CliffsNotes™ on Rand's Atlas Shrugged

Table of Contents

Life and Background of the Author
Personal Background
Education and Early Life
Immigration to the United States
Career Highlights
Rand’s Philosophy: Objectivism
Introduction To The Novel
Introduction
The Cold War and Collectivism
An Appeal for Freedom
The Mind on Strike
Objectivism in Action
A Brief Synopsis
List of Characters
Character Web
Critical commentaries
Part 1-Chapter 1—The Theme
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 1-Chapter 2—The Chain
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 1-Chapter 3—The Top and the Bottom
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 1-Chapter 4—The Immovable Movers
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 1-Chapter 5—The Climax of the d’Anconias
Summary
Commentary
Part 1-Chapter 6—The Non-Commercial
Summary
Commentary
Part 1-Chapter 7—The Exploiters and the Exploited
Summary
Commentary
Part 1-Chapter 8—The John Galt Line
Summary
Commentary
Part 1-Chapter 9—The Sacred and the Profane
Summary
Commentary
Part 1-Chapter 10—Wyatt’s Torch
Summary
Commentary
Part 2-Chapter 1—The Man Who Belonged on Earth
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 2-Chapter 2—The Aristocracy of Pull
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 2-Chapter 3—White Blackmail
Summary
Commentary
Part 2-Chapter 4—The Sanction of the Victim
Summary
Commentary
Part 2-Chapter 5—Account Overdrawn
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 2-Chapter 6—Miracle Metal
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 2-Chapter 7—The Moratorium on Brains
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 2-Chapter 8—By our Love
Summary
Commentary
Part 2-Chapter 9—The Face Without Pain or Fear or Guilt
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 2-Chapter 10—The Sign of the Dollar
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 3-Chapter 1—Atlantis
Summary
Commentary
Part 3-Chapter 2—The Utopia of Greed
Summary
Commentary
Part 3-Chapter 3—Anti-Greed
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 3-Chapter 4—Anti-Life
Summary
Commentary
Part 3-Chapter 5—Their Brothers’ Keepers
Summary
Commentary
Part 3-Chapter 6—The Concerto of Deliverance
Summary
Commentary
Part 3-Chapter 7—“This is John Galt Speaking”
Summary
Commentary
Part 3-Chapter 8—The Egoist
Summary
Commentary
Glossary
Part 3-Chapter 9—The Generator
Summary
Commentary
Part 3-Chapter 10—In the Name of the Best Within Us
Summary
Commentary
Character Analyses
John Galt
Dagny Taggart
Hank Rearden
Francisco d’Anconia
James Taggart
Critical Essays
The Role of the Mind in Human Life
The Role of the Common Man in Atlas Shrugged: The Eddie Willers Story
CliffsNotes Review
CliffsNotes Resource Center