions. If you find it incredible that the invention of a genius could be abandoned among the ruins, and that a philosopher could want to work as a cook in a cafe, check your premises; you will find that one of them is incorrect.”

Lobbyists are demanding a reduction in the speed and number of cars on the new line. They continue to put pressure on Rearden, forcing him to reduce metal production. Henry doesn't give up trying to save the production. Dagny turns to his brother for help, persuading him to stop the destructive actions of the “bandits from Washington,” but he refuses.

In an effort to limit rail transportation and metal smelting, the “bandits” are pushing through a law in which “enterprises in the country, of any size and type of activity, were prohibited from leaving their states without obtaining special permission.”

Ellis Wyatt suddenly disappears. Having previously destroyed his oil business, he leaves his message to the world - “I leave the field the way I found it. Take him. It's yours."

Part two. Or or

Chapter 1. Master of the Earth

The country is in crisis. Society is taught that reason is a prejudice. The remaining scientists in the country develop the thesis that “the mind is not able to comprehend the nature of the universe.” Thinking is “an illusion created by the glands, the emotions, and ultimately the contents of your stomach.” A person should not rely on logic and the search for meaning is absurd.

After Wyatt's disappearance, small oil owners try to organize oil production, but equipment manufacturers and railroad companies inflate prices. As a result, “an entrepreneur in the country is not able to buy oil at a price equal to the cost of its production.” Manufacturers who “had friends in Washington” continued to live on government subsidies.

Dagny is trying to “keep trains running in areas where there is still some manufacturing going on.” The company exists on subsidies provided by Washington, but they “significantly exceeded the profits brought by freight trains coming from the still active industrial areas of the country.”

Despite the lack of talented scientists in the country, she finds a physicist who decides to restore the engine.

Rearden continues to fight, trying to defend the right to his own metal. His plant is controlled by officials. Manufacturers in need of its metal continue to go bankrupt. "Master of the Earth" is not giving up, but his "famous ability to find any way to keep production going has been denied him this time."

Chapter 2. Aristocracy of cronyism

Dagny notices that the disappearance of successful people is due to mysterious people who are contributing to the collapse of the economy. Cities are dying, factories are closing and it seems that “a destroyer is silently walking across the country.”

Rearden supplies coal miner Deneger with his metal, risking ten years in prison for breaking the law.

At James Francisco's wedding, D'Anconia calls the existing society an "aristocracy of cronyism." He delivers a monologue about the essence of money:

The existence of money is impossible without people who know how to produce. In the hands of idle people they lose their meaning and cease to be a means of exchange.
Paper money is a counterfeit substitute for gold. Only gold is a real “symbol of trust, a symbol of your right to a part of the lives of people who know how to produce.”
Wealth is the result of an honest person's ability to think, and as such "I call one who realizes that he has no right to consume more than he produces."
Money is based on the right of every person to control the fruits of his mind, body and labor. Where there is reason, “the person with the highest development and rationality of judgment wins.”
The love of money means that “it is it that awakens in you the best strengths, aspirations and desire to exchange your achievements for the achievements of the best of people.”
Saving money requires “the highest ability, courage, pride and self-love.” Those who “do not feel their moral right to their own money” lose everything, feeling guilty about their capital.
Society is doomed to destruction if “relations in society are carried out not on the basis of the voluntary consent of the parties, but on the basis of coercion; if in order to produce, the permission of those who have never produced anything is required; if money flows like a river not to those who create benefits, but to those who create connections; if those who work become poorer every day, and extortionists and thieves become richer; if honesty and integrity are tantamount to suicide and corruption is rampant.”
America was a country of “reason, justice, freedom, creative and productive achievements,” in which money was an inviolable capital. Only “there is no place left here for bandits and slaves, here for the first time a person appeared who truly created wealth, the greatest worker, the noblest type of person - the American capitalist.”

The guests are shocked by Francisco's monologue. Before leaving, he informs Rearden of his intention to destroy his business.

Chapter 3. Outright blackmail

The authorities blackmail Rearden after learning about an illegal deal with a coal miner. A government official persuades him to sell a shipment of metal to a government organization that had previously banned the use of the alloy. Henry asks why the authorities make such laws. To control people, the bureaucrat answers, you must first “issue laws that are impossible to carry out, implement, interpret objectively - and you create a state of lawbreakers and profit from guilt.” The businessmen are charged, but coal magnate Deneger drops everything and disappears.

