ayn rand atlas shrugged essay

Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

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Our Grading Criteria

Essays are judged on whether the student is able to justify and argue for his or her view—not on whether the Institute agrees with the view the student expresses. Our graders look for writing that is clear, articulate, and logically organized. Essays should stay on topic, address all parts of the selected prompt, and interrelate the ideas and events in the novel. Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of Atlas Shrugged .

Available Essay Topics

In his speech about money, Francisco says: “Whenever destroyers appear among men, they start by destroying money, for money is men’s protection and the base of a moral existence. . . . Paper [money] is a check drawn by legal looters upon an account which is not theirs: upon the virtue of the victims. Watch for the day when it bounces, marked: ‘Account overdrawn.’” Explain what Francisco means by this and how it serves the purpose of his speech. Then explain how his statement can be seen as applying to our economic world today.

In his radio speech, John Galt names a principle that Rearden and Dagny have struggled to discover for themselves: “The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it. . . . Do not try to live on your enemies’ terms or to win at a game where they’re setting the rules. . . . One cannot hope to maintain one’s life by accepting bribes to condone one’s destruction.” Explain what Galt means by this and how the issue plays a role in the plot of the novel. Describe an issue or event from current events (whether in your country or in its relations with others) to which you think this principle applies. How might events have unfolded differently if this principle of the sanction of the victim were taken more seriously?

The bum in the diner says to Dagny, “It doesn’t take any morality to turn out a ten-ton truck on an assembly line.” In important ways, the events of the novel go on to address this and other claims the bum makes in this scene about the nature of morality. What do they suggest is right about the bum’s conception of morality? What do they suggest is wrong about it? How, in particular, does Rearden start from the bum’s point of view and develop a new view over the course of the story?

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• Atlas Shrugged

Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest

For all students in grade 12, college, and graduate school, next entry deadline: september 20, 2024, cash prizes.

Annual Grand Prize

Essay Topic

Robert Stadler is a brilliant scientist, but also one of the chief villains in the novel. What motivates his major decisions over the course of the story, and in particular, his hostility to Galt? How do these decisions and the way he meets his end relate to the theme of the novel, and why would the author have chosen a brilliant scientist as one of the villains to convey her theme?

Essays will be judged on whether the student is able to argue for and justify their view—not on whether the Institute agrees with the view the student expresses. Judges will look for writing that is clear, articulate and logically organized. Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophic meaning of Atlas Shrugged .

Essay submissions are evaluated in a fair and unbiased four-round judging process. Judges are individually selected by the Ayn Rand Institute based on a demonstrated knowledge and understanding of Ayn Rand’s works.

To ensure the anonymity of our participants, winners’ names are unknown to judges until after essays have been ranked and the contest results finalized.

• The Ayn Rand Institute’s (ARI’s) Atlas Shrugged essay contest is open to all students worldwide, except where void or prohibited by law.
• Entrants must be enrolled as a high school, college, or graduate student at some point during the year in which the contest is being held. ARI reserves the right to make exceptions to this rule, on a case-by-case basis, for international students or for students with nonstandard school years. Verification of school enrollment will be required for all winning entrants.
• Students are permitted to submit no more than one entry to the contest, provided that they meet the eligibility requirements outlined above and have not previously won first-place in the contest.
• Essays must not include any personally identifiable information (name, email, school, et cetera). Your entry may be disqualified should such information be discovered in the essay.
• Essays must be written in English only, and be between 800 and 1,600 words in length. Spelling errors and/or written corrections (by anyone) found in the essay will count against the final grade and should be omitted before submission.
• Essays must be solely the work of the entrant. Plagiarism will result in automatic disqualification.
• Essays must not infringe on any third-party rights or intellectual property of any person, company or organization. By submitting an essay to this contest, the entrant agrees to indemnify ARI for any claim, demand, judgment or other allegation arising from possible violation of someone’s trademark, copyright or other legally protected interest in any way in the entrant’s essay.
• Essays must be submitted electronically through ARI’s online application portal. If you are unable to submit your essay electronically, please contact us at [email protected] .
• Essays must be submitted online by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Time of the entry deadline. ARI reserves the right to provide contest deadline extensions on a case-by-case basis when deemed appropriate.
• All entries become the property of ARI and will not be returned.
• All entrants consent to participate in a video interview should ARI deem it necessary for the purposes of verifying eligibility, confirming entry information, or conducting any other relevant assessments related to the contest. Entrants understand that participation in such interviews is voluntary but may be required to determine eligibility status, and agree to make reasonable efforts to accommodate such requests within a timeframe as specified by ARI.
• All entrants will be notified of the final results via email within three months of the contest deadline.
• Winners are responsible for providing their mailing addresses and other necessary information under the law in order to receive any prizes. Prizes must be claimed within six months of the results being announced.
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• Employees of ARI, its board of directors and their immediate family members are not eligible to participate.

