The Art of Pain and Love

    Although many ideas that were presented this weak spoke to me, I was deeply affected by the idea that pain exists to diminish love. The relationship between Dagny and Rearden is similar to the idea of one night stands in that they participate in the act of sex, however, they utilize the art of pain in order to create another level of distance between the two of them. Ayn Rand illustrates the savagery in the act of sex between Dagny and Rearden rather than demonstrating how the act should come from a deep emotional connection of love and friendship.
    “He twisted her arms behind her, holding her helpless, her breasts pressed again him; she felt the pain ripping through her shoulders, she heard the anger in his words and the huskiness of pleasure in his voice: “Who was he?” ” (Rand, 252) Rand describes the scene as if these actions embody the true colors of human beings. Dagny becomes primal and improper and loses the persona of the pitch perfect business woman that she pretends to be. However, it is saddening that she participates in the act of sex without associating it with the blissful emotions of love and intimacy. In the end, she has sex for purely physical reasons and returns to her persona of an emotionless, faceless woman. She does this as to not indulge in a real, passionate relationship in order to not hurt herself.
    Dagny’s relationship with Rearden becomes one similar to ‘friends with benefits’. There is no level of communication between Rearden and Dagny as a result of their fears of becoming emotionally involved or hurt. Pain and love are interconnected forces of the world. Unfortunately, Dagny and Rearden use these forces for primal and selfish motives rather than combining them to from a true, authentic sexual relationship.