Music and Sound
Music and sound are running themes throughout the novel. It's no mistake that music is tied to the strike and to Galt's value system. Meanwhile, sound, unappealing, dangerous, and even deadly, is l...
Motors and Motion
If we had to pick one symbol to best represent the strike and Galt's values, we'd go with motors. Galt kicks off his strike by declaring that he'll "stop the motor of the world." He is also the nea...
Education
After listening to all the speechifying of Galt and Co., it's easy to come to the conclusion that the looters and their followers are morons. Why are all these people going along with a value syste...
Lights and Darkness
This is a classic, if somewhat obvious, motif to use in characterizing the battle between the strikers and the looters. However, light and dark do more than just stand in for the good guys and the...
Dollar Signs
If Galt and his strikers had a sports team, its logo would definitely be a dollar sign. Their super secret clubhouse, Atlantis, actually has a gigantic dollar sign hanging above it. (We'll let the...
Additional Symbols, Images, and Motifs
Here are some other symbols, images, and running themes worth mentioning that we discuss at other points in this guide:Childhood: You can read more about this running theme in the "Memory and the P...