The Great Chain (Economic Ideal)

"I believe in no God, no invisible man in the sky. But there is something more powerful than each of us, a combination of our efforts, a Great Chain of industry that unites us. But it is only when we struggle in our own interest that the chain pulls society in the right direction. The chain is too powerful and too mysterious for any government to guide. Any man who tells you different either has his hand in your pocket, or a pistol to your neck."

- Andrew Ryan

The "Great Chain" is an allegorical term frequently used by Andrew Ryan which describes how industry and economy "unites the people"; in the sense that the consumers pay taxes and inject money into the government and capitalist system to pay for the upkeep of society for such thing as healthcare and general maintenance. In the context of Rapture, the "Great Chain" refers to the economy that surrounds the city, acting as the foundation for its free industry in an economic sense. In this way the citizens are all united by the chain of industry, due to the fact that industry provides the economic and capitalistic availability of goods, as well jobs for the masses. Therefore, it can be said that the citizens are supported, not just united, by the chain, as without it people would be effectively living in a third world country with hardly any jobs or food, or luxury goods; all of which are provided by industry, albeit this is a broad term. "Something must be done about Fontaine. While I was buying buildings and fish futures, he was cornering the market on genotypes and nucleotide sequences. Rapture is transforming before my eyes. The Great Chain is pulling away from me. Perhaps it's time to give it a tug"

- Andrew Ryan

In this context, Ryan refers to who has the greater influence on the economy of Rapture, thereby controlling the flow of money and such things as the rate of inflation throughout Rapture. If Ryan controlled the Great chain of industry, he would effectively control the economy if he could alter the 'chain' at a fundamental level. One of Ryan's ideals is pure capitalism, the investment in and production of economic goods, and the flow of wealth throughout an economic framework, being controlled by one, or a select few, individuals; namely Ryan and Fontaine. In this sense, because they control the majority of businesses and industrial companies orientating Rapture, they have the power to sway the capitalist economy, therefore the people as well, hence the statement "The chain of industry ties and unites us".

The chain of industry unites the citizens, in the sense that it requires absolute consumer input to keep it afloat, as with many multinational conglomerates today. The citizens each inject income into the system, which is then placed back into the system to attract an ever increasing number of consumers and so forth. In this way Rapture's economy can be described in a cyclic sense. The great chain of industry ties the citizens, because a nation is bound only by the constraints of its economy, limiting consumer expenditure in proportion to the availability of goods. The world economy today is founded on the basis of supply and demand, if there is no demand there will be no supply, therefore the world is tied together as a mass demographic. One layman, who only "owns" a portion of a gargantuan economy, has no more power to sway it than the next man. However as a unified front, the people have a larger voice. This is also true of Ryan and Fontaine who control large segments of the economy of Rapture, and have the power to change the 'chain' as they see fit. In a contextually analytical sense, the chain ties the citizens, and could be an analogy for the people trapped within Rapture, not just the economy.

Trivia

 * The Great Chain is a reference to the Invisible Hand of the Market, a theory belonging to Adam Smith (also known as the "Father of Capitalism").
 * The tattoos on Jack's wrists may be a reference to the Great Chain, as well as his apparent slavery. This could also be a nod to Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand's most famous novel, in which one of the main characters, Hank Rearden, wears a chain bracelet to represent his own achievements.

La Grande Chaîne