Topics of note in Atlas Shrugged Topics of note in Atlas Shrugged Atlas
As told in Atlas Shrugged Atlas carried the world on his shoulders But in the Greek Myths the Titan Atlas stands on the earth and holds up the sky In the statues that represent Atlas the big round thing on his back represents the heavens which because of the apparent circular motion of the planets around the earth were conceived of as being round Some tellings of the Atlas myth have him carrying both the earth and the heavens on his back but this appears to be a modern retelling further research might confirm this.
Character names
Some of the character names are or appear to be puns or have some other significance See also Characters in Atlas Shrugged.When asked why so many of her names have syllables with many hard consonants like dag tag den stad Rand said that she just liked those sounds.
 Ragnar Danneskjold sounds like 'Dane's Gold' a tribute paid by the medieval English to the Vikings to bribe them into being peaceful However note skjold means shield not gold However the hero of Victor Hugo's first novel Hans of Iceland becomes the first of the Counts of Dannesjk ld In the Rand told Marsha Familaro Enright that her use of this name was not plagiarism because there really were Counts of Dannesjk ld. Robert Stadler sounds like the German word for state Staat Dr Stadler is a statist in that he believes it appropriate and necessary for the state to fund scientific research. Francisco d'Anconia Rand's husband was Frank O'Connor. John Galt the name of a century Scottish novelist though this is apparently coincidental Galt is close to 'Geld' and 'gold' The name was probably used because it had to be such that it could become proverbial this would not be possible with a long awkward name.
Crime
Common street crime is conspicuously absent in Atlas Shrugged Characters walk the streets with no thought of being mugged or attacked.
Historical figures and events
Atlas Shrugged takes place in a world with a different history from our own but there are some historical figures and events that are mentioned.
 Aristotle section Francisco d'Anconia wrote a thesis on the influence of Aristotle's theory of the Immovable Mover. Dark Ages section Ragnar Danneskjold's piracy is likened to something out of the Dark Ages. Inquisition section Sebastian d'Anconia flees Spain to escape persecution under the Inquisition. Middle Ages section It is said that Ragnar Danneskjold hides in the Norwegian fjords as the Vikings did in the Middle Ages. Nero section Francisco d'Anconia compares himself to the Emperor Nero. Patrick Henry section The eponym of Patrick Henry University. Vikings section It is said that Ragnar Danneskjold hides in the Norwegian fjords as the Vikings did in the Middle Ages.
Humor
In section Francisco cracks that the Mexican government was promising a roast of pork every Sunday for every man woman child and abortion.
In section Francisco lists the various buildings constructed for the workers of the San Sebastian Mines and notes how they are all poorly built and can be expected to collapse except for the church The church I think will stand They'll need it he quips Since the other things are things of value houses roads etc it is ironic that only the church was built to last to Rand and her heroes a church is of no real value.
Almost every nation in the world except the United States is referred to as The People's State of and they are all apparently the recipients of relief supplies from the United States In conversation people casually refer to them as The People's State of rather than just say France or Norway It is obvious that people would not refer to countries by their formal names in casual conversation we don't call Canada The Dominion of Canada or Germany The Federal Republic of Germany so by having her characters do this Rand is exercising her dry wit.