this better be good..

            Either this story is going to have a horrible ending or Rand is about to surprise the hell out of me. Up until this point (Ch.1 Vol.3), nothing good has happened. Businesses are shutting down, everyone is giving up on work, the government is becoming increasingly suppressive, and the list is endless. Then, to make matters worse for Dagny in particular, the tunnel collapses because of two reasons; engine failure, which ended up suffocating everyone, and then a collision causing an explosion. Dagny is stressed out beyond belief and understandably quits. I found it interesting how supportive Francisco was when she makes this decision. I’m not sure what his master plan is but he fully believes that quitting is the best option. As always, I feel sympathy for Dagny. She worked to build a successful train line but as usual something had to go wrong. If I were Dagny I would have quit long ago.

            On the other hand, Hank Rearden has turned into such a romantic. At our first glimpse of him in the beginning he was a cold businessman, but now he cannot keep his mind off of his one and only love, Dagny. Unfortunately for Hank, he was blackmailed and given two lose-lose situations. He could either ruin Dagny’s reputation by exposing their unprofessional relationship, or he would hand over the Rearden Metal Empire. Surprisingly, he picks love over money. I think that Hank, above all characters, has shown to be the most dynamic. Dagny has changed him to be a more passionate and lively character. In fact, Hank shows his deep love for Dagny when he walks in on Francisco and Dagny having a meeting. Hank then realizes that Dagny is Francisco’s love and screams at him for not keeping his word. Hank strikes Francisco in the face, which I found to be awesome, and Francisco leaves.  Hank appears to be jealous that Dagny’s first lover was Francisco, but the two get over it with the typical “makeup sex.”

            Reading Atlas has become an adventure. However, it feels like this adventure has many more downs than ups. I truly hope Ayn Rand hasn’t wasted my time and ends the book off on a bad note. Yet, at the same time I want the ending to realistic and shocking. Although she still is not my favorite writer, I have complete faith that she will find away to astonish me.

-Morgan Mills