Original artwork, not a still
Is a man not entitled to the sweat of his brow?
— BioShock · 2007
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
It is a question rigged to have one answer: the speaker has already taken his side. The line is the founding premise of Rapture and the target of the game's argument, and since the game it has been quoted in arguments about property and taxes, by people who agree with Ryan and by people who treat him as a warning.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for BioShockShow the scene
BioShock (2007). Jack's bathysphere is sinking toward Rapture when a screen rises from the floor and Andrew Ryan, Rapture's founder, appears in a recorded address. He opens with this question. 'No,' says the man in Washington, it belongs to the poor; 'No,' says the man in the Vatican, it belongs to God; 'No,' says the man in Moscow, it belongs to everyone. Ryan rejects all three and announces that he chose the impossible and built Rapture. The address plays as the Bathysphere descends, before the player has seen the city.
Sources (3)
- Welcome to Rapture (BioShock level), BioShock WikiWalkthroughReference checked
- Andrew Ryan, BioShock WikiIntroductionReference checked
- BioShock, WikiquoteOpening speechReference checked
Context reviewed