D'Anconia comes to Rearden, persuading him to give up the fight, because the Atlantean, trying with his last strength to hold on to the world, “must straighten his shoulders.” Henry refuses to give up.

Chapter 4. Consent of the victim

The country is plunging into chaos, production is steadily falling, people are quitting their jobs. Dagny strives to save his company by trying to "collect the worn rails from the abandoned tracks and patch the main line." Her activities smooth out the destructive actions of James, who prefers to solve all problems through Washington. The cause of the crisis, according to the press, is the “selfishness of rich industrialists” who strive for profit.

At the trial, Rearden makes a speech in which he sets out his principles:

Work “solely for your own benefit,” which you get from selling your products to people who want to buy them.
Do not produce “for their good at the expense of mine, and they do not buy for my good at the expense of their own.”
Do not sacrifice your interests for others, just as others do not sacrifice theirs for you. Cooperate “as equals by mutual consent and for mutual benefit.”
Be proud of your wealth and make money “by your own labor, through free exchange and by the voluntary consent of every person with whom I deal.”
Do not pay anyone more than their services are worth. Don't sell your product for less than it's worth.
Don't feel guilty about being able to do something better than most people; that your work is of greater importance than the work of others; that many people want to pay you for the best product; that you are more capable, successful and have money.

Nobody’s good, the businessman ends his speech, “cannot be achieved at the cost of human sacrifice,” when the successful and strong sacrifice himself for the sake of those who want to survive at his expense. Fearing public discontent, the court sentences him to probation.

Chapter 5. The account is exhausted

The country continues to be governed by the language of destructive laws. The paralysis of cargo transportation leads to the ruin of many companies that did not receive the necessary supplies. Workers are demanding higher wages despite production stopping. Riots and pogroms begin.

The collapse of the coal industry leads to power outages throughout the country - “there was no firewood, there was no metal to make stoves, there was also a lack of equipment for installing heating systems.” The government is introducing coal standards for heating homes.

Revival is observed only “in the entertainment industry” - hungry citizens visited cinemas using their last means. Those who “with jubilant gloating shouted out that man is unable to conquer nature, that science is a fraud, that reason has been defeated, that man is punished for his sins, pride and faith in his own reason” are becoming more active.” Only faith, love and self-sacrifice can save the country.

The "Boys from Washington" force James to increase wages for workers and reduce freight rates. As a result of these actions, a decision is made to close the Gault Line.

Chapter 6. Wonderful metal

State President Thompson declares a state of emergency. “Bandits from Washington” pass a decree on strict control of the economy to establish “complete stability.” All workers were assigned to jobs and could not quit. Enterprises were required to continue operating, and owners were prohibited from closing or moving them under threat of confiscation. Patents and copyrights for inventions were transferred to the state, for which the owner signed a gift certificate. Any inventions, introduction and production of new goods were prohibited. At existing levels, production was frozen, as well as “wages, prices, dividends, interest rates and other sources of income.”

Politicians are convinced that “great men are created to serve small men.” Only a planned economy can lead the country out of the crisis.

Rearden is forced to sign a certificate, which “stated that he had transferred to the people all rights to the metal, which would be called the wonderful metal, which name was chosen for it by the representatives of the people.”

Chapter 7. Moratoriums on reason

The adopted decree further intensifies the crisis. People who run away from work are declared deserters and sent to prison. Production specialists are being replaced by mediocrities who are afraid of responsibility.

The government gives the right to manufacture the “wonderful metal” to its industrialist, but the pirate Ragnar Danneshield blows up all the factories of this manufacturer. Handing Rearden a bar of gold, he explains that he is seizing valuables that were taken by force “from some people to be given to others who did not pay for this benefit and did not deserve it.” By selling captured goods for gold, the pirate returns it to those from whom they were stolen. Danneschild hates Robin Hood - “he was engaged in charity, using wealth that he never owned, distributing goods that he did not produce, becoming a symbol of the idea that need, not achievement, is the source of rights.”

The largest accident in the history of the country occurs on the railway.

Chapter 8. By the right of love

Having learned about the disaster, Dagny tries to organize work to restore the road. She cannot find specialists working in the company - everyone has quit. There is no equipment for repairs in the warehouses - everything was stolen by the “guys from Washington”.

Workers and employees abandon trains and disappear - "without warning and for no apparent reason, it is like an epidemic, the disease suddenly strikes people and they disappear." This form of protest aggravates the crisis situation, but the authorities “do not care whether there is at least one train or blast furnace left on the ground.”

