Marty McFly

Oh..! I never saw it as a puzzle. this was just a way for Ayn Rand to make sure Rearden doesn't give up *just yet* the story still has to continue... as of Fransisco's reaction? This is the way people like him react in an emergancy, it's the way they're built. besides, Francisco did not yet get a chance to tell Rearden everything, he did not yet get a chance to see how Rearden will take it. If he would have sat back and watched Rearden save his own furnace, what would it have accomplished? Rearden would never have listened to him after that (the same goes to when Dagny heard about the Taggart Tunnel *just* as Fransicso was going to convince her to "shrug" did she even listen to him after that? she forgot his existance! This is the natural reaction of The Doers in a state of emergency.

I'm not sure if you'd consider this a 'golden nugget' or an 'easter egg', but the way this lady at the party tells Dagny about Jhon Galt Who found 'the fountain of youth' or 'Atlantis'. The things WE know about Atlantis or the fountain of youth, the things we learn about Jhon Galt at the end - it connects beautifully. but this might not be what youmeant at all!

Oh yes yes I totally agree! Watching the world feel "sorry" for the terrorists because they are so *poor* and *helpless* was worse than even the collapse of the greatest towers I've known. They talk about feelings? did they feel sorry for the businessmen who lost their lives and livelyhoods in those towers? Did they feel sorry for my 2 year old son who had to watch his neighborhood collapse in frront of his eyes? Do they even talk about all of our little kids who, from that day on, would build the "Twin Towers" with their LEGO blocks instead of building some other Disneyland or something? No! they feel sorry for the children of the Terrorists who learn to destroy before they learn to walk! just watch their TV cartoons if you don't beleive me. it's full of "death to America" "Death to producers" "death to life" etc. On another note, speaking of God, isn't He the most logical being? Just like the skyscrapers didn't build themselves; just like the RailRoads don't run themselves; how can you beleive that the world can run itself? how do you think the blood flows through your body and your heart beats with such perfect rhythm? how does the sun keep burning and the universe keeps revolving around stars? who do you think invented gravity? who invented friction? who invented heat? defying God is like defying existance! 'the day God was invented??' or did you mean 'the day God invented us?'

^^ no, I do not think that Eddie had any sense of duty. He was in love with the Rail Road. He loved acheivement. he loved streangth. (the oak tree in the beginning of the book represents his charachter and personality. the shock of finding the tree rotten within - represents his shock at the end of the book at seing the TT symbol of tha great Taggart legand. note, that just as he thinks about that oak, he turns to the block of the Tahggart building, thinking of how solid it is, and how IT represented to him a streangth not to be destroyed - ever. just like his oak tree.... she should have mentioned that at thge end of the story. It was unforgivable to let him perish withh the world. and Jhon Galt cannot escape with the excuse that he edidn't know. he KNEW Eddie. he spoke to him all the time! and Dagny? she was his childhood freind for heaven's sake!!

thanks! I'll check it out! Oh, finally - a forum for normal people! lol!

History is full of terrible events, but I haveto agreewith the firts poster (and the starter of this thtread) - the distruction of man's highest, most wonderful acheivement- Howard Roark's sky=scrapers (theTwin Towers) and Jhon Galt's idea of the greatest way to trade ( the World TRADE Center) destroyed by the most depraved forms of humanity, and by what means? box cutters!! If Ayn Rand were alive today she would agree: September 11 was the one most terrible desaster vin human history. oh, and it was in New York City. the home of the world's largest businesses and Ayn Rand's favorite... on that note... did she live to see the building of the Twin Towers?

It'sm hard for me to keep up with all of the pop stars' biographys and life stories, so I wouldn't know about the sad deterioration of a great man. (unless they make a movie about his life story) but, yeah, I do (or did) really like his music...

hey, count me in if you are discussing Ayn Rand's novels chapter -by-chapter, or specific scenes or whatever. I would love to join a book discussion. and if we do scene-by scene, why don't we discuss the way Eddie Willars was abandoned on the Taggart Transcontinental, weeping over the TT symbol on the dead engine :'( why can't we just call it "The Book Club" and describe it as such?