I Found Myself When Atlas Shrugged (Essay)

On August 12^th, 2011, I walked into a Barnes and Noble and scoured through the fiction until I came across the thick, white novel titled, “Atlas Shrugged”. The book is the epitome of the works by modern philosopher, Ayn Rand.  I was fascinated with her writing, while at the same time scared of the depth and length of the book.   I determined I needed to read twenty pages a day if I was to finish before school began, with enough time to write an essay for the Ayn Rand Institute’s annual contest.  I began right away, reading in my friends’ car on the way to a summer party, and plowed my way through the first twenty pages that night—amazed, as always, by Rand’s ability to capture my attention with such minute details.  Some days, it was a chore to read so much of a book that, while a work of fiction, is so full of philosophy that it takes your entire mind to understand the events and concepts presented. Other days, I soared through my allotted twenty pages, as on one such day when I read more than 200 pages perched on a rock in the middle of a beautiful lake.  

I connected with the characters on an intimate level I never imagined possible with a book. I feel as though Hank Reardan, Dagny Taggart, and John Galt, three of the major characters in the story, are my friends and are with me whenever I want them to be. I began to see people as “the Reardan of this time in my life” or classify certain of my peers by saying, “Oh, he is nothing but a James Taggart”. But this is more than simple fiction-love (when a reader is so entranced with a story that they confuse the book with reality), and I assure you that I am not crazy (the voices in my head never talk back—out loud). It is more than that because within the 1069 pages of Rand’s masterpiece, I learned something about myself, the world, and how I can change it. A quote by Galt in the book, and one of the crowning phrases of philosophy within the novel, reads, “In the name of the best within us”.

 In the name of the best within us. Over and over I would say this to myself, and as I have had time to read and write about and contemplate on the book, I believe I understand what Rand intended this phrase to mean. In the name of the best within us:  representing and demonstrating all that I have to offer, I will not settle for less. This came as a bit of a revelation to me, and it is a philosophy which I now hold close to my soul, for the protection of my worth in my own eyes.  In the name of the best within me, I will settle for nothing less than the best of me, for me, or through me. I will always give my best, go my furthest, stand my longest, love my most, and excel to my highest. This book had such an impact on me that my whole philosophy on daily life is centered around it.  Every day I will wake up, ready to give my best.  No matter what happens, no matter who or what gets in the way. I find this statement is beautiful and empowering because it focuses solely on the self. By relying only on myself, there can never be any responsibility passed. All credit for my achievements will go to me, and all blame for my failures will fall on my shoulders.  It puts me truly in charge of my own ship. But this phrase not only asserts my position of full responsibility over my actions, but is a motivator to always put forth my very best. I have read many books that transported me to far off lands and distant adventures. I have, within the pages of a book, conquered dragons, and kingdoms, and crooks alike. But never before has a book not only invited, but compelled me to look to my own mind for the power to conquer, the creativity for adventure, and the strength to be everlasting. Atlas Shrugged has changed the way I see myself, the world, and my ability to live in it. Atlas Shrugged is my favorite book.