Dagny has a choice - stay or leave, allowing the country to perish.

But she decides to fight until “there is the slightest opportunity to prevent the last wheel from stopping - in the name of human reason.”

Chapter 9. A face without pain, without fear and without guilt

D'Anconia persuades Dagny to give up the fight because the future will soon come and "the bandits will disappear from the face of the earth." Francisco says that all paths will still lead to Atlantis.

The heroine receives a letter from a physicist involved in starting an engine. The scientist refuses to work because “he will not give anything that is created by his mind to the world, which treats him like a slave.” She hits the road, determined to stop him at any cost.

Chapter 10. Dollar Sign

On the road, Dagny encounters a tramp who once worked at the engine factory where the heroes discovered the engine. He tells her the story of the ruin of the enterprise.

The owners introduced a new plan for managing the plant, which "provided that everyone would work according to his ability and his labor would be paid according to his needs." But whose abilities or needs matter most? For this, everyone gathered and voted, “after all, when everything is in one pot, a person is not allowed to determine his needs.” The team began to be called a “family”, which allocated funds according to needs and determined the abilities of each. When productivity began to plummet, they decided that “someone was not working according to their abilities.” The best workers “were sentenced to work overtime every evening for six months. Overtime and for free, because they were not paid by the hour and not for the work done, but only for the need.” All successful and talented people began to hide their abilities and work worse, because “the salary will be paid, whether it is earned or not, but they will not give anything higher than the housing and food rations, as they called it, no matter how hard you try.”

The only production indicator that increased was the birth of children - “people had nothing else to do, the child became not their burden, but the burden of the “family”. In fact, child benefit was an excellent chance to get a salary increase and a short break. Either a child or a serious illness.”

Why work when “every born being can present you with a bill for any amount at any time - people whom you will never see, whose needs you will never know, whose abilities or laziness, decency or fraud you will never recognize.”

The Tramp mentions a talented engineer named John Galt, who vowed to "stop the engine that makes this world move."

Dagny finds himself at an airfield from which a plane is taking off, taking away a talented scientist. She chases this plane and ends up in a plane crash.

Part three. And there is A

Chapter 1.Atlantis

As a result of a plane crash, Dagny ends up in the valley, where he meets John Galt. There she meets all the successful people who have disappeared lately. Atlantis was "a scattering of small modern buildings." The symbol of this place was "a dollar sign three feet high, made of pure gold, which floated over the valley."

All the inhabitants of the valley work for their own consumption, and not for the profit of bandits. The market is formed by producers, not consumers - “if I produce oil at lower costs, I demand less for it from the people I sell it to in order to get from them what I need.” Everyone sells achievements and abilities, not needs. Everyone is free from each other, but develops and grows together. It is forbidden to say the word “give” here. Everyone manages their own life and spends it on development and improvement. Galt explains to the heroine that this is a strike of “people of the spirit,” who are considered ghouls in the world and subjected to torture. This is a rebellion of “will and reason” against ignorance, violence and the bestial instincts of humanity.

Chapter 2. Utopia of acquisitiveness

In the valley, Dagny meets Francisco. He persuades her to join the strike. All the inhabitants of Atlantis want her to stay. The heroine promises to think, but when she finds out that Gault plans to destroy the railroad, she refuses the offer. Galt makes her promise that she will not tell anyone about the existence of the valley. After this, he returns Dagny to the world.

Chapter 3. Antipode of acquisitiveness

The situation in the country is becoming critical: the economy is practically not working, no one wants to take on any responsibility, no one is producing anything. The remainder is distributed according to the decrees of the state, in which power belongs to the bandits. There is no healthy competition; all remaining entrepreneurs depend on the whims of officials. James persuades his sister to come to terms with the current situation.

The president of the country invites Dagny to speak on the radio to reassure the public. She speaks out, but instead of lying, she tells the whole truth about the destructive policies of the government.

Chapter 4. Antipode of life

James is confident that his connections with politicians will make him the richest man in the country. His wife finds out that he has always been taking credit for other people's achievements, deceiving those around him. She calls him a "spiritual bandit" who wants undeserved love, greatness and admiration. Everything that such people have belongs to them undeservedly. All this, she believes, such bandits take away from those who are more capable than them.

Unable to bear the truth that has been revealed, James's wife commits suicide.

