I’m so enjoying this, even tho I never comment, and am gleaning more from these weekly lessons than just reading the book alone.
This is one of my favorite chapters because we finally get the mystery solved and get a tour of the secret capitalist commune (which, now that I think about it, that is a serious oxymoron, right? At best, a feeble joke on my part.)
Also because, for me anyway, you get a glimpse of what makes Dagny tick, what her true passion is. I could sense her excitement and was right alongside her as she hastily tried to figure out the logistics of building a light rail system for the mine on the fly. I actually felt joy. Yes! Do it, girl! This is what you love. Stay!!!
And then when her concept of reality, with it’s duties and obligations to others kicked in, and she “chickened out”, I nearly threw the book across the room! I felt utter disgust and disappointment with her.
If it's a feeble joke, then you're in good company. Ayn Rand herself named the group of intellectuals who crowded around her as "The Collective". She meant it as just that kind of joke.
And then when her concept of reality, with it’s duties and obligations to others kicked in, and she “chickened out”, I nearly threw the book across the room! I felt utter disgust and disappointment with her.
Had she joined ths strikers at that point, Rand would not have needed another eight chapters for the remainder of the plot. That might have made a shorter book, but not necessarily a better one, at this point. There are some fascinating developments coming, and Dagny needs to be in New York to push the plot along. But, yes, Dagny is so damned stubborn sometimes you just want to turn her on your knee and spank her -- which she probably would have enjoyed.