In
all honesty I am surprised at how much I enjoy Atlas Shrugged. In the beginning I was skeptical about it mainly
because I thought it was going to be a novel where Rand blatantly criticizes certain
government policies and philosophies but Rand has surprised me with her characters that I have grown to love and relate
to. My favorites of those at the moment being Dagny Taggart and Hank Rearden.
One
of the many aspects of Dagny that I enjoy is her independent spirit. When the
public eye scrutinizes Taggart Transcontinental for their choice of metal
during the rebuilding of the Rio Norte line, her independent spirit led her to
trust her own opinion about Rearden Metal. In the beginning chapters we see how
people view her independence and position of power as a unfeminine but I find
it refreshing too see a woman so determined to hold such a position
with strength and fearlessness. In the beginning of the novel I assumed that Dagny was a
woman who put her job before everything, but she has emotional and physical needs just
like any other woman. Seeing her and Hanks relationship transform from that of
strictly business into a sexual one was intriguing as it showed a more romantic
side of Dagny that I was not really expecting to see.
In
my first post I mentioned how I felt bad for the way that his family treated
Hank, and that pity for him is still there, though I can understand why his
wife and family feel that way about him. He is a character that is portrayed as
cold and emotionless to a matter that do not concern his business and who’s
only concern is to maximize his profit, but I was shocked to be able to see a
more carefree side to Hank. When him and Dagny were in riding the first train
on the John Galt Line, I witnessed two uptight characters just let go for a brief moment and
connect on an emotional and sexual level, which was something I wasn't sure
either of them were capable of initially doing.
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