(A good sidelight here: there are only two possible incentives for human actions: desire for gain, or fear. But fear does not work, except for a while on the most miserable level of subsistence and then only while there is still the production of free men to loot or copy (and it works only on the worst, i.e., useless, types of men). So, actually, there is but one incentive for men: gain—personal desire.)

  In my story, the creators do not try to cooperate with a parasite-ruled society to the point of the unbearable, then revolt, as they do in history. The creators have withdrawn. What is left of humanity without them is capable neither of production nor revolt. Therefore, the end of the world, in my story, is not one of violence, but of slow rot: disintegration, corruption, a dead body falling to pieces (and a society without functioning intelligence is a dead body). It must be the rot of stagnation, of hopeless decay, of the gray, the dull, the trite. (Keep this firmly in mind. Don’t have too much emotional violence in Taggart and his kind; even their crises and tragedies are gray rot.) Without the creators, the world simply stops.

  It is merely indicated that the parasites would like to resort to violence, that it is their natural course, their essence, and their last hope. This is shown in the torture scene, in the sequences relating to the professor’s laboratory, and in small, dreadful hints about their intentions, from the Cuffy Meigs types, as well as from “Chester” or “the businessman.” But they have nothing to do violence to—the creators have withdrawn beyond their reach and left the parasites to their fate (instead of fighting them in the open), to show them what that fate will be. And what’s left of humanity is a miserable, shivering herd, not worth terrorizing, because they are already in terror and will obey without violence; in fact, they ask nothing but to obey; but there’s no one there to teach the parasites what orders to give. The remnant herd is not worth ruling—they can produce nothing for the parasites to loot.

  All this must be brought out explicitly.

  It is the abstract thinkers who go on strike first—since production and all the rest stems from them. Therefore, by the time the story begins, the abstract thinkers are gone already: there are no philosophers and no theoretical scientists. This is shown in the state of the Taggart laboratory, of the professor’s State laboratory, and in the prominence of the “Fadiman type” of “philosopher.” [As noted earlier, Clifton Fadiman was book editor of The New Yorker.]

  Note on Galt (in connection with above): Make clear that Galt is that rare phenomenon (perhaps, the rarest)—a philosopher and inventor at once, both a thinker and a man of action. That is why he is the perfect man, the perfectly integrated being. One indication of this—the fact that in college Galt was the star pupil of both the philosopher and the [physics] professor. In fact, Galt was the only student who took such a peculiar (to the college authorities and the time) combination of courses.

  August 24, 1946

  [AR revised the following chapter outline at some later time. Where the revisions are significant, I present both the original and the revised descriptions. Where the chapter title seems to have been added later, I have marked it with an asterisk.]

  Final Chapter Outline Part I: The End

  I. The Calendar

  “Who is John Galt?” Eddie Willers, Taggart Transcontinental, James Taggart. Trouble on the Colorado line. Taggart’s evasions.

  II. The Theme

  Dagny Taggart on the train—returning from a survey of the Colorado line. The Fifth Concerto. Her carrying the business and the responsibility. Order for Rearden Metal to rebuild the Colorado line. Her young engineer quits.

  III: The Chain

  Hank Rearden and Rearden Steel. The mine parasite (Paul Larkin). The bracelet. Rearden and his wife (Lillian), mother, brother (Philip), and sister (Stacey). Larkin’s cautious mention of “How is your Washington man?”

  IV: The Top and the Bottom*

  [Original:] James Taggart’s move to force out his Colorado competition and get Rearden’s iron ore mine for the parasite. Conference: Taggart, steel parasite (Orren Boyle), mine parasite (Paul Larkin). (Skeptical derision of Rearden Metal—one of the reasons for taking mine away from him: “He’ll waste it.”) Dagny and the parasite who objects to her use of Rearden Metal—her indifference to advice. Dagny and her staff: Eddie Willers, Gerald Hastings, the young playwright. First mention of Nat Taggart. Issue of parasite in charge of Colorado Division.

