CliffsNotes on

Atlas Shrugged

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Book Summary

Ayn Rand Biography

Early Life and Education
Career Highlights
Rand's Philosophy: Objectivism

About Atlas Shrugged

Introduction
The Cold War and Collectivism
An Appeal for Freedom
The Mind on Strike
Objectivism in Action

Summary and Analysis by Chapter

Part 1: Chapter 1: The Theme
Part 1: Chapter 2: The Chain
Part 1: Chapter 3: The Top and the Bottom
Part 1: Chapter 4: The Immovable Movers
Part 1: Chapter 5: The Climax of the d'Anconias
Part 1: Chapter 6: The Non-Commercial
Part 1: Chapter 7: The Exploiters and the Exploited
Part 1: Chapter 8: The John Galt Line
Part 1: Chapter 9: The Sacred and the Profane
Part 1: Chapter 10: Wyatt's Torch
Part 2: Chapter 1: The Man Who Belonged on Earth
Part 2: Chapter 2: The Aristocracy of Pull
Part 2: Chapter 3: White Blackmail
Part 2: Chapter 4: The Sanction of the Victim
Part 2: Chapter 5: Account Overdrawn
Part 2: Chapter 6: Miracle Metal
Part 2: Chapter 7: The Moratorium on Brains
Part 2: Chapter 8: By our Love
Part 2: Chapter 9: The Face Without Pain or Fear or Guilt
Part 2: Chapter 10: The Sign of the Dollar
Part 3: Chapter 1: Atlantis
Part 3: Chapter 2: The Utopia of Greed
Part 3: Chapter 3: Anti-Greed
Part 3: Chapter 4: Anti-Life
Part 3: Chapter 5: Their Brothers' Keepers
Part 3: Chapter 6: The Concerto of Deliverance
Part 3: Chapter 7: "This is John Galt Speaking"
Part 3: Chapter 8: The Egoist
Part 3: Chapter 9: The Generator
Part 3: Chapter 10: In the Name of the Best Within Us

Character List

Character Map

Character Analysis

John Galt
Dagny Taggart
Hank Rearden
Francisco d'Anconia
James Taggart

Critical Essays

The Role of the Mind in Human Life in Atlas Shrugged
The Role of the Common Man in Atlas Shrugged: The Eddie Willers Story

Study and Homework Help

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Study and Homework Help

Essay Questions

1. Why do the men of the mind go on strike?

2. What are the reasons for Rearden's willingness to support the family that seeks to destroy him?

3. Why does a great mind like Robert Stadler's believe that joining the looters is necessary?

4. In a book whose main positive characters are geniuses, what is the significance of a "common man" such as Eddie Willers?

5. Explain the "sanction of the victim" principle that Hank Rearden identifies and uses at his trial.

6. What are the causes of the Taggart Tunnel disaster?

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