While I was a sophomore in high school in 2003, I decided at the beginning of the school year that I would try to complete my year’s reading obligations in one or two large novels, rather than several short books as I had done the previous year. I skimmed over the library’s bookshelves looking for the thickest novel I could find, which led me to plucking out The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.
I had no idea who Ayn Rand was, but was amused I’d be reading such a thick novel. I started reading the massive book at home, and quickly found myself addicted to it. I loved the main character, the plot, and overall message in the book. I decided to read another long novel by Ayn Rand, called Atlas Shrugged.
Atlas Shrugged is by far my most favorite novel by Rand, and even persuaded me to note Rand as my favorite author. The novel was life-changing for me, as it was a huge influence on how I approached life as a woman, valued self-responsibility and interpreted the concept of “selfishness.”
First of all, Atlas Shrugged made an impression on me as a young woman. The novel is written in third person, and focuses primarily on the main character, Dagny Taggart, a woman in her 30s who is the Operating Vice President of a rail company, while her corrupt brother has the role of president. It was clear from the beginning of the novel that Dagny was a strong, driven character who did not consider being a woman to set any limitations on her ambitions. She had many masculine traits about her, always speaking to men as an equal, and making critical decisions by herself when others abandoned the task. Above all else, she understood that her success, personally and professionally, was her own responsibility, not the responsibility of others. As a young woman, I was very impressed by Dagny Taggart, and considered her to be a role model as I matured.
I should reap the benefits from my hard labor, rather than reap the benefits from the hard labor of others, and I should also pay off my own debts.
Another way that Atlas Shrugged changed my life was convincing me that I am responsible for my own success and failure, and should not expect anyone else to take that responsibility. I should reap the benefits from my hard labor, rather than reap the benefits from the hard labor of others, and I should also pay off my own debts. In the novel, the main protagonist characters acknowledged they were responsible for their own missteps. As a result, I generally challenge social welfare programs, and the concept of student loan forgiveness, because those programs essentially allow people to exploit the labor of others. The individual should be encouraged to be self-reliant as much as possible, rather than rely on others. The individual should also be held accountable for decisions he or she has made, such as paying off debt due to accepting a loan. These realizations have been very helpful in my life as I have navigated through personal and professional events.
I realized that I must be selfish to an extent by being confident in my desires and ambitions, and not bow down to the demands of others.
Finally, Atlas Shrugged made me realize how important it is to actually be selfish to a certain degree, relating to Ayn Rand’s concept of the “Virtue of Selfishness” that I read about separately in the midst of reading the novel. In the novel there were many occasions where the protagonist characters had to be “selfish” in order to prevent failure. They had to set aside the demands of corrupt characters in order to pursue what they felt was best, and they had to defend their values even when others tried to force their own values on them. Had these characters not pursued their own selfish ambitions, there would have been even greater catastrophe than what had occurred in the novel. I realized that I must be selfish to an extent by being confident in my desires and ambitions, and not bow down to the demands of others. This form of selfishness does not entail cheating or stealing, which Rand obviously frowned upon in the novel. Instead, this form of selfishness entails being confident, driven and having a solid foundation. I realized that all humans must be selfish to a degree in order to survive and prosper.
As I started my adult life, I felt a sense of confidence, commitment and wonder, much of which I still feel to this day, which I feel stems much from reading Atlas Shrugged. I have always strived to put my best foot forward, and acknowledged that I am responsible for opening doorways to success and happiness in my life. It is my responsibility to cut unhappiness out of my life. As a result, I have had many wonderful experiences in my life, have been with a wonderful romantic partner for years, and am excited for the future. I recommend people of all ages to read Atlas Shrugged, and to approach the novel with an open mind, not only for success in their own life, but also success on the societal level.
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Lauren Ell is an American blogger born and raised in Southern California and is currently based in Sweden. She discusses Epilepsy, Politics and Fun. Professionally Ell is an Online Marketing Consultant and Virtual Assistant. She is also founder and president of Republican Atheists and GunSafetySociety.org. Connect with Lauren on Facebook and Twitter.