courtroom, Rearden is attacking the Collectivist philosophy by accepting reality; that one must produce for their own self-interest in order to pursue their own happiness. This moral code he is condemning breaks the law of existence: “A is A (1038)”. If A is not A, a person’s sole motive to live is not for himself, rather, to live for others. This premise of self-sacrifice denies reality, reason, and logic in place of faith, charity, and force. When Rearden declares “The public good be damned, I will
“John Galt is Prometheus who changed his mind. After centuries of being torn by vultures in payment for having brought to men the fire of the gods, he broke his chains and he withdrew his fire—until the day when men withdraw their vultures” (517). Francisco’s metaphorical explanation of John Galt’s identity symbolizes the major conflict in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged: John Galt’s strike of the mind. Throughout the novel, many characters ask “Who is John Galt?” as a rhetorical expression that conveys
d!oes he mean? How does this issue relate to the novel’s theme? ! When Rearden declares: “The public good be damned, I will have no part of it!” he refuses the looters’ insistence of sacrificing his production and happiness for the sake of others. He is attacking Collectivist philosophy by accepting reality; one must produce for their own self- interest in order to pursue their own happiness. The Collectivist’s persistently try to deny reality and thereby break Aristotle’s law of existence: “A is