Robin Hood: "The double parasite who lives on the sores of the poor and the blood of the rich" (Meagan Adler)

     In this week’s reading I was particularly intrigued by the way Rand portrayed the decaying socialist society, tormented by its own threat of self-destruction.  I found that Rand’s allusion to Robin Hood, described by Danneskjold as a “double-parasite who lives on the sores of the poor and the blood of the rich” (pg. 532) captivating, as it emphasizes that the hypocritical socialist society values immoral moralities.  I think this idea furthermore underscores that the socialists are living off of those in which they define as enemies, for they are feeding off the wealthy, self-seeking antagonistic capitalists that they believe are destroying society; however, in reality, the socialists are destroying their own society by believing in a set of values that are contrary to the actual beliefs in which they are supposed to follow.  I also believe that Rand’s personification of the train as it is “shivering with cold” (pg. 602), surrounded by the “ghost”, “skeletons”, and “corpses” of the towns it passes through is a particularly powerful description, as it stresses the cold, bitter and dying socialist society, destroyed by its own beliefs.  This highlights the dejected spirit that flows through the air and leads to self-destruction.  Along with portraying the dystopian society that is gradually rotting away, I also found that a particularly powerful scene was that in which Rand describes Dagny’s unrelenting determination, as she refuses to submit to Fransisco’s desire;  as Dagny returns back to the industrial world, Rand says, “In a contest of physical strength, he could have broken the bones of her arms…But with the force of a living creature fighting for life, she tore herself loose so violently that she threw him off balance for a moment” (pg.573).  This shows a point of strong independence, as Dagny overpowers Farnsisco, reminding us that she is still that revolutionary woman whom we want her to be, refusing to submit to a man’s desire.  This furthermore communicates that the railroad is part of Dagny’s identity and that she needs to be part of Taggart Transcontinental;  she feels the need to “fuel” (pg. 564) up, “journey down the track of the railroad” (pg. 561), and find the formula to the motor that was so desperately needed, “not to move trains, but to keep her moving” (pg. 618).