I thought this was one of the densest parts of the novel so
far. Hank and Dagny’s relationship progresses and I can see that it definitely
has become more serious. However, I’m still curious to see how long their
happiness will last with the constant pressure on them form their work. Larkin
is already messing up his orders for Hank, and Mouch is doing everything he can to socialize the
economy. Perhaps Hank will leave Dagny as Francisco did, foreseeing the
destruction of their companies. However, they seem to be happy so far, even
though Hank seems a bit ashamed at times, and they are certainly very
compatible. Maybe they will just suddenly retire and disappear like many other
great entrepreneurs and business people that seem to mysteriously do this.
The
“vacation” to Wisconsin that they took really showed the economically
distraught world much more than was revealed previously. The people live in
poverty and the town is a ruin. Situations like this allow for the arise of
totalitarian governments that promise change like the one developing in this
novel, with Wesley Mouch at the top.
What
annoyed me about this section was Jim. He took credit for the John Galt line
even though everyone knew it was Dagny’s work and reaped the benefits, then complained
about her to a girl he just met. This girl, Cheryl thinks that Jim is this
great businessman when in reality he’s a selfish hypocrite. The scene with her
made me question the popularity of this developing regime. She, a working class
woman still supports the idea of successful entrepreneurs, like she thinks Jim
is. Earlier, when the John Galt Line was finished, many people came out to see
and even showed their support, so who is really in favor of this new socialist
government?
I’m
also curious to see how Ellis Wyatt’s departure will affect Dagny and Hank. I
thought it was funny how he burned his oil fields as a response to what the
government did to him. I wonder if he will become like Francisco.
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