Alan Armony Reaction #9

Things are getting too out of hand. A weapon that destroys everything in its path? That’s really what the mysterious Project X is? I expected something much more interesting. This has nothing to do with the story line, unless a war breaks out. When I read the name of the chapter, Anti-greed, I wondered what this chapter would contain. I was expecting someone to give up his or her life for someone else, like Eddie for Dagny. However, it is instead a new policy to redistribute the train profits. In theory, this is a good plan. In practice, however, we know later that it doesn’t work. In the end of the chapter, I was happy with Dagny’s actions. She didn’t allow Lillian to blackmail her and instead announces to the press her affair with Rearden. I was upset when I learned that Dagny no longer loves Rearden and that she even tells Rearden that she loves John Galt. I liked the relationship that Rearden and Dagny had.

In the next chapter, I knew someone was going to die; it was just a matter of whom. I would have been very upset with Rand if she had named the chapter Anti-life and not had anyone die during it. The moment Rand starts talking about Lillian going to see Jim, I knew they were going to have sex. I expected it to be more emotional since I had suspected sexual tension between them throughout the book, but it was understandable since she was only doing it to get back at Hank.

I hated Jim in the end of this chapter. He is the sole reason for Cherryl committing suicide. She never did anything wrong! Why did she have to be the one to die? I would have rather had Dannesskjold die. At least he was guilty of a few things.

In the next chapter, Francisco “disappears” with his best employees. Although the other characters do not know where he went, the reader knows he went to Mulligan Valley. I enjoy these situations, when I know something that the character doesn’t, it gives me a sense of power over the story, when in fact I have none. Also in this chapter we experience the consequence of Jim’s new policy. All of the farm businesses are destroyed because of corruption and not being able to get the trains to the wheat which cause them to rot.

In the next chapter, a riot breaks out at Rearden’s mills. At the moment I thought he was going to be killed, of course Francisco comes out of nowhere and saves him. I definitely did not see this coming, especially since I thought he was in Mulligan Valley.