My Ayn Rand Journey

I finally got into one of the novels on my reading list. It is called Atlas Shrugged and it is by a woman named Ayn Rand. So far, it seems that every other line is a philisophical question or statement. In the introduction to the book, it is made clear that Ayn Rand was an avid journal keeper. Appearantly, she journaled extensively on the subjects covered in Atlas Shrugged for years!

From what I have read in the first seventy pages (of one-thousand!), it appears that the story takes place durring a major economic down-turn and that the characters are each on a personal journey of self-discovery. Each of the characters that have been indroduced thus far are extremely caught up in their work and are trying to make sense out of the crazy world in which they live. It seems like the one thing they have in common is their tendancy to throw themselves into their work in order to cope.

I look forward to experiencing the lives of these extremely unique characters, especially Dagny Taggart. Here is an exchange that I found interesting:

--"I don't like the thing that's happening to people, Miss Taggart."
--"What?"
--"I don't know. But I've watched them here for twenty years and I've seen the change. They used to rush through here, and it was wonderful to watch, it was the hurry of men who knew where they were going and were eager to get there. Now they're hurrying because they are afraid. It's not a purpose that drives them, it's fear. They're not going anywhere, they're escaping. And I don't think they know what it is that they want to escape. They don't look at one another. They jurk when brushed against. They smile too much, but it's an ugly kind of smiling; it's not joy, it's pleading. I don't know what it is that's happening to the world." He shrugged. "Oh, well, who is John Galt?"

In closing: Who is John Galt?