The interaction between the individual and the state in Ayn Rand's novels

The theme of the interaction between the individual and a government is explored throughout the whole of Ayn Rand’s creative work - her three novels and seven books on the self-elaborated philosophy called Objectivism. The purpose of this study is to analyze the evolution of this theme in her novels in three perspectives. Firstly, as a development of different aspects of this interaction. In her first novel, We the Living, the Soviet state is depicted through the eyes of an 18-year old female character, who personally suffered from the October revolution. Hardships of the post-revolutionary life are enhanced by the permeating atmosphere of fear. Thus, it is the psychological aspect that comes to the fore. The second novel, The Fountainhead, focuses on the personality of the protagonist, and therefore, the ethical aspect of the relationship acquires more importance. In the last novel, Atlas Shrugged, the relationship between the individual and the government is revealed through the economic framework. Here the government is portrayed as robbing hard-working businessmen. Secondly, the development of the theme is analyzed as the reflection of the author’s philosophical views which were formed owing to her personal life experience under both social systems - socialism and capitalism. If in her first novel, her criticism is aimed at socialism, the target of her third novel is the capitalist society, which due to the interference of the state in the economy starts reminding of its counterpart. Thirdly, the study considers how this theme is treated artistically. Starting with the realistic method of unfolding the theme in We the Living, in her following novels Rand develops philosophical generalisation, thus distracting the novels’ content from a concrete reality. The enhancement of the philosophical aspect of her novels decreases, however, their artistic value.