Dagny Taggart - There is a reason owing to which I decided to put Dagny at the top of the list of my character analysis. I believe she is arguably the most important character of the novel and the person who represents one climax of
Dagny is remarkable in every way. She is beautiful (not artistically, but she possess what I would prefer to call an intellect’s beauty quotient), talented, determined and has great brains to go with. The talent of Dagny Taggart is evident in the line towards the end of the novel when Eddie Willers( a very capable man and Dagny’s assistant goes on to tell her that she could build a railroad anytime, while he could not and hence he wanted to carry on with whatever was left). The determination of Dagny can be realized by her decision to leave the strikers and rejoin the real world as she believes that she can single handedly save her railroad and that there would be a time when the real world just before its destruction would realize the importance of the strikers i.e. the people who drive the world. Though Dagny is mistaken in this belief of hers, I only this is the intellectual humanitarian side of Dagny and the author tries to depict that as an attribute of female mind. That Dagny is such brainy is only evident by the fact that she single handedly runs a trans-continental railway network – The Taggart Transcontinental even when she has around her the likes of James Taggart and others to cause hindrance at her every brainchild move. The most impressive characteristics of Dagny, I feel come out when she talks to Lillian Rearden, the wife of Hank Rearden with whom Dagny is into a physical relationship, with Lillian having a hint of that and then later knowing it. Through Dagny, Ayn Rand may have thought to convey to us the idea that great accomplishments are not gender specific.
John Galt – Who is John Galt? Why does he have to fight his battles not against his enemies but against those who need him most? Why does he fight his hardest battle against the woman he loves? Atlas Shrugged is the astounding story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world – and he did. It is a mystery story, not about the murder of a man’s body, but about the murder – and rebirth of a man’s spirit, of a man called John Galt. To vast majority of readers and otherwise apparently too, John Galt is the most important character of the novel. He is the hero and the driving force of the novel. However an aspect of the novel is that this driving force works behind the scenes, with his existence unknown to the readers for about two-thirds of the novel. In the character of Howard Roark of ‘The Fountainhead’, Ayn Rand presented for the first time the kind of hero whose depiction was the chief goal of her writing: the ideal man, man as ‘he could be and ought to be’. John Galt, I believe is an extension of Howard Roark. No, he is not the Howard Roark equivalent of The Fountainhead. He is a new creation – man in the most ideal form ever possible if at all (Ayn Rand says “I trust no one will tell me that men such as I write about don’t exist. That this book (Atlas Shrugged) has been written – and published - is my proof that they do.”). John Galt has been described as physically beautiful and intellectually profound. He has been able to develop a revolutionary motor that would change the way the world moves. He possess a philosophy of reason which is highly recondite and at one stage in the novel he uses this reason of his to give a three hour long speech to the men of world, enough to get himself recognized as an intellectual who can change the world and bring it back on track. He is capable of leading world’s most talented men and that is how he is been depicted in the novel. His persevering qualities get highlighted when he observes Hank Rearden and sees that the latter posses everything – his mills, his invention, wealth, fame, and the love relationship with Dagny, all that he himself could have had, had he not started a strike against the world ruled by looters. In this moment he felt a tearing sense of loss but he overcomes it and continues on his strike – the path of all hindrance, but also the way to all that he had dreamt and long conceived towards his concept of an ideal world. His endurance abilities are highlighted by the context when he is subjected to torture treatment by the looters and he bravely shows up himself until he is rescued by his fellow mates. Galt represents the main theme of the novel and
Francisco D’ Anconia – Francisco Domingo Carlos Andres Sebastian d’ Anconia, that’s the name of my hero of the novel. He is one of the two closest friends of John Galt and was the first one to join the strike. He is profoundly intelligent and a highly successful businessman owing d’ Anconia copper but he plays the role of a promiscuous playboy as a cover for his actual motive of bringing people together for the strike and ensuring that the looters lose money with the sinking of d’ Anconia copper. Francisco has been shown as a character that is benevolent, but his strike related activities only go on to project him as a mocking and untrustworthy human. Dagny is the only girl he’s ever loved and at one point in life he was the only love of Dagny but due to his commitment to the strike he has to give up Dagny who views him as depraved and worthless. Thus he is the person who had to pay the heaviest price for the strike. Francisco has a profound influence on Rearden whom he genuinely loves even though he knows that he is Dagny’s lover. He is always at Rearden’s side and he saves his life in mill riots. Francisco is ultimately successful in making Rearden realize the virtue and necessity of the strike thus getting him to join the group. Francisco’s mere presence in the scene makes the part interesting and absorbing. In fact the episode when Francisco, Rearden and Dagny are together in Dagny’s office and Rearden having known the fact that Francisco was Dagny’s former and till then only lover loses his cool, giving him a physical blow is part of the novel that I felt was most absorbing and touching. No matter who comes in her life, Dagny always has a very special place for Francisco in her life and feels safe in his presence. Francisco is my equivalent of Gail Wynand from ‘The Fountainhead’.
