# So what or who is Atlas in Ayn Rand's “Atlas shrugged” and why did he/she shrug?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-or-who-is-atlas-in-ayn-rands-atlas-shrugged-and-why-did-he-she-shrug/129162>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [September 22, 2002, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-or-who-is-atlas-in-ayn-rands-atlas-shrugged-and-why-did-he-she-shrug/129162 "2002-09-22T19:38:31Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-or-who-is-atlas-in-ayn-rands-atlas-shrugged-and-why-did-he-she-shrug/129162/41 "2002-09-26T19:46:14Z")

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Oh, I could probably find it in a bookstore, no problem. It’s the library, I’m talking about. Right now, I can’t afford to buy any books (quit my job, 'member?)

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**Author:** ![Fiddle\_Peghead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddle_peghead/32/3506_2.png) [@Fiddle\_Peghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiddle_Peghead)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2002, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-or-who-is-atlas-in-ayn-rands-atlas-shrugged-and-why-did-he-she-shrug/129162/42 "2002-09-26T19:53:32Z")

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Atlas was the Greek god that held the earth on his shoulders. A shrug is usually interpreted as a sign of indifference. The title is meant as a veiled reference from Ayn (Eighn? Ann? Eine?) Rand that she knew her book was worthless, and that thinking people would dismiss it as the mindless, mind-numbing propaganda tract that it truly is. In other words, the world would shrug at her futile attempt at fiction.

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**Author:** ![burundi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ec8ea/32.png) [@burundi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burundi)\
**Post date:** [September 27, 2002, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-what-or-who-is-atlas-in-ayn-rands-atlas-shrugged-and-why-did-he-she-shrug/129162/43 "2002-09-27T19:12:54Z")

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**Guin** , any decent public library should have a copy of _The Dispossessed_. If your local branch doesn’t have it, see if they can order for you from another branch. My library does that for me a lot, and it’s great.

I read _Atlas Shrugged_ in high school. I’m glad I did, even though I don’t buy into Rand’s philophosy. It’s like reading Marx. Even if you don’t agree with him, it’s good to know what all of the hullabaloo is about.

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