John Galt In Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged

Who is John Galt?

John Galt reveals himself throughout Atlas Shrugged, although he is only seen face-to-face during the last third of the novel. “Who is John Galt?” is used as an expression of hopelessness, frustration, or of apathy throughout the story, but this use of his name is actually in direct contrast for what he actually stands for. Ayn Rand created, through Galt, the ideal Man. He is the blending of reason and emotion, of mind and body, inextricably mixed together, he is the ultimate in idealization. He is perfect in every way, but he is not a god, above humans; he is the ability of humans to become gods. Who is John Galt? John Galt is the human consciousness. The true question that is being asked is not, “who is John Galt”, but

He does not place an order for Rearden Steel, although he can easily see that it is a superior product. His reasoning for not using Rearden Steel is that because nobody else has used it before, it must be a bad idea. Jim also, later on, after discovering that Cherryle married him for who she believed he was, rather than out of “true” love, illustrated what Rand believed to be wrong with collectivism in all forms. "Love is its own cause! Love is above causes and reasons. Love is blind. But you wouldn't be capable of it. You have the mean, scheming, calculating little soul of a shopkeeper who trades, but never gives! Love is a gift -- a great, free, unconditional gift that transcends and forgives everything. What's the generosity of loving a man for his virtues? What do you give him? Nothing. It's no more than cold justice. No more than he's earned.” In this speech, Jim demonstrates the fundamental flaw of collectivism: entitlement. Jim views his wife’s love as a privilege of need, as opposed to something that must be earned. This same view of love being a thing owed also holds back Hank Rearden from achieving his own potential. His family guilts him for working, but then lives off of his charity. Rearden only becomes the most virtuous form of himself when he chooses to cast off his family and focus on his own needs. Collectivism is evil

“A rational process is a moral process.” Rand wrote, “You may make an error at any step of it, with nothing to protect you but your own severity, or you may try to cheat, to fake the evidence and evade the effort of the quest - but if devotion to truth is the hallmark of morality, then there is no greater, nobler, more heroic form of devotion than the act of a man who assumes the responsibility of thinking.” A society, inarguably, cannot function without a measure of morality. If the greatest form of morality is rationality, then rationality is absolutely vital to society. Who is John Galt? John Galt is the moral safeguard of society, the last vestige of rationality in a world of hopelessness and apathy. The use of John Galt’s identity as a rhetorical question demonstrates how rare rationality is in a world full of ‘looters’, Free will, too, is a direct result of rational thought. “That which you call your soul or spirit is your consciousness, and that which you call ‘free will’ is your mind’s freedom to think or not, the only will you have, your only freedom, the choice that controls all the choices you make and determines your life and your character.” If this is true, then free will is truly the safeguard of