Hank Rearden: Hank Rearden is the greatest of industrialists who runs the steel mills of the country. After ten years of dedicated effort he has been able to develop ‘Rearden Metal’ which in his words ‘is to steel in contrast to what steel is to iron’. He is a true embodiment of man’s values and spirits. However in the novel, Ayn Rand has shown Rearden to be captivated by the belief that mind and body are separate entities. Hence he was unsure of his own material acknowledgement and his family could make him feel guilty for his success. However his association with Francisco teaches him material production is an intellectual process and a virtue which Rearden initially didn’t give much respect thinking it as an attribute of body. However even then he was such a great industrialist that every one of the looters feared. For most part of the novel Rearden is Dagny’s lover and is reciprocated. He is a threat to strikers as he continues to run his mills and thereby helps in running the world (looters world).As a result of persuasion and enlightenment by Francisco, he finally joins the strikers. He is the Howard Roark equivalent of ‘The Fountainhead’.
James (Jim) Taggart: Jim Taggart is Dagny’s brother and president of Taggart Transcontinental. He is shown to be the kingpin of looters. Jim is a weak businessman and totally dependent on Dagny for running Taggart Transcontinental. His aim is to destroy the great minds he envies and hates – Dagny, Rearden, Francisco and later John Galt. Ayn rand has essentially shown James as a nihilist. He marries a very common girl Cherryl Brooks lest he can take advantage of her innocent hero worship projecting himself as a magnanimous businessman in her eyes. Because Jim’s true nature is so terrible, he cannot bear to know it and spends a great deal of energy repressing it and convincing himself that he is motivated by profit, public service, or love. However Cherryl’s suicide does shake him up. Towards the end of the novel, Rand totally unleashes the animosity of James, when Galt is being tortured and he continuously tries to urge others to increase the degree of trauma as ‘Galt had not even screamed by then’ and that ‘he wanted to hear him scream’ .This monstrous display of himself which he has managed to cover up from himself till now, brings him face to face with his own depravity and he almost becomes mad. He is the Peter Keating equivalent of ‘The Fountainhead’.
There are a few other quite important characters like Ragner Danneskjold, Hugh Akston, Eddie Willers, Robert Stadler and Floyd Ferris but I have limited my analysis to the above five people only to limit the length of discussion.
Analysis
Atlas Shrugged presents us some concepts that form the basis of human life as well as that of the novel. A very important concept portrayed by
Ayn Rand has portrayed her novel totally in support of capitalism and names her philosophy as objectivism. According to her it is the philosophy for living on earth. Objectivism is an integrated system of thought that defines the abstract principles by which a man must think and act if he is to live the life proper to a man.
In the words of Ayn Rand – My philosophy, in essence is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity and reason as his only absolute.
My confusions with Atlas Shrugged
Though I found Atlas Shrugged a great piece, there are a few confusions that I faced due to lack of clarity. I am putting them here and if any of you readers happen to get them cleared, kindly get me cleared too on those matters.
- When equalization of opportunity bill is passed and there is restriction on one man allowing him to produce only up to a specific limit, due to which Rearden is in trouble, why can’t he tell the concept and methodology of Rearden metal production to one of striker associates like Eddie Willers or anyone like that with the result that they could go on producing as much desired quantity of Rearden Metal in a combined way……….…..???????????
- Why did Dagny have to pay for services and during her stay at Atlantis while Rearden got a brick of gold for his duties done to the world and taxes paid…….???????????
- Who is Dagny in love with at the end of the novel. It seems it’s not Rearden, and may be old love Francisco too is not the one with all arrows being directed towards John Galt but there doesn’t seem to be enough language supporting this……….????????????
Well whatever it all be, my last word for Atlas Shrugged would be that it was an honour to read this novel and get acquainted with this a piece of such high value. It doesn’t seem an exaggeration that there are many who consider this magnum opus of Ayn Rand as the best novel of twentieth century. The book has sold in excess of six million copies since it was written – a testimony to its popularity. After three failed attempts it was finally made into a film in which Angelina Jolie who herself is an admirer of