Chapter 5. Zealots for the common good

Dagny tries to save the railroad, but theft and corruption reign everywhere. All reserve stocks are sold by small bosses to resellers who had “influential friends in Washington.” Theft and robbery became the norm. A new type of entrepreneur predominates in business - a businessman who lives by the principle “get it - run.” He “didn’t build workshops or install equipment, he didn’t create anything, but he had valuable capital - acquaintances, connections and connections.” Such vultures prospered everywhere.

Humanistic slogans are proclaimed, but in reality “everyone devoured his neighbor and himself became a victim, if not of his neighbor, then of his brother... everyone devoured himself and screamed in horror that some incomprehensible evil force was destroying the world.” The country plunged into the abyss of looting, devastation and hunger.

Chapter 6. Song of the Free

The handful of people who hold power blame the owners for everything and continue to tighten their control over all resources. All companies are managed from Washington. They are trying to do this with the steel industry. Rearden is offered to establish steel production without any restrictions, but invest all income into the common pot of the state. All profits made will be distributed by the government and "each company will be paid according to its needs."

Refusing the officials' offer, Henry witnesses an attempt to seize his own plant by government provocateurs. This is the last straw, and he joins the “striking” industrialists, leaving his factories.

Chapter 7. “Listen, John Galt speaks!”

There are outbreaks of violence and looting across the country. Entire districts were at the mercy of the rebels, who “took all the property that could be taken away, declared everyone responsible for everyone and everything - and perished within a week, eating their pitiful booty, full of hatred for everything and everyone, in a chaos where there were no laws except the law of brute force."

Given the situation, the state president plans to address the country on radio and TV to encourage people. But John Galt intercepts the broadcast and gives a speech in which he sets out the philosophy of the striking creators:

A world that denies reason and thinking is doomed to animal existence and death. Only man has consciousness and is “aware of what exists.” The basis of all rational existence and knowledge is the formula - “A is A.” Truth is the recognition of reality, and reason is the only means of knowing the truth. Refusal of thinking means the death of the existing and “an attempt to destroy reality.”

A reasonable person obeys only logic, which allows one to establish the truth. Those who deny logic deny reality. Logic is the art of consistent identification, which kills any contradiction.

Morality must be rational and based on the rational choice of a person. Morality is not imposed, and reason is not subject to other people's commandments.

The only moral goal of human life is the pursuit of happiness. The criterion of morality is human life - “everything that is good for the life of a rational being is good; and everything that destroys it is evil.” You need to be able to enjoy life, receive satisfaction from your own existence and live by the “judgments of your mind.”

For a happy life, you need to adhere to the following virtues: rationality, independence, integrity, honesty, pride, creativity, justice.

Any demand for help should be perceived as “a signal indicating a cannibal.” You can help a person only “on the basis of his merits, his efforts to independently cope with his misfortune, his reasonableness, or on the basis of the fact that he suffered unfairly.” Willingness to help is justified if “you experience selfish satisfaction in recognizing the value of the person asking and his struggle.”

In a creative society, at the helm are creative businessmen who “do not base their happiness on the favor or misfortune of others.” The businessman earns money himself, does not sacrifice or give alms. He doesn't expect anyone to pay for his failures.

People must fight "for the supremacy of reason." Everyone must remember the words of the oath that “I will never live for another person and will never ask or force another person to live for me.”

Chapter 8. Egoist

Galt's speech ruins all the government's plans. The people are outraged, the prisons are overcrowded, factories and factories are burning. Trying to avoid losing power, the president orders the search for a genius. The philosopher is tracked down and arrested. The president invites him to cooperate with the government, but he refuses. He is forced at gunpoint to appear on television. Gault is supposed to read the prepared text, but at the last moment he says one phrase to the camera: “Get out of the way!”

Chapter 9. Generator

Desperate to persuade Gault, the president's entourage takes him to a bunker for electrical torture. During the abuse, the generator burns out from the voltage. The stunned bandits leave the bunker, in which “next to the burnt-out dead generator lay a living source of energy, tied hand and foot.”

Chapter 10. For the sake of all that is best in us

Galt's comrades attack the bunker and free their leader. Dagny joins the strikers. Flying to Atlantis, they see under the wing of the plane the darkness and devastation into which the country has plunged. The book ends with a description of how the heroes plan to return to the world:

“The way is clear,” Gault said. - We are returning to our world. He raised his hand and drew a dollar sign over the deserted land.”

Editor's choice –

editor-in-chief's choice

There are very few books that can radically change the way you look at the world. This book is one of those.