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What Are the Key Messages of Atlas Shrugged?

What are the key messages of Atlas Shrugged , the controversial novel by Ayn Rand?

The five key messages are:

• Producers vs. parasites
• Reason vs. irrationality
• The pursuit of happiness as a moral end in itself
• The unity of mind and body, and
• Trade vs. force

We’re going to break these down, but first, a couple of quick notes about the novel. Atlas Shrugged , published in 1957, was Rand’s final work of fiction, and the one which most explicitly dramatizes her philosophical ideas. It’s at once a dystopian science-fiction thriller, a mystery, and a love story. 

Its protagonist is Dagny Taggart, a woman who runs a railroad company, in a world where things seem to be falling apart: boarded-up storefronts, broken supply chains, homeless wandering the streets, and a mounting sense of despair.

Worse, the best and brightest minds of society—engineers, scientists, composers, inventors—all seem to be mysteriously disappearing. Dagny becomes convinced that this is the work of some terrible villain bent on destruction and embarks on a quest to find and stop the destroyer. In her search, Dagny takes you, the reader, along on her journey of discovery, in which five important themes emerge.

The first is the conflict between the producers and the parasites—between the makers, and the takers. We see that those who create value in the form of businesses, products, services, art, and invention—that they are vilified as “greedy,” “selfish” and “materialistic.” They are styled as the villains by politicians, by social justice activists, by intellectual critics, even by family members—all of whom are supported and funded by the demonized profits the producers earn through their enterprising labors. But it’s actually the parasites who seek something for nothing, the true meaning of “greed” and entitlement.

As Ayn Rand herself said: “I set out to show how desperately the world needs prime movers, and how viciously it treats them.”

The second message of Atlas Shrugged is that of reason vs. anti-reason. You see the theme underscored in the names Ayn Rand gives to the three sections of the novel: Part One, Non-Contradiction; Part Two, Either-Or; Part Three, A is A. These are expressions of the law of identity, things are what they are, not what we want, hope, or wish they should be.

It’s a lesson Dagny learns the hard way. She is overly optimistic in believing that she can somehow show, teach, or persuade the moochers and looters to behave more reasonably, to stop—if you will—biting the hand that feeds them. Her mistake? According to Ayn Rand: “Reason is not automatic. Those who deny it cannot be conquered by it. Do not count on them. Leave them alone.”

The third message of Atlas Shrugged is the pursuit of one’s happiness as a moral end in itself. In condemning the producers, the parasites of all stripes must have some kind of moral code to justify their judgment. What is that code? It’s the ethics of altruism—not to be confused with ordinary kindness and generosity—but the idea that self-sacrifice is the highest moral ideal. That the interests of others come before your own. And that individual happiness must be subordinated to the so-called “common good.”

It’s the justification behind all the new regulations and laws, things like Directive Number 10-289, which the arch-villain Wesley Mouch claims is “based on the noblest principle, to each according to his need, from each according to his ability.” Metaphorically, it’s the idea that the mythical Atlas, condemned for all eternity to bear the weight of the world on his shoulder, must submit no matter the pain or cost to himself, rather than act in his self-interest, and shrug.

It’s why John Galt, in broadcasting the demands of his strike to the world, proclaims: “What you now need is not to return to morality—you who have never known any—but to discover it.” A morality not of altruism—or other-ism—but of egoism, that defends man’s right to his life, his work, and to pursue his happiness.