  [Revised:] James Taggart’s move to force out his Colorado competition and get Rearden’s iron ore mine for the parasite. Conference in the dark bar-room : Taggart, steel parasite (Orren Boyle), mine parasite (Paul Larkin), and Wesley Mouch as an obsequious nonentity. (Skeptical derision of Rearden Metal—one of the reasons for taking mine away from him: “He’ll waste it.”) Dagny: her frustrated romanticism, her sense of life, how she became vice-president. Issue with Taggart about Mexican line, with story of line, San Sebastian, and Francisco d‘Anconia. First mention of Nat Taggart. Eddie Willers and his dinner with the worker.

  V: The Anti-Dog-Eat-Dog*

  Francisco d‘Anconia arrives in New York—[there is a] newspaper scandal about him and some woman. Taggart getting ready for meeting of Board. News that Mexican line was nationalized that morning. The Board meeting—Taggart takes credit for cutting the rolling stock. The Association meeting—Taggart gets vote against competitor (partly on the strength of the Mexican loss). Dagny objects, but even competitor himself accepts it. Dagny and Rearden: plans to hurry [the construction of the] line. [Added later:] Dagny-Ellis Wyatt.

  VI: The Climax of the d’Anconias

  Dagny and Francisco d‘Anconia. (The Mexican government has found his copper mines to be worthless.) (Dagny’s anger at d’Anconia’s “Who is John Galt?”) [Note that there is no mention yet of a past romance between Dagny and Francisco.]

  VII: The Non-Commercial*

  Mrs. Rearden’s party: Dagny, James Taggart, Rearden, his family—their interrelationships. D‘Anconia is also present. Dagny and Mrs. Rearden: the bracelet. Rearden’s antagonism to Dagny and defense of his wife. Rearden’s attitude toward women. The cultural phonies (professor of philosophy, musician, writer). The first Galt legend—Atlantis. Rearden’s sexual attitude toward his wife—scene in her bedroom.

  VIII: The Materialists*

  The law which forces Rearden to sell his mine to the parasite. He accepts this, feeling guilty about his lack of social concern (and, besides, he is too busy with Rearden Metal, his drive and enthusiasm are in that). Dagny and Rearden work together on the new Colorado line. Decision on bridge of Rearden Metal. Incident of Rearden’s guilty desire for Dagny. Their heroic effort—the public opposition. (Dr. Stadler comes out against Rearden Metal, through his parasite assistant.) The second Galt legend—“the fountain of youth.”

  IX: The John Galt Line*

  The triumphant ride of the first freight train over the new Colorado line. Dagny, Rearden, and Ellis Wyatt at their ecstatic celebration. (“To the world as it seems right now!”) Dagny’s and Rearden’s night together (in Wyatt’s lonely guest house, in the mountains).

  X: The Sacred and the Profane*

  Dagny and Rearden escape for a vacation together. They drive to the abandoned motor factory. They find Galt’s engine.

  XI: Wyatt’s Torch

  The history of the motor, ending on professor in diner advising her to give up the quest. What awaits them on their return: Taggart has given in to the union’s demand of no extra speed on the new line. Steel parasites and others concerned have passed a law to force Rearden to sell Rearden Metal “equally.” (No pipe-line for Wyatt, no steel for Taggart Bridge, no girders for the coal man.) Dagny hurries to Ellis Wyatt—too late—she sees the flaming oil fields.

  XII: “Why Do You Think You Think? ”*

  Dagny and Rearden: their secret affair. His sense of guilt, her simple acceptance. (His guilt undermines him in his fight against the parasites, makes him accept them.) Dr. Stadler and Dr. Ferris: the book.

  XIII: The Aristocracy of Pull*

  [Original:] Loss of priceless freight needed by Rearden for coal man’s order. Dagny and Ragnar Danneskjöld: his refusal [to help her]. When she comes back, coal man quits. (Night of Dagny alone in the office—the shadow of a man outside.)

  [Revised:] Taggart marries Cherryl. Rearden and Danagger make illegal deal. The d‘Anconia copper stock crash. (Dagny learns that cigarette is “made nowhere.”)

