Atlas Shrugged the Events in Chapters Nine

Atlas Shrugged

The events in Chapters nine and ten of Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged have much in common with the real world events of recent history.

In Chapter 9, characters Dagny and Reardon find a car company which has been deserted. The Twentieth Century Motor Company factory is deserted. Everyone who was employed or who benefited from the factory has been made to suffer. The United States' government bailed out General Motors and other car companies to make sure people stayed in their jobs. Had they not done so, the real-world car companies would have found themselves in the position of the fictitious Twentieth Century.

In the tenth chapter of the book, numerous laws are being put into place which makes limitations on industry. For example, everyone is entitled to the same amount of steel even if they do not need it. No company is allowed to have more steel than any other group who makes a claim on it. Consequently, people who really need it like Reardon are forced to get materials illicitly. This brings to mind the current issue in the United States of Medicare and Obamacare. The bill demands that everyone have health insurance and punishes those who cannot afford it. People are granted access to medical care, but everyone gets the same under federal healthcare, so someone who is more sick cannot get the attention they need because all patients are entitled to the same amount of time with the doctor.

3. It is stated that the reason that Twentieth Century failed was not because of what they were making, but because of the way the company was run. People were paid based on what they claimed to need and those who worked harder had to support people who worked less. In the United States, there has been talk that the nation is turning socialist, with millions on unemployment or welfare. Instead of working to feed themselves and their family members, these individuals are being paid by the middle class who have to work hard to support themselves and people who can't or in some cases won't work.

4. Another aspect of Atlas Shrugged that has real-world parallels is the fact that in the novel many of the businesses of the country are moving from their home states to Colorado. The reason for this is that Denver is relatively free from government interference and has fewer regulations. In the present historical moment, large companies are moving away from states like California in droves because of the high taxes and heavy regulation. Instead of dealing with a more and more direct government, businesses are moving to less government controlled locations.

5. In Atlas Shrugged a man named Midas Mulligan is the wealthiest man in the country. An inventor called Lee Hunsacker wanted money from him and when Mulligan refused, they went to court. It was ruled that Hunsacker had a need for the money and despite the fact that he had no ability, experience, or collateral, the court ruled that Mulligan had to give him his hard-earned money. Instead of giving up his money, Mulligan chooses to disengage from the business world and disappears. In reality, men like Jerry Femina have sold off their businesses and isolated their finances to prevent them from being redistributed by the government.