The fourth message of Atlas Shrugged is the unity of mind and body. Rand dramatizes this theme with Dagny Taggart and Hank Rearden in the engine room of a train speeding across the new John Galt line. The intense chemistry between Dagny and Rearden is the opposite of blind lust, but a physical and emotional response to seeing their highest values—rationality, independence, ambition—embodied in each other. But after consummating this mutual attraction, Hank’s guilt and shame reveal he still holds sex as a manifestation of lower, carnal desire.

This mind-body split sows confusion and frustration not just in the realm of romance, but in all other aspects of human life. According to John Galt, the purveyors of this dichotomy “have cut man in two, setting one half against the other. They have taught him that his body and his consciousness are two enemies engaged in deadly conflict,” leaving man vulnerable, to either the Mystics of the Mind, who seek to subordinate him to the will of God, or the Mystics of Muscle, who seek to subordinate him to the will of Society.

The fifth message of Atlas Shrugged is trade vs. force as two means of exchange, with plenty of examples of approaches. With trade, characters come together to hash out a deal in which both parties get what they want—like when Dagny agrees to pay a steep price for the first delivery of Rearden Metal. She gets rails, Rearden gets hefty profits, and the chance to showcase his new product to a doubting market. It’s a win-win scenario—a voluntary agreement between people acting freely in their own individual self-interest.

But when an exchange is coerced by force—whether it’s a back-alley mugging, or the state dictating the redistribution of private property—the scenario is always win-lose. The “Fair Share” law, which later dictates who can buy what from whom at what cost, illustrates the dynamic of domination, in which one party is forced to submit, not just the value of what is being contested—steel, or coal, or money—but the value of one’s mind to operate independently. 

Trade builds trust and mutual respect, while force breeds fear, resentment, and ultimately a withdrawal of creative energies.

When you read Atlas Shrugged , see if you can find other examples of the five themes just described—and comment below. Beyond the pages of Rand’s novel, do you recognize examples of these themes in current events, in society, in your own personal life? Hopefully, Atlas Shrugged, and Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, can help you make better sense of the world and better decisions as you navigate your way through life.

For further reading, check out these related articles:

1 Atlas Shrugged Course

2 The Capitalist Ideal: The Moral Vision of "Atlas Shrugged"

3 Atlas Shrugged as Literature

4 Atlas Shrugged Book Trailer

Freedom, Achievement, Individualism, Reason: Objectivism

Society then and now.

Atlas Shrugged

Atlas Shrugged (1957)—her masterwork and last novel —is the brilliant dramatization of her unique vision of existence and of man ’s highest purpose and potential in life . If you want to read just one book to understand Ayn Rand’s worldview, this is the book.

Ayn Rand loved to read—and so wanted to write—fiction for the sake of the story. She would ask herself: “Is this story an experience worth living through for its own sake? Is the pleasure of contemplating these characters an end in itself?”

As millions of readers have discovered, Atlas Shrugged is precisely the kind of novel you cannot put down.

Atlas Shrugged sweeps the reader into its own world of larger-than-life characters—including the productive genius who becomes a worthless playboy and the great industrialist who doesn’t know that he is working for his own destruction. The story is a mystery about a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world—and did. Society disintegrates, food shortages spark riots, factories shutdown by the hundreds. Is this man a vicious destroyer—or the greatest of liberators? What is the motor of the world? What is required to restart it?

The answers emerge in the novel’s logical yet astounding climax. The answers are of profound significance not merely for the resolution of the story’s central conflict— but also for man’s life in reality , today.

Atlas Shrugged presents the consummate Ayn Rand hero—and the radically new moral and philosophic principles by which he lives. This philosophic underpinning is the system of ideas Ayn Rand called Objectivism .

With the publication of Atlas Shrugged , Ayn Rand’s career as a fiction writer came to an end. In subsequent years, she devoted her time to lecturing and writing extensively on the nature and applications of her new philosophy .

