The Outlaw Hero: Atlas Shrugged By Ayn Rand

Ethan Gates

28 September 2014

ENGWR 300

Final Draft 1

Professor O’Brien

The Outlaw Hero: John Galt of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

"Who is John Galt?" has become a question that has been engraved into the conservative's mind. But who exactly is he? John Galt is the main protagonist of the book (made movie) “Atlas Shrugged”. He is "the man who loves his life (923).” John Galt is a character that defies the moral code that has been established by the oppressive government regime that has sought to make the world a better, more equal place for all. In this quest, the government has caused several members of the creators of the world, from musicians to engineers, to disappear and go on strike. John Galt was the man who originally started

the strike, refusing to contribute anything to a society that would not credit his innovation and his work. He is the exact opposite of a man who believes in the betterment of society. His ultimate goal is the self-satisfaction of himself. In his world, altruism is the ultimate form of evil a man can commit.
John Galt, however important he may be to the story, is not actually introduced until Part III of “Atlas Shrugged”. Ayn Rand, the author of the book, stresses how important the individual truly is, and how much of a virtue selfishness can truly be. As a society, the word “selfish” tends to be viewed with such a negative perspective. A perfect example would be from Star Trek’s character Spock, and one of his most famous quotes, “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” Rand refuses to view the world in such regard. She views selfishness as the greatest virtue a man can have. That society has been ruined by altruism, and that if we committed acts in our own self-interest, we would be better off. Ayn Rand encompasses that belief into John Galt. The man who loves his life truly is the epitome of an outlaw Hero.
John Galt, as stated before, is an outlaw hero by the very definition Robert Ray points out in “The Thematic Paradigm” He states, “embodied in the adventurer, explorer, gunfighter, wanderer, and loner, the outlaw hero stood for that part of the American imagination valuing self-determination and freedom from entanglements (378).” In the novel, John Galt decides to flee from the oppressive regime and social status that is taking over America to go on strike, so his ideas would not be taken away by someone who lacks the knowledge and the appreciation of what he has developed, thus selfishly using his own innovation for his own self-interest. In one part of Ray’s essay, he points out, “on the other side, stories modified the outlaw hero’s most potentially damaging quality, his tendency to selfish isolationism, by demonstrating that, however reluctantly, he would act for causes beyond himself (383).” This is a contradiction to the character of John Galt. He does not care about anyone else unless they have something to offer him emotionally or physically. Galt states, “Man’s life is the standard of morality, but your own life is its purpose. If existence on earth is your goal, you must choose your actions and values by the standard of that which is proper to man – for the purpose of preserving, fulfilling, and enjoying the irreplaceable value which is your life.”
Another way Galt’s selfishness is shown is through his courtship of Dagny Taggart, another main protagonist in the book. Galt desires her for no reason other than his own self-interest, and he believes that love is a virtue of selfishness that only a few people can possibly understand. When Galt and Taggart first meet, the relationship is mostly a lustful one, but grows over time. The relationship blossoms, eventually, into them falling in love. However, it is interesting to point out that neither Taggart nor Galt ever actually abandons any of their moral principles from earlier, contradicting statements that Ray has made that an outlaw hero must abandon some of their principles in order to truly have a prosperous relationship.
Galt is, by Robert B.

Ray’s definition, an outlaw hero. In “The Thematic Paradigm”, Ray points out, “the exceptional extent of American outlaw legends suggests an ideological anxiety about civilized life. Often, that anxiety took shape as a romanticizing of the dispossessed (380).” John Galt is an outsider by definition. Everything he does is against the societal norms that have been established in the world, and his only motivation in life is to serve himself. He would have not saved Dagny Taggart in a plane crash if it weren’t for the fact that he had selfishly fallen in love with her. He would not have returned to the world to try to get her back after she leaves Galt’s Gulch in order to try to save the world that cannot be saved. Ray also states “that distaste took shape as a traditional distrust of politics as a collective activity, and of ideology as that activity’s rationale. Such a disavowal of ideology was, of course, itself ideological, a tactic for discouraging systematic political intervention (381).” John Galt despises the current political system in which the country currently lives. He believes that the current trend in his society of altruism, state run programs, and placing the blame on the “selfish” is morally reprehensible. He also displays himself as an outlaw hero by secluding himself from the rest of society, declaring that he will not abide by the government’s rules, and begin his own society. When Galt finally emerges from being hidden, he

is made an enemy of the state. His ideals are thought to be too extreme, and a legitimate danger to the world leaders. He refuses to give up any information, even while being tortured. His psychology goes against every social status that has been made, and he is his own man. His motto in life is, “I swear by my life, and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” This, in itself, shows that John Galt is concerned with himself and not society. This, in itself, defies the very essence of an official hero, which makes him an outlaw hero according to Ray.
John Galt is a very unique example of the outlaw hero.

He is not a gun slinging John Dillinger, or a Huckleberry Finn who defies the social norm to save a black man from slavery. He is there to make sure that his life’s work is noticed, and that he is credited with it. Instead, in the society in which he lives, he is not. His work is not appreciated, and he is berated for being proud of his innovations and wanting to profit off of them. He is, in a way, able to display the stereotypical aspects of an outlaw hero however. The woman he falls in love with is a social outcast herself, sharing the same attitude as Galt. She has only fallen in love three times in her life, with her final love being Galt. She defies all the social norms a woman at her time would need to follow in order to fit in. The premise by Ray that an outlaw hero can never impact any significant change is challenged, however, by the very design of this story. John Galt was able to start a revolution among his followers. Galt is proud of the individualistic nature he vogues for himself. Because of that individualism he possess, he is able to affect change that the world has never seen. He is certainly unique and an exception to the rule that an outlaw hero cannot change a society. He is selfish. Selfishness is a quality that is to be admired, not berated. That is the theme of this story - that man’s mind is the greatest tool we have. The human mind is the most resilient thing that we as

humans have, and without it, we are nothing. Ray may believe that the outlaw hero may not be able to change society, but John Galt defies the very essence of that theory. He has impacted so much change, not only in the storylines of the book and movie, but in real life. The question, “Who is John Galt?” is still asked, and conservative members of our society long for the day that that we finally receive that answer. Perhaps someday we will. But, as far as Ray’s essay is concerned, he could not be more wrong. Galt is an outlaw hero, certainly, but he never truly fights for anyone other than himself. However, he does actually institute a massive social change. John Galt is a staple in not only this story, but in our society, and what he stands for has helped impact not only my life, but countless other lives. It seems fitting to me to pose this last question to whomever reads this essay, as to honor Ayn Rand and John Galt: Who is John Galt?