Book I

The first question I have after reading is: who is the third student of Dr. Akston and Stadler? Why won't anyone tell Dagny the name of this person? I of course want to conclude that it is John Galt- but that is too easy, isn't it? I think it is interesting that Ragnar is now a pirate and Francisco is a playboy- yet the famous philosopher Dr. Akston is proud of them? I'm confused.

I have to agree that this book is easier to follow and more interesting than any book we have read so far. This is good for many reasons but mostly because it is A BIG BOOK, can you imagine?

"...real devotion consists of being willing to lie, cheat and fake in order to make another person happy- to create for him the reality he wants, if he doesn't like the one that exists."
- I like this quote, for some reason. Is it our responsibility to make ourselves happy or does some of the duty rely on our acquaintances and loved ones? Dagny is an example of how one person can create the reality she wants- however there are forces beyond her control that alter her reality. The politics in this book are out of this world! I can't believe how easy it is for men of power to inflict rules and laws that are meant for good when actually they have the opposite effect. I'm sure you are learning about all of this in your class- please feel free to share any information that might help me understand it better.

What do you think about the person who created the engine? What did Akston mean when he told Dagny that he will find her when he wants to? Once again- is it John Galt who invented the engine? Very mysterious.

One last thing- I started to feel kind of bad for Rearden's wife, even though at the beginning of the story I didn't like her (or his Mom) at all. We saw some emotion from her that finally made a little bit of sense.