Who the hell is John Galt? (Rachael Marks)

         There is too much to write about.
         Every week I come to write my reaction to the reading and I find that I never say all that I would like to. There are still points I would like to bring up from readings far back but I feel as if I'll drag behind if I do. Writing a reaction to 120 pages of this book is almost the equivilant of writing a reaction to several events in history that currently do not have much tying them together, other than being accounts of men. For almost every weekend I have desperatly wanted to write about one thing, but I feel as if so many other events in the novel overshadow it, and I also want to write about those. I usually come to the conclusion that this event will remain stable, at least for a while, and that it is better to get to it later. 
          But I cannot resist any longer. I know that I will want to write about the other things occuring in these 120 pages, things I will never end up touching upon, but this event has haunted me throughout the entire novel. I do not recall reading about anyone else writing about it, and I do not blame them since it seems so minute in regards to everything else going on, but I wish to bring up the topic of Eddie Willers and his lunch friend.
          Though the novel poses so many different mysteries, this one is what I want to know the answer to the most. Who is Eddie talking to? It drives me insane wondering about it. There is so much mystery in the scenes between them, mostly because the person is never allowed to talk. Why do we never hear his responses? What is his job? What is his name? What does he think?
          I have so many assumptions about him, but I feel that all of them are wrong. For a long time I have felt that he was John Galt, but then something in the back of my head tells me that he's not. I do not know why. Maybe he is not John Galt, but I feel like he knows everything. This man always seems to be asking interesting questions. His comment on the fact that Dagny was smart makes me feel like he knows why everyone is dissapearing. I feel like he is the character who holds all of the answers, but at the same time he is not John Galt (who I do not doubt is in fact a real person and is behind everything).
         Ayn Rand tortures me with these mysteries. There seems to be no possible conclusion, but I feel, at the same time, everything will be revealed at once. All of these events have to tie together. It is really entrancing, but also so damn frustrating! I was always the person to skip to the last page of the book searching for answers... and all I will say is that I found very little. (I am glad though- because I ruined "And Then There Were None" for myself in that way). Happily, I can say, I am drawn to this book again. Last week I was getting scared that it was getting dry, but I feel it is picking up again.