FReeper Book Club: Atlas Shrugged, The Non-Commercial

A Publius Essay | 21 February 2009 | Publius

[Publius]

Part I: Non-Contradiction
Chapter VI: The Non-Commercial

Synopsis

Hank Rearden, forgetting about his anniversary party, is sent home by his secretary and dresses for the party. He reads an editorial about the Equalization of Opportunity Bill, which will forbid any businessman from owning more than one business. He has paid Wesley Mouch a lot of money to stop this and cannot believe it will pass the National Legislature.

Hank goes downstairs in time to hear Simon Pritchett state that man is nothing but chemicals with delusions of grandeur. He also says that there aren’t any objective standards and that the purpose of philosophy is to prove that there isn’t any meaning to life.

Balph Eubank pontificates on the state of literature, which should be to show that the essence of life is suffering and defeat. He suggests an equalization of opportunity bill for authors. Mort Liddy challenges this, but Eubank believes that no book should be allowed to sell more than ten thousand copies, thus forcing people to buy better books because there will no longer be any best sellers. Only those who are not motivated by making money should be allowed to write.

Bertram Scudder, author of a vile and slanderous article about Rearden, speaks in favor of the Equalization of Opportunity Bill to Philip Rearden and Betty Pope, who both support it. Philip has no problem with the government trimming Hank’s fortune. They are joined by Claude Slagenhop who argues that if the people are in need, they should seize things first and talk about it later.

Dagny Taggart walks in, and she is breathtaking. She tells Hank that this is a celebration of the first sixty miles of Rearden Metal track. Hank is strangely formal, as though he and Dagny have never met. Dagny is disturbed by his treatment of her.

Eubank and Jim Taggart speak about Dagny, whom Eubank sees as a perversion caused by the age of machines; Dagny should be home weaving cloth and having babies. Hank is enraged to see that Bertram Scudder is drinking in his house, but he is even more upset when Francisco d’Anconia walks in.

Francisco gravitates to Eubank and Pritchett. Eubank wants a government subsidy for the arts. Francisco delivers a delicious slam against Pritchett’s nihilism with a smile.

Jim takes Francisco aside to discuss the San Sebastian debacle, about which Francisco intends to do nothing. He tells Jim that the mines and rail line have been seized by the will of the people, and how dare anyone go against the majority? Everything Francisco did in Mexico was intended to follow the dominant precepts of the age. The mining engineer was chosen because of his need, workers received wages for producing nothing, and not a penny of profit was made. What could better epitomize the philosophy of Jim Taggart?

Francisco takes Hank aside and manages to read Hank’s innermost thoughts. He explains to Hank that he is carrying all the freeloaders in the room, and they have but one weapon against him. Hank gives him a tongue lashing about the Mexican business, and Dagny cannot believe that Francisco is taking it without fighting back. Francisco leaves, telling Hank he has learned what he needed to learn about him.

Dagny draws Hank into conversation, but Hank is still absolutely rigid, as though he had never met Dagny before. Dagny offers to slap Bertram Scudder. But Hank can’t keep his eyes off her bare shoulder.

Dagny overhears a conversation among some elderly people about their fear that the darkness will never leave. One old woman speaks about detonations heard out in Delaware Bay. The official explanation is Coast Guard target practice, but everyone knows it is the pirate Ragnar Danneskjøld evading the Coast Guard. Several European people’s states have put a price on his head, and he has captured a ship with relief supplies slated for the People’s State of France. His ship is better than any in the navy of the People’s State of England. The government has asked the newspapers to enforce a blackout on reporting about him. He was once a student at Patrick Henry University. (Major plot point!)

”Who is John Galt?” one asks, and Dagny walks away. But the old woman follows and tells Dagny of the legend of John Galt, a variant of the legend of Atlantis. Dagny doesn’t believe it, but Francisco says he does and tells Dagny the story is true. They spar, but when Francisco looks at Dagny and says, “What a waste,” Dagny walks away, realizing that Francisco has read her mind.

The last straw is when the radio comes on, and she hears Liddy’s bastardization of Halley’s Fourth Concerto. As she prepares to leave, she hears Lillian Rearden speaking disparagingly about the bracelet of Rearden Metal she is wearing. In a fury, Dagny offers to exchange her diamond bracelet for Lillian’s Rearden Metal bracelet. Lillian takes the offer, and Hank suddenly turns solicitous to his wife – and bitterly cold to Dagny.

Hank, in his wife’s bedroom, asks that she not invite these people again to the house.

