Happiness

“I read a book once where it said that great men are always unhappy, and the greater—the unhappier. It didn’t make sense to me. But maybe it’s true” (243). This quote stuck with me while reading this entire chapter. It was something that I had been thinking about since beginning the book. Dagny is never completely satisfied with what she has and always wants to make it better, the same with Hank Rearden. This chapter focuses a lot on James Taggart, the character that I least knew about. As I got to know James I realized that he is just a normal person that thinks that there are bigger things out there than just working. He thinks about human beings and questions why they are the way that they are. This clerk teaches Taggart about life and what he has to think about and that he must stop complaining and just does what makes him happy. I enjoyed this interaction because I had never seen James talk to someone lower than him.

            Dagny and Hank’s relationship is passionate and violent. I feel like they both enjoy being powerful and this translates into the bedroom which leads to some uncomfortable things that Rand writes about. I love that they both feel so comfortable with each other, but when they start to get physically passionate it turns a little weird. I wish that they could be a real couple instead of having to hide all the time.