Alexey Ilyin, General Director of Alpina Publishers

Frank O'Connor

Published under license from Curtis Brown Ltd and Synopsis Literary Agency

All rights reserved. No part of the electronic copy of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including posting on the Internet or corporate networks, for private or public use without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Consistency

CHAPTER I. TOPIC

– Who is John Galt?

It was getting dark and Eddie Wheelers couldn't make out the guy's face. The tramp spoke four words simply, without expression. However, the distant glow of the sunset, still yellow at the end of the street, was reflected in his eyes, and these eyes looked at Eddie Wheelers as if with mockery, and at the same time equanimously, as if the question was addressed to the causeless anxiety that was consuming him.

- Why do you ask? – Eddie Wheelers was alarmed.

The loafer stood leaning his shoulder against the door frame, and the fiery yellow of the sky was reflected in the wedge of broken glass behind him.

- Why do you care? - he asked.

“I don’t care at all,” Eddie Wheelers snapped.

He hastily put his hand in his pocket. Tip stopped him and asked him to borrow ten cents, and then started a conversation, as if trying to quickly get over the present moment and get ready for the next one. Lately there had been so much begging on the streets that there was no need to listen to explanations, and he did not even have the slightest desire to delve into the reasons for the financial difficulties of this tramp.

“Here, you can drink some coffee,” Eddie addressed the faceless silhouette.

“Thank you, sir,” an indifferent voice answered him, and a face appeared for a moment out of the darkness. The tanned and weather-beaten face was crisscrossed with wrinkles, indicating fatigue and complete cynicism of indifference; the eyes betrayed an extraordinary mind. And Eddie Wheelers went on his way, wondering why at this time of day he always felt unreasonably terrified. However, no, not horror, he thought, he had nothing to fear: just an extremely gloomy and vague premonition that had neither a source nor an object. He managed to get used to this feeling, but could not find an explanation for it; and yet the beggar spoke his words as if he knew what Eddie was feeling, as if he knew what he should feel, nay, as if he knew the reason.

Eddie Wheelers straightened his shoulders, hoping to straighten himself out. It's time to stop this, otherwise it's already starting to seem like things. Was it always like this with him? Now he is thirty-two. Eddie tried to remember. No not always; however, when it started, he was unable to recall it in his memory. The sensation came to him suddenly and accidentally, but now the attacks were repeated more often than ever. “It’s all twilight,” he thought, “I hate twilight.”

The clouds with skyscraper towers looming on them acquired a brown tint, turning into the semblance of an ancient painting, a masterpiece faded over the centuries. Long streaks of dirt ran from under the turrets along the walls covered with soot, and a crack stretched ten floors like frozen lightning. A jagged object cut the sky above the roofs: one side of it was colored by the sunset, on the other the solar gilding had long crumbled. The spire glowed red, like the reflection of a fire: no longer blazing, but dying, too late to extinguish.

No, there was nothing alarming in the appearance of the city, which seemed completely ordinary.

In the narrow space between the dark silhouettes of two buildings, as if through the crack of a slightly opened door, Eddie Willers saw the page of a giant calendar glowing in the sky.

The mayor of New York erected this calendar last year on the roof of a skyscraper so that residents could easily determine what day it was, as easily as they could tell the time on a clock tower. A white rectangle hovered over the city, telling the current date to the people filling the streets. In the rusty light of the sunset, the rectangle announced: September 2.

Eddie Wheelers turned away. He never liked this calendar, the calendar annoyed Eddie, but why, he could not say. This feeling was mixed with the anxiety that consumed him; they had something in common.

He suddenly remembered a fragment of a certain phrase that expressed what the calendar hinted at by its existence. However, it was impossible to find this phrase. Eddie walked, still trying to fill with meaning what was still stuck in his mind as an empty silhouette. The shapes resisted words, but did not want to disappear. He turned around. A white rectangle towered above the roof, announcing with unquestionable determination: September 2.

Eddie Wheelers looked down the street at a vegetable cart parked outside the red brick house. He saw a pile of bright golden carrots and fresh green onions. A clean white curtain fluttered from the open window. The bus carefully turned the corner, obeying a skillful hand. Wheelers was surprised by the returning feeling of confidence and the strange, inexplicable desire to protect this world from the oppressive emptiness of the sky.

Having reached Fifth Avenue, he began to look at store windows. He didn't need anything, he didn't want to buy anything; but he liked displays of goods, any goods made by people and intended for people. It's always nice to see a thriving street; No more than a quarter of the shops here were closed, and only their dark windows were empty.

