John Galt (Atlas Shrugged)

John Galt is one of the main characters in Ayn Rand's novel "Atlas Shrugged".

An engineer by trade, Galt is the male hero of the story; [cite book | last = Branden | first = Nathaniel | title = Who Is Ayn Rand? | publisher = Random House | location = New York | year = 1962 | isbn = 0394451791 |pages=pp. 8] his actions include withdrawing his talents, 'stopping the motor of the world', and leading the 'strikers' against the 'looters'.

The question "Who is John Galt?" is asked repeatedly throughout the story. Despite rumors and legends, the identity of the actual Galt is learned only after a prolonged search by Dagny Taggart, the female heroic character, with whom Galt has a romantic relationship. Galt is the same character as the Mystery Worker.

Backstory

The son of an Ohio garage mechanic, Galt left home at age 12 and began college at Patrick Henry University at age 16. There he befriended Francisco d'Anconia and Ragnar Danneskjöld. All three of them double-majored in physics and philosophy. They were the cherished students of the brilliant scientist Robert Stadler and the brilliant philosopher Hugh Akston.

After graduating, Galt becomes an engineer at the Twentieth Century Motor Works where he designs a revolutionary new motor powered by ambient static electricity with the potential to change the world. Like Ellis Wyatt, he creates what many had for years said was impossible. When the company owners decide to run the factory by the collectivist maxim, "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need", Galt organizes a successful labor strike (but this time getting employers, inventors, businessmen and industrialists to go on strike against statist laws that violate their rights), proclaiming his promise to stop the motor of the world. Galt begins traversing the globe, meeting the world's most successful businessmen, systematically convincing them to follow in his footsteps; one by one, they began abandoning their business empires (which, Galt convinces them, were doomed to failure anyhow, given the increased nationalization of industry by the government). This strike forms the backdrop of the novel as the mystery which protagonist Dagny Taggart seeks to uncover, with Galt as her antagonist (the novel was originally titled "The Strike").

Secretly, these captains of industry, led by Galt and banker Midas Mulligan, create their own society—a secret enclave of rational individualists living in 'Galt's Gulch', a town secluded high in a wilderness of mountains in Colorado. Taggart accidentally finds the town—and a shocked John Galt—by crash-landing a light aircraft while pursuing Quentin Daniels.

"Who is John Galt?"

Since everyone across the country is repeating the phrase, "Who is John Galt?", it is natural that many people have attempted to answer that question. The phrase becomes an expression of helplessness and despair at the current state of the novel's fictionalised world. Dagny Taggart hears a number of legends of Galt before finding the real John Galt and eventually joining his cause, and learning that all of the stories have an element of truth to them.

Origin

The 1922 novel "The Driver" by Garet Garrett tells the story of an entrepreneur, who, through his own vision and work ethic, takes over a failing railway, turning it into a hugely productive and profitable asset for the benefit of himself and the rest of the nation. Unable to see what he has achieved in turning his own business and the wider economy around from recession to boom, and blinded by the intense wealth and power he leads as a result, the general population and government turn against him, ultimately destroying him instead of celebrating his success. Many people believe the work to have influenced Rand's depiction of Galt in "Atlas Shrugged". [ [http://www.mises.org/store/Driver-The-P418.aspx Driver, The ] ]

In "The Driver", the central character is Henry Galt, whereas in Atlas Shrugged the main character is John Galt. In "The Driver", at one point, the question is asked "Who is Henry Galt?". In Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand made this a major part of her book, as many central and peripheral characters asked the question "Who is John Galt?".

There was a 19th Century Scottish novelist of the same name; however, nothing in the career or writings of that earlier John Galt bears any obvious resemblance to Rand's character.

In popular culture

The phrase “Who is John Galt?” was imprinted on the back of Tripp Eisen’s guitar picks during Static-X’s 2003 tour supporting their album, "Shadow Zone". In the video game "Bioshock" — which features a dystopian world inspired by Ayn Rand's writing — posters can be seen in many places asking: "Who is Atlas?"

A book titled "Dreams Come Due: Government and Economics As If Freedom Mattered", which argues for free market capitalism was published by the pseudonym "John Galt." Galt was referenced by alternative hip hop artist Saul Williams, in the line "A man walks up to me, he is my father/ But he introduces himself to me as John Galt" on the track "Robeson" off his 2001 album "Amethyst Rock Star". [ [http://www.mtv.com/lyrics/williams_saul/robeson/2280181/lyrics.jhtml Saul Williams Lyrics | Robeson] , "MTV.com"]

Ron Paul's presidential campaign included a play on the phrase using "Who is Ron Paul?" on campaign tee shirts.

References

External links

* [http://homohominilupus.wordpress.com/2007/10/10/today-50th-anniversary-of-atlas-shrugged/ Listen to John Galt's speech]