(Paperback; 1096 pages)

Additional Resources:

• Buy the book
• Buy the audio book
• Read an Excerpt
• Foreign Translations
• Learn About the Atlas Shrugged Essay Contest
• Essays on Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”
• An Open Letter to America’s Students—Will Atlas Shrugged Change Your Life Forever? by C. Bradley Thompson
• Why Businessmen Love Atlas Shrugged , by Alex Epstein
• Why Atlas Shrugged Changes Lives , by Debi Ghate
• The Influence of Atlas Shrugged , by Yaron Brook
• The Appeal of Ayn Rand , by Onkar Ghate
• The Radicalness of Atlas Shrugged , by Onkar Ghate
• Atlas Shrugged CliffsNotes
• Atlas Shrugged Web site
• Discussion of Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged : Chapter by Chapter (A series of video lectures by Onkar Ghate)
• Is Atlas Shrugging? (An audio recording by Ayn Rand)
• A Study of Galt’s Speech (An audio course by Onkar Ghate)
• The Spirit of Francisco (An audio recording by Shoshana Milgram)
• Atlas Shrugged : America’s Second Declaration of Independence (A video presentation by Onkar Ghate)
• History of Atlas Shrugged (An essay on the history of its development)
• Writing and Re-Writing Atlas Shrugged (An audio recording by Shoshana Milgram)
• Celebrating Fifty Years of Atlas Shrugged (An audio recording given by OAC staff)
• Ayn Rand and the Atlas Shrugged Years (An audio recording by Mary Ann Sures and Harry Binswanger)
• Atlas Shrugged : Its Influence After Fifty Years (A video presentation by Yaron Brook)

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Essays on Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged”

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Essays on Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged"

Edited by Robert Mayhew

This is the first scholarly study of Atlas Shrugged , covering in detail the historical, literary, and philosophical aspects of Ayn Rand's magnum opus. Topics explored in depth include the history behind the novel's creation, publication, and reception; its nature as a romantic novel; and its presentation of a radical new philosophy.

• Chapter 1. The Part and Chapter Headings of Atlas Shrugged Onkar Ghate
• Chapter 2. Who Was John Galt? The Creation of Ayn Rand's Ultimate Ideal Man Shoshana Milgram
• Chapter 3. The Spirit of Francisco d'Anconia: The Development of His Characterization Shoshana Milgram
• Chapter 4. A Note on Francisco's Ancestry Tore Boeckmann
• Chapter 5. Working for Ayn Rand: Selections from Facets of Ayn Rand Mary Ann Sures
• Chapter 6 Publishing Atlas Shrugged Richard E. Ralston
• Chapter 7. The Atlas Shrugged Reviews Michael S. Berliner
• Chapter 8. Reply to Whittaker Chambers Leonard Peikoff
• Chapter 9. Atlas Shrugged and the Metaphysics of Values Tore Boeckmann
• Chapter 10. Atlas Shrugged as the Culmination of the Romantic Novel Andrew Bernstein
• Chapter 11. A Tale of Two Novels Harry Binswanger
• Chapter 12. Adapting Atlas Shrugged to Film Jeff Britting
• Chapter 13. Atlas Shrugged on the Role of the Mind in Man's Existence Gregory Salmieri
• Chapter 14. Ayn Rand's Ethics: From The Fountainhead to Atlas Shrugged Darryl Wright
• Chapter 15. No Tributes to Caesar: Good or Evil in Atlas Shrugged Tara Smith
• Chapter 16. The Businessmen's Crucial Role: Material Men of the Mind Debi Ghate
• Chapter 17. The Traits of Business Heroes in Atlas Shrugged Edwin A. Locke
• Chapter 18. "Humanity's Darkest Evil": The Lethal Destructiveness of Non-Objective Law Tara Smith
• Chapter 19. The Role of Galt's Speech in Atlas Shrugged Onkar Ghate
• Chapter 20. Galt's Speech in Five Sentences (and Forty Questions) Allan Gotthelf
• Chapter 21. Discovering Atlantis: Atlas Shrugged 's Demonstration of a New Moral Philosophy Gregory Salmieri
• Chapter 22. A Note on Dagny's "Final Choice" Allan Gotthelf
• Appendix A: Outline of Atlas Shrugged Gregory Salmieri
• Appendix B: Outline of Galt's Speech Gregory Salmieri
• Tags: About Ayn Rand's Works

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