The Purpose of This Chapter

We meet the friends of Philip and Lillian Rearden, a veritable rogues gallery of New York intellectuals; the overwhelming impression is one of uselessness and nihilism. Francisco is probing Hank, and Dagny’s relationship with Hank hits a bad spot. Something is going on, but it’s impossible to figure it out yet.

The New York Intellectuals

Intellectuals in general held differing but strong opinions of Ayn Rand.

• William F. Buckley: "Ayn Rand is dead. So, incidentally, is the philosophy she sought to launch; it was in fact stillborn."
• Noam Chomsky: “One of the most evil figures of modern intellectual history.”
• Chris Matthew Sciabarra: "The left was infuriated by her anti-communist, procapitalist politics, whereas the right was disgusted with her atheism and civil libertarianism."

After her Hollywood years, Rand came to New York and settled there for the rest of her long life. She had her own group of followers, whom she dubbed “The Collective” as a joke aimed at Marxism. Alan Greenspan was one of them.

Rand no doubt rubbed shoulders with New York’s intellectuals of the Left, and the dominant group at that time dubbed itself “The New York Intellectuals”. (How original!) This group defined itself as socialist and Marxist, but not pro-Soviet. They wrote for Partisan Review, Commentary and Dissent, any of which may be the real life version of Bertram Scudder’s The Future. (Today, one would point to magazines like Mother Jones or The Nation as candidates.)

The names of these intellectuals are a “Who’s Who” of that era, and some of them are still alive today. Among them were Lionel Trilling, Diana Trilling (his wife), Alfred Kazin, Delmore Schwartz, Harold Rosenberg, Dwight Macdonald, Mary McCarthy, Irving Howe, Saul Bellow, Daniel Bell, Hannah Arendt, Susan Sontag, Irving Kristol and Norman Podhoretz. Most of them were Jewish. Irving Kristol and Norman Podhoretz moved right in later years and formed the core of the neo-conservative movement. Proving that some people just live too long, Susan Sontag spent her last years as a relentless self-parody, finally skewered by Camille Paglia in a brilliant essay.

One enjoyable parlor game is to look at the rogues gallery of intellectuals at Hank Rearden’s party and guess whom they were based on.

• Balph Eubank, author, none of whose books has ever sold more than 3000 copies.
• Claude Slagenhop, president of Friends of Global Progress.
• Bertram Scudder, editor of The Future, whose speech contains the definitive manifesto, “Property rights are a superstition.”
• Mort Liddy, composer, whose film scores are kitsch classical and whose modern symphonies are unlistenable.
• Simon Pritchett, head of the Philosophy Department at Patrick Henry University and apparently the father of the modern philosophical school of Nihilism.

Typical of Rand, these characters drip banality and evil years before Hannah Arendt joined those words in her essay about Adolf Eichmann. More will join their ranks in future chapters.

Some Discussion Topics

1. For the past three years, Dr. Simon Pritchett has been the chair of the Philosophy Department of Patrick Henry University. How the mighty have fallen! Considering what Rand has said about that school, what does this tell us of the state of American higher education?
2. ”Good composers borrow, but great composers steal.” Today, John Williams is the film composer who steals brilliantly, mining the great European classical tradition. During the Fifties, Harvard professor Tom Lehrer performed a masterly comic bit about movies requiring a soundtrack that people could hum. (“The Ten Commandments, cha-cha-cha.”) Where does Mort Liddy fit in? How bad can his music be?
3. ”The black dress seemed excessively revealing – because it was astonishing to discover that the lines of her shoulder were fragile and beautiful, and that the diamond band on the wrist of her naked arm gave her the most feminine of all aspects: the look of being chained.” Where there are chains, can whips be far behind? Yet more sadomasochism? What insight does this give us into the author’s philosophy of sexuality? Did Ayn Rand like rough sex?
4. Balph Eubank’s comment about Dagny having babies strikes a false note. In the Fifties, such a view would have been considered normal, but not from a New York intellectual – except possibly Norman Mailer. Intellectuals of the Fifties were dismissive of the whole zeitgeist of that era when women were expected to cook, sew and have babies. So let’s take Eubank’s discordant note and analyze it. What is Rand trying to say here?
5. Eubank wants a government subsidy for the arts. Less than a decade after the book was published, Lyndon Johnson signed a law creating the National Endowment for the Arts, National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System. Have American art, radio and television improved since then? Has government involvement had a positive or negative effect? Why?
6. It’s time to increment the body count. Hugh Akston, former head of the Philosophy Department at Patrick Henry University, retired and disappeared nine years ago. That’s contemporaneous with Richard Halley.
7. How does one dare oppose the will of the majority? Contrast Dan Conway’s use of that question with Francisco’s.
8. What is going on with Hank and Dagny?
9. ”Who is John Galt?” This time it comes from an elderly lady, but she has some background information that sounds like the stuff of legend. Further, Francisco tells Dagny that the legend is true. Who is fooling whom?

