Setting In Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged

Atlas Shrugged is a 1957 novel by Ayn Rand, who considered it to be her magnum opus (Dutton, 704). The novel uses elements of mystery, science fiction, and romance to create a dystopian version of the United States, which is used as a vehicle to portray Rand’s philosophical system of Objectivism. The significance of setting is distinguished in terms of geographical and time period. There are a few main locations, each embodying certain sets of ideas and values.

The novels umbrella setting isn’t so much as a place but rather a state of affairs: urban decay. The first use of imagery presented is a description of a gloomy New York City.

The clouds and the shafts of skyscrapers against them were turning brown, like an old painting in oil, the color of a fading masterpiece. Long streaks of grime ran from under the pinnacles down the slender, soot-eaten walls (Rand, 2)

New York is only a ghost of its former self, a “fading masterpiece.” There is evidence of poverty and decay everywhere, so much so that a homeless man on the side of the street says the famous quote “Who is John Galt,” as the first line. The description of setting in this alternate version of America is used to showcase Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, and how altruism isn’t only immoral but destructive.

The last aspect of setting is the time period. Atlas Shrugged reflects a sort of alternate universe 1950s America. Much like in real 1950s America, there is a lot of gender inequality: most women don’t have jobs and they suffer from sexism. We also see evidence of overly oppressive communist governments, which the real 1950s America was very concerned