My Criticism of the Novel

      Perhaps I have just become irritated by the weekly reading assignments, but the only thing that drives me towards finishing Atlas Shrugged is the idea that it will no longer bother me. By far, the novel drags along more than any other I have read. I find that every week there are the same ideas being represented, there is barely any character development, and the plot line moves ever so slowly. Incredibly enough, after reading about half of the novel, I really have nothing positive to write that I have not already said. The political insinuations continue and there is constant detail regarding the current economic depression. 

      In my opinion, Ayn Rand gives unnecessary paragraphs and paragraphs about things such as the poverty and competition that exists in the time period. In the beginning of the novel, I found the details to act as an exposition for the story to come and appreciated the knowledge that Rand was giving her audience. However, the “story” that I was looking forward to reading has not yet arrived. I believe that thus far, Atlas Shrugged has acted more as a historical recount than as the interesting story that I was anticipating on reading. Characters such as Rearden and Dagny could almost be considered static in the novel. Moreover, there is no true “rising action” or any such thing. The only thing that Ayn Rand actually depicts extremely well is the monotony and repetition that an economic depression brings. To conclude, I believe that the novel would benefit from a more intriguing plot-line where the audience can not only be captivated by the setting, but also by the conflicts and scenarios being portrayed.