Next Saturday: The Exploiters and the Exploited

[r-q-tek86]

Thanks. I guess I am going to have to start reading it again so I can keep up with the threads.

[Publius]

Oo-oo-oo-h, I like that! I completely missed that. This is why I love dealing with FReepers.

[Publius]

Ping to Chapter 6.

[Publius]

My literature teachers in the Catholic prep school I attended in New Jersey were a mixed lot. Some knew what they were talking about, but most didn't. I had to read and learn things for myself.

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

“How does one dare oppose the will of the majority? Contrast Dan Conway’s use of that question with Francisco’s.”

Put simply, Dan Conway asked this question with an air of resignation, as if it was useless to fight the mob that voted to drive him out of busness. Francisco poses it to point out the folly of the idea that the distribution of wealth should be based on need rather than ability (although none of those he asks seem to understand this).

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

I went to a public high school myself, but as part of the "gifted students" program I had the same English instructor for all but one semester. He was an ex-hippie and somewhat liberal, but he was a very good instructor. He was also smart enough to know that I was lazy and mostly coasting on my natural smarts; on one occasion I decided to plagiarize Cliff's Notes for a paper on Steppenwolf and he rewarded me appropriately (I did learn my lesson; it was the only F I ever received from him).

[Aggie Mama]

Can you please add me to the ping list as well?

[Publius]

Artists in general , at least until they reach a level of success have always been “starving” and requiring the tender mercies of a patron.

My own area of expertise is classical music. This was true for Haydn and Mozart, and to some extent even Beethoven. Once you sold your music to a publisher, the gold you received was the only payment you got. All profits went to the publisher.

But then British copyright law came into being throughout Europe, and everything changed. Brahms could make money off the sales of sheet music.

Then recording came along in the early 20th Century, and composers like Rachmanninov learned how to become media businessmen.

The patronage system gave way to capitalism in various forms as far as music was concerned.

[SoftballMominVA]

Where there are chains, can whips be far behind? Yet more sadomasochism? What insight does this give us into the author’s philosophy of sexuality? Did Ayn Rand like rough sex?

I'm going to take the wearing of the diamond band in a different way

I'm not so sure it equals sex, but I think it is a symbol for the old society and the unnecessary adornment of greatness. In a society where the outward is prized and true goodness of character is disguised, jewelry, clothing, one's residence become the way to indicate that one is 'better' than another. Reflect back to the significance of the chain Hank created. It wasn't necessarily beautiful or valuable by traditional mores, it was valuable because of what it symbolized -- it symbolized the future.

When Dagny trades her diamond band for Lilian's bracelet of Reardon metal, she makes an important step down her own path - she trades an item of traditional value for one of the new values - the value of hard work.

Hank at this point becomes kinder to Lillian because it is at this point he falls in love with Dagny, but he will feel he is bound by the old ways and will not want to leave Lillian and thus violate his bond to her he made in the past. This internal struggle will have to be reconciled, and this type of struggle is not reconciled cleanly. The society of Altas Shrugged is clearly one in transition.

When Lillian and Dagney trade the diamond band for the Reardon metal, they each seal their own fate. One will remain in the past, one will belong to the future

[Publius]

Certainly Lillian’s trade of Rearden Metal for a diamond tells volumes about her character. But then so does her taste in friends and intellectuals.

[Explorer89]

The comment about Dagny's diamond bracelet actually came from Lillian Rearden:

"Lillian moved forward to meet her, studying her with curiosity. They had met before, on infrequent occasions, and she found it strange to see Dagny Taggart wearing an evening gown. It was a black dress......The black dress seemed excessively revealing--because it was astonishing to discover that the lines of her shoulder were fragile and beautiful, and that the diamond band on the wrist of her naked arm gave her the most feminine of all aspects: the look of being chained."

Does this statement actually say more about Lillian Rearden than about Dagny? It is Lillian who thinks that a woman's feminity is defined as being a piece of property. Without question Ayn Rand had some sort of domination fetish going on.....

Although, truth be told, Ayn Rand is a bit bi-polar in her feminism. Why did Dagny have to be so beautiful? I guess that is the case with her mega-producer leading men: they are all gorgeous, as well.