  XIV: By Your Guilt*

  [Original:] Taggart agrees to get rid of Colorado Division parasite, but Dagny’s choice for the position quits; the parasite stays. Taggart marries Cherryl. (Taggart and the priest.) Mrs. Rearden learns of Rearden’s infidelity—her enjoyment of it, which Rearden cannot understand. The subtle torture that follows. (Dagny and the young engineer at the employment board.) (The young playwright and Stacey Rearden’s peculiar attitude toward his struggle and career.)

  [Revised:] Eddie tells the TT worker about the importance of the coal man. Mrs. Rearden learns of Rearden’s infidelity—her enjoyment of it, which Rearden cannot understand. The subtle torture that follows. Rearden and Dr. Ferris: the attempted blackmail. Danagger quits. Rearden and Francisco : the furnace.

  XV: The Sanction of the Victim*

  [Original:] The N.Y. utility man—caught between the failures of the oil and coal [industries], and the failures of TT. Dagny comes to see him—too late—he quits. (She waits in anteroom while Galt is in the office.) Taggart is forced to close Colorado line. The death of a section. The young man who quits.

  [Revised:] Rearden’s trial and victory—“the moral sanction.” Rearden and Francisco: the loss of d‘Anconia copper at sea.

  XVI: Account Overdrawn*

  [This chapter is added in the revised version:] Taggart is forced to close Colorado line. The death of a section. Lillian discovers Rearden’s mistress is Dagny.

  XVII: Miracle Metal*

  [Original:] The buck passing spreads. The rush of people toward demotion and obscurity. The law freezing the economy. Dagny quits and goes to mountain cabin. (Last Galt legend—the factory.)

  [Revised:] The law freezing the economy. Dagny quits and goes to mountain cabin. Rearden forced to give away patent [for Rearden Metal].

  XVIII: The Moratorium on Brains*

  [Original:] Rearden forced to give away patent [for Rearden Metal]. Taggart closes his research laboratory. Taggart overrides Dagny’s policies and orders, particularly in regard to locomotives. Eddie Willers and the worker: scene in which Eddie mentions Dagny’s hide-out. The tunnel catastrophe.

  [Revised:] Taggart closes his research laboratory. (“We can save money since we have no fear of competition.”) Taggart overrides Dagny’s policies and orders, particularly in regard to locomotives. The young man who temporarily replaces Dagny—his idea that his aim is to please Taggart, not to do a good job. Eddie Willers and the worker: scene in which Eddie mentions Dagny’s hide-out. The tunnel catastrophe.

  XIX: By Our Love*

  Dagny in the country—her restlessness. Dagny and Francisco d‘An conia. News of catastrophe over the radio. Dagny goes back. Some parasites have quit. Taggart was considering quitting, but stays when Dagny returns. Dagny’s intention to rebuild the line to “pre-tunnel” days. Her appeal to Rearden for all the rails he can deliver. [In the revised version, the last sentence is crossed out and the following is added:] Dagny-Rearden-Francisco scene. Dagny hurries after young scientist. Eddie tells worker where she has gone and about her affair with Rearden.

  XX

  [Original: ] Rearden goes to the West Coast to arrange for temporary transportation. Dagny joins him later. The opening night of the playwright’s play; Rearden goes with Dagny to the theater. Mrs. Rearden [sees them and] guesses the truth. Sensation of play; the playwright leaves “with some man.” That night, after the show, the violent scene between Rearden and his wife. Her ultimatum. He promises to let her know when she returns.

  [This chapter was eliminated in the revised outline.]

  XXI

  [Original:] The next morning, the young playwright asks Dagny for his job back, “after a month’s vacation.” Dagny gets wire from car manufacturer—he can’t fill her order. She has to hurry to him at once. At last moment, she gets wire from Rearden, asking her to come as soon as possible. While she is packing, Eddie Willers sees Rearden’s dressing-gown in her apartment and guesses the truth. She leaves. Scene of Eddie Willers and the worker in the restaurant, in which Eddie betrays the purpose of Dagny’s trip and her affair with Rearden.

