Atlas Shrugged
Who is John Galt? Everything started from this catchphrase. Galt not only carried the central events of the movie but also performed as the driving force of all events. However, he appeared as a mystery man with a broad-brimmed hat in a black silhouette. As Steve Jobs mentioned in his autobiography, Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged gave an illumination on significance of “Objectivism” and “Capitalism” behind its profound story. The title “Atlas Shrugged” itself also implied the criticism on unproductive officials who only coveted monetary needs and welfare by relying on lobbying. The film that induced to contemplate about “What changed the world?” shared the development of America by creative and zealous leaders of firms. The film portrayed the conflicts that Taggart Transcontinental, the giant railroad company, confronted with the four big forces of suppliers, unions, and competitors. The United States firms took high value of suppliers, for example, railroad companies considered firms that supplied steel, made engines and components of trains, made railroads, coals, and diesel companies, and provided food for dining cars in trains as their preeminent suppliers. Thus these firms were not in a vertical agreement but rather in a symbiotic relationship. Yet, the government was a dominator in the relationship with these firms. Because the government had the power to impose restrictions on firms or withdraw firms’ business license, it is not an exaggeration that all firms had to have eyes on the government and read its countenance. As such, businesses of firms were always in a state of tension and thus, an absolute monopoly could not exist. However, in Atlas Shrugged few conglomerates were represented as monopolistic firms. These firms reaped benefits until the government passed the Equalization of Opportunity Bill, which gave smaller and weaker firms equal opportunities and eventually forces Rearden to abandon his ownership of mines. Similar to the Equalization of Opportunity Bill, the Anti-don-eat-dog Rule was passed by the National Alliance of Raliroads in order to prevent “destructive competition” between railroads companies and protect small or insolvent enterprises from being dominated by monopoly. Yet, it was, in fact, a law that prevented Orren Boyle’s Associated Steel from being overruled by Rearden Steel.
James Taggart had a good overall social reputation because he emphasized altruism and social contribution that the government wanted from the firms. James’ pro-government administration would be welcomed by the government that insisted railroads were the equity of the public and thus deficit operation was something that the firms had to bear for the public. However, Taggart Transcontinental’s influential or perhaps authoritative figure was Dagny Taggart. Unlike James, Dagny was distant from his “Washington friends.” Therefore, the government regulations constantly obstructed Dagny Taggart’s way.
Although Rearden was unsociable and the target of other firms and the government, his new steel with innovative and inundant strengths monopolized the steel market. Just as steel is the result of pouring molten metal into a cast, money is the result of that steel. This was Rearden’s simple but practical and concrete philosophy towards the theory of “value.” However, distant from the Rearden’s