Without knowing why, he remembered the oak tree. Nothing here resembled this tree, but he remembered the summer days spent at the Taggert estate. Most of his childhood had been spent in the company of the Taggert children, and now he worked for their corporation, just as his grandfather and father had worked for the Taggert grandfather and father.

A huge oak tree stood on a hill overlooking the Hudson, located in a secluded corner of the estate. At the age of seven, Eddie Wheelers loved to come to this tree. It had already stood here for hundreds of years, and it seemed to the boy that it would always be like this. The roots of the oak tree dug into the hill like a hand grasping the earth, and it seemed to Eddie that even if the giant grabbed the tree by the top, he would still not be able to tear it out, but would only shake the hill, and with it all the earth that hung on the roots tree like a ball on a string. He felt safe near this oak tree: the tree could not be fraught with a threat, it embodied the greatest, from the boy’s point of view, symbol of strength.

But one night lightning struck the oak tree. Eddie saw the tree the next morning. The oak broke in half, and he looked inside the trunk as if into the mouth of a black tunnel. The barrel turned out to be empty; the core had rotted a long time ago, only fine gray dust remained inside, which was carried away by the breath of a light breeze. Life was gone, and the form it left behind could not exist on its own.

He later learned that children must be protected from shocks: from contact with death, pain or fear. Now it could no longer hurt him; he experienced his measure of horror and despair, looking into the black hole in the middle of the trunk. What happened was like an incredible betrayal - all the more terrible because he could not understand what exactly it was. And it was not about him, not about his faith, he knew that; it was about something completely different. He stood for a while without making a sound, and then went back to the house. Neither then nor after did he tell anyone about this.

Pages: 1555

Year of publication: 2011

Russian language

Description of the book Atlas Shrugged:

“Atlas Shrugged” is an optimistic and inspiring trilogy designed to overturn the usual worldly perception of man. Ayn Rand is a Russian emigrant who set herself the goal of creating an ideal society of gifted, highly moral and fair people. Her heroes, of course, are largely idealized, but by trying to reach them, the reader will become a different, more elevated person.

The characters in the book are “people of action” who spend all their energy on improving the world and simplifying the lives of others who are not interested in the development of existence of individuals. These are inspired creators who create new technologies, art that is accessible and understandable to the masses, and develop new scientific research. There is great injustice in this, because the best minds are called upon to serve another, “mediocre” part of the planet.

The writer Ayn Rand, whose work has won many readers’ hearts and also a place on the bestseller list, will talk about this. The author's arguments concern philosophy, politics, various social relationships, society, business, and so on. We face this every moment, and now it’s time to comprehend what is happening around us.

On our website you can read the book Atlas Shrugged online completely free of charge and without registration in the electronic library Enjoybooks, Rubooks, Litmir, Loveread.
Did you like the book? Leave a review on the site, share the book with friends on social networks.

This fall, a very significant event happened for me - I finished reading a great book. A book that was with me during the most difficult and most war-like period of my life. I'll probably go crazy in this post. But I will try very hard to control myself and formulate my thoughts briefly and more meaningfully :).

As you probably guessed, The most motivating book for me is Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. This is my virtual best friend and support in difficult times. And it’s very sad that it’s all over, and you can no longer swim in this world and rummage through those events.

I won't retell the plot or spoil it, just... I want to leave here my impressions, emotions and the most significant quotes of three rather large volumes that I would like to return to from time to time. There will be a lot of quotes, so forgive me. I hope that for those who have not read them, they will turn out to be a treasure trove of concentrated ideas from the book, and you will enjoy reading them. Believe me, there is something to pay attention to here ;).

WHAT IS THIS BOOK ABOUT

If they tell you that the book is about economics and the railway (I have heard such a description) - run away from these people, because I doubt that they understood anything and took anything out of it for themselves :). It is much deeper and richer. This is a whole philosophy and ethical teaching. It is about virtue and morality, about the triumph of reason and talent, about work, about the most real and worthy love, about society and its laws, about the ugly and ideal structure of the world, about true evil, reasonable egoism and human relationships. This list could probably go on forever. And those who read this work will certainly have something to add to it.

“Do you want to know what happened to the world? All the disasters that destroyed your world are the result of the attempts of those who are at the head of your society. All the evil that is in you and which you are afraid to admit to yourself, all the suffering that you have endured, is the result of your attempts not to notice that A is A. Those who taught you not to notice this had one goal: to make you forget that Man is Man.
Man can survive only by acquiring knowledge, and the only means for this is reason.”