  [This chapter was eliminated in the revised outline.]

  XX: The Sign of the Dollar*

  [Original:] The “frozen train ride.” Dagny and the young playwright. Their walk at night down the track to a telephone. Dagny gives orders to save the train, gets a plane, flies to car manufacturer’s town, sees his plane leaving, follows him. The mountains. The crash.

  [Revised:] The “frozen train ride.” Dagny and Owen Kellogg. Their walk at night down the track to a telephone. Dagny gives orders to save the train, gets a plane, flies to young scientist’s town, sees his plane leaving, follows him. The mountains. The crash. Her last thought, before she crashed, was burning in her mind, as her mockery of life, as her cry of defiance, the words she hated—the words of hopelessness, of despair, and of a plea for help: “Oh, hell! Who is John Galt?”

  Part II: The Beginning

  I: Atlantis

  The valley—John Galt.

  II

  Rearden’s decision about Dagny. His looking for her. (His loans to a farm-tool company for the Minnesota harvest.) [Added later:] Dr. Stadler and the unveiling of Project X. The open rise of the brute.

  III

  Dagny’s return to New York. Taggart has hired Cuffy Meigs. The freight cars have gone to southern “soybean project.” Dagny’s break with Rearden—she tells him she loves another man. [Added later:] He tells her that he loves her. Dagny and Lillian; Dagny’s broadcast.

  IV

  The disaster resulting from the “transportation pull deal.” The collapse of the farming district of Minnesota. Rearden’s heavy losses on his credits. Mrs. Rearden’s attempt to make him help mine parasite—his first anger at her.

  V

  Taggart’s married life—he crushes Cherryl’s efforts to rise. Cherryl’s “drowning plea” to Dagny. ([Added later:] Cherryl’s suicide.) [The next two sentences were crossed out:] Rearden realizes that Dagny is his real love—he tells her so. Dagny’s search for Galt; Francisco d‘Anconia, the empty valley.

  VI

  [Original:] The affair: Taggart and Mrs. Rearden. Taggart confesses it to the priest. The priest forgives him. The rebellion of Rearden’s secretary against her family—her decision to quit and marry.

  [Revised:] The affair: Taggart and Mrs. Rearden. Francisco saves Rearden in a situation where Rearden sees, at last, who is on whose side. The “wet nurse.” [This is the only reference to the “wet nurse ” in AR ’s journals, and it was added to the outline years later. After completing the novel, AR described the “wet nurse” as “an exception in my writing career, a character that started without my intention and wrote himself. ”]

  VII: Atlas Shrugged*

  The scheming of Taggart and the mine parasite to save themselves. Rearden discovers Mrs. Rearden’s affair with Taggart. He sees the real nature of his family. The emergency conference: Rearden, Taggart, mine parasite, Wesley Mouch. The rise in TT’s freight rates for ore and in the price of ore; Rearden is not allowed to raise prices, yet rails for TT are expected of him. The squeeze play. “You’ll do something.” Rearden walks out of office—the scene with his secretary in his office—he sees the similarity of their tragedy. “A man waiting to see him.”

  VIII

  News that Rearden has quit. His wife begs him to stay—his implacable coldness. He goes away (to the valley). Scene where lawyer reads Rearden’s deed to “the collective”—their panic. Rearden’s brother and factory superintendent. Superintendent quits—and half the workers are gone. “The collective” hires a friend of Cuffy Meigs, who promptly loots the place. The collapse of Rearden Steel.

  IX

  The final emergency of TT—the decision to close the Michigan line, against Dagny’s violent protest. When Dagny returns to the office, she is called to the terminal tunnels—the breakdown of the signal system. John Galt. Dagny escapes, sits sobbing in the terminal waiting room. (The bum who consoles her: “Oh well, who is John Galt?”) Hours later, she returns to the tunnels. Galt was expecting her to return. The affair underground. Then he tells her of his past love. She breaks with him, declaring that they are enemies. (She learns that Galt is both the ideal, the man she wanted-and her worst enemy; that he loves her—and that he is destroying her railroad.)