So tell my what type of fiction you write. I find your style to be easy to read and understand.

Thanks, everyone, for some GREAT comments! As always, Gulchers are amazing .

I LOVE reading Gulchers opinions. It has been a bonus that they have also expressed their opinion as to their hero. I find it fascinating that Rearden is right up there, and am inclined to agree.

You know, gcarl, I was able to avoid having some family members abuse me because of having read about Rearden's moral struggle. I think his biggest mistake was to believe that he could be inherently bad.
And I am grateful to Ms. Rand for her lesson in morality and family.

Yes. My problem is: I have never been able to confine my narrative horizon to a story tellable in twenty pages or fewer. So I try to break into print with a full-length novel. And I have never been able to interest an agent in anything.

Yeah, we won't your money but would be embarrassed to have your name on a check. Aargh!

Good quote, woodlema

I found your uses of those terms to be fascinating, Temlakos. I figured you had literary knowledge. Do you write fiction?

Robin Hood was a VILE creature with NO redeeming values. Atlas Shrugged has a large chunk devoted completely to Robin Hood.

Also the REAL Robin Hood was not a hero at all but a violent highwayman who stole from everyone and did NOT give to anyone. The legend is rob from the rich, not just King and Tax man. Since there was no real way of knowing if the "Rich" were bad or not there was no dlineation therefore Robin Hood in the legend practiced charity with product he did NOT earn and was NOT a champion of Private property but a Champion of the socialist, "spread the wealth."

Bassboat. You need to read the book Atlas Shrugged. Chapter 17.

"“Until men learn that of all human symbols, Robin Hood is the most immoral and the most contemptible, there will be no justice on earth and no way for mankind to survive.”
"[Robin Hood] is the man who became the symbol of the idea that need, not achievement, is the source of rights, that we don't have to produce, only to want, that the earned does not belong to us, but the unearned does."

Don't denigrate Robin Hood by comparing him to Mouch. Robin stole from the King and his allies, they controlled all the wealth the rest were left to rags. If only we could figure out how to do what Robin did..........

great post mama. giving out lots of points for good points! :)

I agree. Cuffy. but James Taggart a close second. the govt loses its power when businesses refuse to crony up

yes, Paul was a snake in the grass

Cuffy Meigs - He killed the harvest and then killed the line to Wisconsin acknowledging that he had the power of life and death and that many would starve to death.

I would nominate Dagny for acting on her emotions in the face of immutable facts. She should have sold out her Taggart stock converted it to gold and "shrugged". There is no way to win against statists who use the government to help them, and James Taggart and his friends were going to win and destroy anything she did.

Paul Larkin

The dagger in the back slime.

I think he was caught up in his sense of the "right thing to do" He sees them as children who would be out on the street without him. He believes that he has enough interinal fortitude to allow them to sap his strength. So long as he has work he can endour them because they are family. He pretty much ignores them, because he can. But his sense of honor and duty compels him to allow them to leach off him. I have learned in my life that it very hard to throw off some of the crap your parents ingrain in you as good because it involves family.

What about Reardons brother? Talk about sniveling guilt trip jerk. He takes the cake.

I think Hank Rearden is a better hero than John Galt, regardless of A.R.s intent. Stadler -- no question is the most insidious villain.

And he was proven wrong. Just like the anything goes people of today will find out.

Whereas Paul Larkin pretended to be Rearden's friend as he was stabbing him in the back

Very good point. Rearden fought and won the fight we are all fighting.

He knew what he was doing, but was hidden about it. THAT is evil.

I think a really evil person is one who IS evil but hides it. At least Ferris was up front about it and you knew who you were dealing with and what he wanted. Orren Boyle was right up there too- he understood the situation and was upfront about it.

I admire Rearden also. Galt was some sort of mythical figure to me. A little hard to relate to.