[CottonBall]

Francisco: “The man without a purpose.” Francisco: “The code of competence is the only system of morality that’s on a gold standard.”

The more I read this book, the more one-sided the characters seem. The 'good' guys are certainly competent w/r career, but seem really stunted emotionally. Is this on purpose or just they way she writes? It'll be hard for me to even warm up to John Galt if he is driven to work, but can't take the time for a relationship of some sorts. Speaking of which, Francisco disappearing for years and then getting together with Dagney without a word of explanation and expecting things to be the same is a pretty arrogant thing to do. Sadly, I'm just not liking these characters much. On the other hand, I like the other characters even less, so in comparison, I guess it all works out.

[TradicalRC]

Miss Rand was an idealist. Her characters represent ideals and their antitheses. Her craft tends more toward the cerebral than the aesthetic. Too bad, really. You probably want to read her fiction for the theme and plot rather than characterization.