MY IMPRESSIONS

I read for a long time and intermittently. The first volume was a blast, but the other two were more difficult. The third one I got stuck on was a speech on the radio by you know who (and if you don’t know, you don’t need it yet). It seemed that the performance would never end, that everything that could be said had already been said. That the continuation and development of speech is just a transfusion of the same ideas and statements. Some things were perceived with delight, others were difficult, and others were boring. It was clear that this was the summary and concentration of the main ideas of the book. But then I didn’t know that the author had been writing this monologue for two whole years.

“Pay attention to the consistency with which the mythologies of the world repeat the theme of the paradise that people once had, the theme of the island of Atlantis, the Gardens of Eden, the ideal state. The roots of this legend go not to the past of humanity, but to the past of the individual. You still know the feeling - not as clear as a memory, but blurred, like the pain of a hopeless desire - that once, in the first years of childhood, your life was bright, cloudless. This state preceded how you learned to obey, became imbued with the horror of unreason, and doubted the value of your mind. Then you had a clear, independent, rational consciousness, open to the universe. This is the paradise that you have lost and which you are striving to regain. He is in front of you and waiting for you."

No other work has ever inspired me so much a bright spectrum of conflicting feelings. From complete delight and sleepless nights and days to disappointment and depression, since the described situation was very reminiscent of our realities. From extolling the author’s genius to the skies and exalting himself in his own eyes for thoughts similar to Rand, to irritation and disagreement with statements and events that, in my opinion, are complete absurdity.

“Independence is the recognition of the fact that you bear the responsibility for judgment, and no one relieves you of this responsibility, no one will think for you, just as no one can live for you, that the most disgusting form of self-humiliation and self-destruction consists in submission your own mind to the mind of another, in recognizing his power over your mind, in recognizing his judgments as facts, his unfounded statements as truth, and his instructions as the only mediator between your consciousness and your being.”

My eyes were opened to many things, and now I did not have the slightest doubt that everything in this world is exactly as it is and not otherwise. Worldview has changed, it began to seem to me that I see reality more clearly and understand and realize a lot that I had not even paid attention to before. All these wars, terrorist attacks... It is clear why they are and who benefits from this. And it’s terribly offensive that the population is being led by the imposed values of patriotism, religion and everything else. It is a pity that people do not think with their own heads (although they do not understand this), but continue to fight, be pawns, destroy, thereby destroying their lives. To be honest, it’s quite difficult to live with the truth, and at first you don’t want to at all, everything seems like complete hopelessness. But over time you get used to this thought, accept it and move on with your life, feeling much stronger and smarter :).

“Any era similar to ours has a remarkable feature, namely: people begin to be afraid to say what they want to say, and when questioned, they are afraid to remain silent about what they would like not to talk about.”

“Injustice is made possible by the consent of its victims. The power of the boor became possible because people of reason allowed it. Defamation of reason - this goal drives all irrational doctrines. Defamation of talent - this goal is pursued by all teachings that extol self-sacrifice. ...The one whom we are now called to worship, the one who at one time was dressed in the clothes of God or a king, is in reality nothing more than a pathetic, worthless mediocrity, whining from his worthlessness. This is the current ideal, idol, goal, and everyone can count on reward to the extent that he approaches this image.”

“The lust for power is a weed that grows only in the wasteland of an abandoned mind.”

WHAT THE BOOK GAVE ME AND WHAT IT CAN GIVE YOU

This is reading for those who like to think, analyze and draw conclusions on their own. Or wants to learn all this. The plot is not that important. The thoughts and ideas that the author puts into each monologue and dialogue are important.

I liked it very much attitude towards money, as an absolutely fair measure of everyone’s merits and work. There is a whole monologue about money, and it certainly needs to be read in full. But it's worth it. All thoughts are brilliant.

“Money cannot buy happiness for someone who doesn’t know what he wants. Money will not build a value system for someone who is afraid of knowing the price; they will not indicate the goal to those who choose their path with their eyes closed. Money cannot buy intelligence for a fool, honor for a scoundrel, respect for a ignoramus. If you try to use money to surround yourself with those who are taller and smarter than you in order to gain prestige, you will end up falling prey to those below you. Intellectuals will very quickly turn their backs on you, while swindlers and thieves will crowd around, guided by the impartial law of cause and effect: a man cannot be less than his money, otherwise they will crush him.”

Love here it’s not at all like in women’s novels. She is filled with a feeling of incredible freedom and dignity.

