Tuesday, February 21, 2012

My underdeveloped thoughts on Atlas

I'm in bed and can't sleep so I decided to catch up my documentation of atlas shrugged. I'm at page 750. At first the book was a little discouraging for me because I wanted it to just be about how capitalism is great and I wanted it to spell that right out on every page. But the first 400 pages were just there to show what kind of social world it was and how annoying people's victim speeches are and the left's philospohy on how the rich are evil.  I wondered if this political idea of the book could coexist with my religious beliefs. I realize that capitalism is by far the only way to run a country but is it the way to run a spiritual life? I know that socialism would ruin the world (fact), but maybe God doesn't care at all about the world. And now I find myself sounding like the stupid evil people of Atlas Shrugged but the difference is that a God does not exist in Atlas Shrugged. If a God did not exist I would throw myself completely at the ideals of doing nothing but for ones own profit, but a God does exist. And now the question I have to ask myself is "Does God want me to pursue him to the point of putting this earth in flames?"  Does he want this earth ruined in his name? It sounds like a contradiction but it would be a testament to love (the very thing most hated in Atlas Shrugged).

But on page 413 the book took a turn with Francisco D'anconia's beautiful and inspiring speech. And from then on it told of the greatness of capitalism and how there was a fight against the socialism that is being spread in America. I fell in love with Francisco at that moment( and let me just say it really sucks, really really sucks to be in love with a fictional character- for obvious painful reasons). There is a love triangle between Dagny and Francisco and Hank Rearden. Dagny and Francisco are past lovers but Francisco had to leave her in order to fight this fight and he couldnt tell Dagny why but it hurt him so badly to leave her and he has never loved anyone else. But then Dagny fell in love with Hank and Hank fell in love with her and really Hank is an amazing man and so I have trouble deciding which one im rooting for. But honestly, Im not sure if being with Dagny really is the best for either of them because I think she might start an affair with John Galt. I hope not. I really do hope not. Because then she's just a disgusting kind of woman; the kind of woman that doesn't carry the right to be called a woman. So im sad to report that i find the romance the most interesting but this romance really is quality stuff, written in quality prose. I'm glad I've gotten the philisophical stuff out of it though because now Im that much more of a cultured person and those ideas ive had floating around my mind are clearly put into words that i can use.
See you in 418 pages!

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