Visions of America - Themes, Atlas Shrugged | Atlas Shrugged - Summary, Themes and Characters - Novels PDF Download

There are a lot of different Americas in Atlas Shrugged. There's a familiar one, with cities, states, and industries that we recognize. And there is alternate-universe one existing in a world of communist People's States. We have an apocalyptic one that's in the process of sliding toward destruction. And we have the heroic vision of an ideal America, safeguarded in Colorado.

Atlas Shrugged is both a cautionary tale – a frightening vision of what America could be – and a book about what America can and, in Rand's opinion, should be. By tying Galt's values to Colorado, we get an ideal of America that is connected to the Old West and the ideas of a frontier spirit.

Most of the characters involved in Galt's strike bring different American ideals and visions of America to the table. Through Dagny, we get the Nat Taggart mythology and links to a frontier, pioneer spirit and the spirit of American industry. Through Francisco we get an immigrant success story and his love and loyalty to his chosen country. Through Galt we get the story of a self-made man who came from obscurity and made it. Through Hank we get references to the Puritans, which tie in to a hard-work ethic and industry. Different aspects of American mythology and ideals of greatness, from the puritans, to the founding fathers, to the pioneers, to industrial capitalists are all incorporated into Galt's value system.

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

In Atlantis, Galt and his fellow strikers hope to resurrect a certain vision of America's past, best represented by people like Nat Taggart.

Galt and his strikers hope to completely reinvent America, as demonstrated by Judge Narragansett rewriting the U.S. Constitution at the novel's end.