Money In Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged

Before I read Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, I associated a love for money as greediness and materialism. “The words ‘to make money’ hold the essence of human morality.” This statement has changed my view of money and it’s impact on society. In Rand’s book, a character by the name of Francisco d’Anconia gives a speech on the virtue of wealth after being called out for being a depraved product of money. He is scorned for his profits through the downfall of his competitors, but then ultimately talks about the problems his own company faces. Through his speech, he brings about a different perspective of the opinion on wealth and how people should view money.

Money is a tool of exchange, and is to be used as such. Francisco d’Anconia explains how

My idea of money was not far from that same thought. When you think of how many people have gained their wealth through selfish and corrupt ways, it is kind of hard to not have this thought process. Money can drive people to do things that they would never dream of doing. In his speech, Francisco d’Anconia speaks of how money demands our highest virtues. He talks about men who obtain their money through compulsion or by favors, instead of by consent or by hard work. If we allow money to rule us, we become a slave to it. I believe this could apply to many things in our lives. To be able to be in control of our lives, we have to master things like wealth, ego, substance abuse, etc. As a college student who has worked many odd end jobs, I can confidently say that I know all about working hard for my money. I knew that if I did not work those jobs, I would have a hard time coming up with enough cash to pay for my meals or to put gas in my car. It has always been a struggle of mine to not let my need for money become a priority in my

To disagree would be to say that we are slaves to our money. If we are slaves to money, then we are not in control of our own decisions. We would base everything we do solely off of what kind of profit we could make, or how it would benefit us. I do believe that there are some people in this world who do allow their lives to be controlled by their wealth, but that does not apply to the majority. The struggle that most people have is understanding that their wealth does not define the kind of person that they are. An honest, hard working life is the best way of living, regardless of the amount of money you bring home. This is a lesson I am still learning, and hope to master in order to live a more fulfilling