This week’s reading has helped
to reveal certain qualities in the main characters that are now becoming more
evident. Even though I am not too fond of John Galt’s character, I can see how
some of his ideas are practical. Galt says that morality should come from
within humans themselves, rather than from some sort of exterior force. I do
agree with this philosophy, as it is unfair for one outside entity to determine
the standards for morality. All humans have different morals, so it is more
practical that morality should stem from within. However, John Galt’s ideas
seem rather selfish; he thinks that everyone should put his or her own
self-interest before anyone else’s. While this idea may seem practical to him,
I do not agree with it. I think that if everyone is only concerned with his or
her own success, then competition will be too extreme and will ultimately
become detrimental to society as a whole. It is best for society to work
together, not necessarily so that everyone is the same, but so that competition
does not overpower everything. I find John Galt’s ideology to be selfish, yet
some of his concepts are rational. One characteristic that I have come to
admire about John Galt is his loyalty to his own beliefs. For example, when he
is held at gunpoint, he does agree to do what he is told, but he refuses to
think of solutions for the looters. John Galt’s mind and ideas are extremely
important to him, and he will not betray them, which is something to be
admired. He respects his mind too much to deceive it. Another character who has
demonstrated different characteristics is Dagny. She used to be an incredibly
independent person who only cared about success. Dagny was not influenced to
change her behavior by men; she was very strong-willed. Now, however, she seems
to be the complete opposite of what she used to be. It is almost as though John
Galt has brainwashed her; his ideas have now become hers. This alteration is demonstrated when she
recites Galt’s oath to Francisco. While she has changed, there are certain
aspects of her personality that have remained the same. For one, she does what
she thinks is right when it comes to the company. After hearing that the
Taggart Bridge is destroyed, Dagny makes no plans to solve the problem. She no
longer has the desire to improve the company. Her actions when concerning the
company are one of the few things about her that have only slightly shifted.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with your post. I also agree with you that I am not too fond of John Galt. I liked him when we first met him because he seemed down to Earth, but through this speech he started to annoy me. Like you, I agreed with some of his thoughts throughout his speech; however, some I did not agree with. At points he was too opinionated and just expected people to agree with him and that is not what he should think. I agree with you completely that I do not like John Galt's point that we should focus on ourselves before focusing on others. The world does not work that way. If everyone just cared about themselves the world would not be where it is today. People have to care and help others for the world to prosper and survive. I also see the shift in Dagny's character. She has changed throughout the book. I like your comment that "it is almost as though John Galt has brainwashed her." I thought the same thing because when Dagny was in the real world all she wanted to do was fight and beat the looters, but once she meets John Galt her perspective changes. She goes back to the real world, but does not have that same urge to fight and save the world that she had at the beginning of the book. Even though Dagny has changed, I still like her because she is the only woman still fighting in the real world against the looters.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you for the most part. I am not fond of John Galt’s personality either. I think he is very loyal to his beliefs, which is an admirable quality, but I believe that his selfishness is also admirable. One has to keep their own self-interest to survive, and honestly in the condition of their society, they are struggling to survive. Not literally, of course, but metaphorically they are dying and need to help themselves before they work together. Competition is needed as motivation. If everything is kept as it has been, which is run by the government, who is all looters at this point, the society will never progress. So it is sad to say that Galt is right. But I do think his morals are correct and he cares for the people that he is “saving”, because they are the ones being injured by Washington. He will not help the government; he believes having loyalty overpowers and while at gunpoint still refuses. I think this is a great quality he has. I have grown somewhat fond of him because of this. I think it is interesting that Dagny used to be the person he described, but is so loyal to him because of his morals and her love for him, that she is now changing. How convenient. She was the only woman fighting, actually the only person who stayed to fight.
ReplyDeleteI do not necessarily agree with you on a few of the things you mentioned. I believe that John Galt's seemingly "selfish" ways stem from an intolerance of society. I mean look at America during this novel, it would be pretty challenging to not have the desire to meet your own needs before anyone else's. Furthermore, I think that competition should not be limited or considered "too extreme." If competition were measured on a scale like that then government would control what we compete for, similar to Atlas. As for Dagny, I also think she has become sick of dealing with people who suck off society and the government. Quitting was a way for Dagny to find her own happiness, because worrying about others’ clearly was not beneficial to her.
ReplyDelete-Morgan Mills