“It was so nice to watch<...>with what pleasure he eats the breakfast I prepared; how nice it was to know that I was thereby giving him sensual pleasure, being a source of joy for his body... That’s why a woman wants to cook food for a man... of course, not out of a sense of duty, not as a life’s work, but occasionally , as a kind of ritual, as a symbol of something... But what did the zealots of a woman’s share turn this into, demanding strict fulfillment of her destined duty?.. They decided that the true virtue of a woman consists in to engage in tedious, monotonous household work, and what gives this work meaning and joy was declared a shameful sin. They decreed that a woman's lot was to deal with grease, meat and potato peelings, and her place was in the smelly, steamy kitchen. In this she should see the spiritual meaning of her life, moral duty and purpose. When it is given in the bedroom, it is a concession to animal instinct, carnal fun, in which neither party will gain spiritual glory and will not give their life any new meaning or meaning.”

“They kept their relationship a secret, not because they considered it shameful, but because it concerned only them and no one had the right to discuss or evaluate it. She was well aware of the views on sex that society held in one form or another: sex is an ugly, base human weakness that, unfortunately, has to be put up with. Chastity forced her to abstain - not from the desires of her body, but from contacts with people who shared such views.

“Love is the recognition of values, the greatest reward for the moral qualities that you have achieved as an individual, the emotional payment for the joy that one receives from the virtues of another. Your moral code requires you to deprive love of its value content and give it to the first tramp you meet, it requires you to love him not for his merits, but for their absence, not as a reward, but out of mercy, such love is not the price for virtue...”

The novel is dedicated to reason and people of reason, and if you can count yourself among those, you can be proud of yourself. There is no shame in living for yourself and not others. and self-realization is the highest good and the best thing we can do for our loved ones.

“As an important step towards self-respect, learn to treat every request for help as a sign of a cannibal. Demanding help means that your life is the property of the demander. As disgusting as this demand is, there is something even more disgusting - your willingness to help. Do you ask: is it good to help your neighbor? No, if he demands help, as if he has every right to it, or to help him is your moral duty. Yes, if this is your own aspiration, based on the fact that you experience egoistic satisfaction in recognizing the value of the person asking and his struggle.”

“Whether you like it or not, you feel what is good for you and what is bad. But it depends only on your moral criteria what you call good, what is bad, what will bring you joy, what pain, what you will love, what you will hate, what you will wish for, what you will be afraid of. Feeling emotions is your innate ability, but the content of emotions is determined by your mind. The ability to feel is the engine that fuels the mind with the fuel of values. If you fill your car with a combustible mixture of contradictions, your engine will stall, the gearbox will rust, and the first time you try to move off in a car that you, the driver, yourself ruined, you will crash.”

“Happiness cannot be achieved at the whim of emotions. Happiness is not the satisfaction of reckless desires that you blindly indulge. Happiness is a state of consistent joy, joy without guilt, without fear of punishment, joy that is in harmony with your moral values, and does not lead to self-destruction; it is the joy of fully using the faculties of the mind, and not of escaping from one’s thoughts; from the fact that true values have been achieved, and not from the fact that we managed to escape reality; This is the joy of the creator, not the drunkard. Only a reasonable person can be happy, a person who pursues reasonable goals, seeks reasonable values and finds joy only in reasonable actions.”

I see that there are too many quotes. So I’ll wrap up with them and continue like this.

You will be able to see many things clearly, you will understand what is evil and who creates all this evil. You will see who the real masters of the world are and who they really are.

If you still don't understand what difference between socialism and capitalism- here they will explain to you on their fingers why socialism is a utopia. Not a single university textbook will give such a vivid example.

And you know, I realized that even a month would not be enough for me to describe everything that I had learned. So let this be an intrigue and a pleasant surprise for those who wish to read Atlas.

WHAT THE BOOK MOTIVATES

makes you proud of yourself every time with a reminder that you are on the right path and doing everything right;
after each diligent reading session, I was filled with a huge amount of energy, confidence and desire to get things done and move mountains;
the book encourages you to feel a sense of deep respect for people of creative work and people of reason, for everyone who creates something out of nothing, even if this creation is initially completely imperfect;
helps you believe that anything is possible;
fills your head with a huge number of contradictory thoughts, which ultimately result in a mass of creative insights and ready-made ideas.

Once again I apologize for the abundance of quotes. It would be interesting to hear feedback from those who also read it, to find out what story you have with this work, what it changed in you and your life, what are your favorite quotes. I also want to ask everyone, which book is the most motivating for you?

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