The Atlas Complex

One of the critical themes of The Atlas Complex is the inherent duality of human nature: altruism and compassion versus selfishness and maliciousness. One of the defining features of the Atlas trilogy is its exploration of gray morality. Throughout the series, characters grapple with moral dilemmas and conflicting motivations. Rather than presenting the characters as good or evil, the books portray them as morally ambiguous, particularly when it comes to surrounding power, knowledge, and ethics. Rather than focusing on the dual nature of a single character, Blake illustrates how each character is capable of both noble and reprehensible acts, challenging traditional notions of heroism and villainy. As Blake writes, “Nothing in the universe was purely ugly without something beautiful; nothing wholly good without the shadow of something bad” (326).

While this theme permeates the whole novel, Blake specifically explores the duality of humanity in the book’s Prologue. She explicitly discusses the dichotomy between good and evil, which she portrays as two sides of a coin. On one side, she writes, “Left to their own devices, humans will inevitably resort to baser impulses, to self-eradicating violence. Within every human being is the power to see the world as it is and still be driven to destroy it” (21); on the other, she writes, “Left to their own devices, humans will inevitably care for one another at great detriment to themselves.