Rearden's Triumph over his own Guilt (Monica Rodriguez)

            Hank Rearden’s trial is by far my part of Atlas Shrugged so far. It is exciting to read about Readen honestly expressing everything that Rand has been insinuating in the first 400 pages of the book. I especially enjoyed how she did this through a transformation of Rearden’s character. Rearden, who until now has not truly come out and vocalized his ideals because of guilt he is made to feel by his family, is finally able to defend himself after the liberating confrontation with his brother on thanksgiving. That confrontation was the first step that would enable him to stand up and cut through the bureaucratic nonsense because it allowed him to finally stop feeling guilty for his success and realize that his success is actually beneficial to others, even if that is not his intention. The country, much like his brother, is dependent upon him because of his powerful rearden steel and the poor reliability of his competitor’s products. The government hopes to control the power that he posses over the population through impossible rules that can be used for extortion, however they still know how important his current position is in the functioning of their country. What they did not anticipate was Rearden’s willingness to risk himself and call their bluff going all the way to the trail, which the perfect venue for Rearden to express his opinions. This willingness proves that Rearden’s primary interest is in fact not making profits, as everyone had believed, but actually upholding his ideal that money should earned and those who earn it should be able to keep what is rightfully theirs.  In his honesty the government could not severely punish Rearden because of his importance in their world and because, as Dr. Ferris stated in his conversation with Rearden honest men are difficult to control.