"Atlas Shrugged" Story Line – Part 1 of 3
“Atlas Shrugged” opens in New York City, which is in complete disarray. The city is experiencing urban decay, and is in the midst of worsening economic conditions. While a Communist government is running the country, productive workers and business owners are abandoning their jobs and disappearing. As productive members of the business community disappear, political parasites and freeloaders continue to live off of the few industrious citizens who still work, and support them on their shoulders.
In the first part of the novel, there are still a few businesses that keep the weakened communist system from failing. Taggart Transcontinental is a publicly traded railroad that has Jim Taggart serving as President. Even though Jim is the company president, the business is actually run by his sister, Dagny Taggart, who is a staunch capitalist. After part of the railroad collapses, Dagny sets out to rebuild it using an alloy that is lighter…