The Serpent's Tree

    In the beginning of her novel, Ayn Rand made me wonder over how any society could become as dull, depressed, dark, and unemotional as the one described in Atlas Shrugged. My question was clearly answered through the newly introduced character, Francisco d'Anconia , who symbolized the serpent known as government. In the novel’s setting, people were under governmental control rather than being individuals. Not a single character could gather up enough courage and separate themselves from the power that the serpent exerted.
    Francisco poisoned Dagney’s mind, and as a result, was the reason why Dagny became a cold hearted business woman who gave no value to emotional connections. Francisco states that “Dagny, there’s nothing of any importance in life- except how well you work. Nothing, Only That. Whatever else you are, will come from that. It’s the only measure of human value.” (Rand, 98) This sickening idea that he presented was similar to the apple poisonous apple that he presented to Adam and Eve. He promised wealth, power, and greed which resulted in the murdering of the core values that exist in human beings.
    The reader later finds out the true identify of Francisco and that the fact that he took advantage  of Dagny and ripped away any trace of individuality that she had. In the end, Rand suggests that the White House’s garden and its associates are draining society of its true emotional and ethical riches. People are no longer distinctive, but rather, robotic.