So, why does Hank completely give Dagny the cold shoulder after the bracelet exchange? Does he realize that he is in love with her and must hide it at all costs? Or has he admitted it to himself?

[Publius]

Why did Dagny have to be so beautiful?

Dagny is Ayn, or at least the way Ayn would have liked to be.

In real life, Ayn Rand was a short and rather dumpy woman. Her brainpower was amazing, and I think she looked at herself in a mirror and saw Dagny. Or at least wanted to see Dagny.

If you go back to last week's thread and watch Rand with Mike Wallace and Phil Donahue, it's a wonderful thing to behold. I'm hoping they both live just long enough to eat their words.

[gracie1]

Thank you for these threads, it has been very enjoyable to have this give and take.

As far as the remark made to Dagney that she should be having babies. I immediately thought about a show I saw on Book Notes about the worst ideas/books of all time. On the list was Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystic. He explained it as expanding marxism to include the womens movement. Friedan's view was that the 1950’s housewife, while staying at home, was freed by modern technology to pursue more intellectual goals. She saw the modern housewife as the “vanguard” of marxism for women. Contrast that to Dagney, who doesn't have time for such nonsense, she has a railroad to run. Of coarse, as another poster already stated, he may have been critiquing her job performance.

As for the game to name the contemporaries of the party members, thats like shooting fish in a barrel! But what immediately comes to mind is all of these liberal movies like Redacted, Rendition & W. No one sees them, no one wants to see them, and they don't make money. The whole point is to pontificate to the masses.

[Explorer89]

I watched the first Mike Wallace clip. I will have to do those in bits and pieces.

Yup, she’s really kind of a troll, isn’t she? That is what is so strange about her heroines being so gorgeous. I’d want to make my heroine attractive, without needing the “legs like a dancer” sort of thing going on. It was Dagny’s mind that contained the true beauty. Hey, my vanity is such that I put my make-up on every day (well, except Saturdays....), so I’m not dismissing feminine attractiveness completely.

But, If I’m Ayn Rand, I’d be making my leading lady a little more in the realm of the human in terms of looks if she is going to be such a hot-shot business woman. I’d be making Dagny a little closer to the real Ayn.

Face it, there are very few Ann Coulters running around. I would have to hate Ann if she didn’t make me laugh hard enough to snort coffee thru my nose.

[Still Thinking]

Eubank wants a government subsidy for the arts. Less than a decade after the book was published, Lyndon Johnson signed a law creating the National Endowment for the Arts, National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System. Have American art, radio and television improved since then? Has government involvement had a positive or negative effect? Why?

I'm going to say no, and not for artistic reasons, though I think that would probably be valid as well. I'm going to take as a given that people espousing big/powerful government principles is a bad thing. Then it follows that it's a bad idea to have government funding creative endeavors because if government decides who to fund who is likely to receive funding? Also, as a taxpayer I resent having to pay people to say things with which I disagree vehemently and make art I find offensive, especially when my counterparts on the other side of the political spectrum labor under no such burden.

[Still Thinking]

I read Eubanks comments about Dagny having babies a little differently. I didn't see it as a generic sexist remark regarding women. It was a specific jab at her competence. They would have had no problem with her having a position if she were incompetent in it. Producers and the competent are the enemy through the whole novel.

I'm not sure about the lack of sexism. I don't know about Eubanks, but Jim was shocked at the idea of Dagny holding the post of VP Operations because she was a woman.

[CottonBall]

Eubank wants a government subsidy for the arts. Less than a decade after the book was published, Lyndon Johnson signed a law creating the National Endowment for the Arts, National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System. Have American art, radio and television improved since then?

I'll answer when I stop laughing

[TASMANIANRED]

Sometimes great beauty and great talent/accomplishments do go hand in hand.

You mentioned Ann Coulter but also Michelle Malkin, in the field of Music..Dianna Krall.

Rand wasn’t so much trollish as she was unkempt. She had that bohemian Russian thing going on.

I wonder if there are pictures of her when she was young?

[Kay Ludlow]

Add me to your ping list please! I've been spending too much of my time fascinated by watching the economy fall apart in real life; I'll have to dig out my old, dog-eared, copy of Atlas shrugged - it's a lot more fun to watch a fictional economy collapse. Hmmm, did that really come out the way I meant it? of what did I really mean? LOL!

[TASMANIANRED]

Re: Jim’s opinion about Dagney.

Jim being the brother knew Dagney was competent and would show him up as the greaser/and squeezer that he was.

No guy wants his sister showing him up.