As you may know I was  having troubles with my phone company. I am supposed to be reading the Origin of species. So its stuck on the kindle app, on my phone. I want to finish to the book, on my Kindle. Not since High school, have I had to work, at reading something. I have had to make time to read

Anyway, I came across mentions of Ayn Rand, in my observations of discussions of American politics. In one such discussion  is a film of Atlas Shrugged in development. Cooper in Mad Men, gives Don Draper a copy of Atlas shrugged in the series. As my friend Valentina was reading Ayn Rands work, I decided to give the works of Ms Rand a try

Its different. I will give Ayn Rand that. I can understand why the book does influence people. There is a lot of truth in this book, and there often uncomfortable truths. We don't like to admit. Such as the social worker, who is upset when a charge of hers, gets a better job than the one she had planned to give her, Through the trials (literally) of Roark. We get to see that the motivations of the great and the good. Are not always steller. One is reminded of the phrase ``There have always been Christians in the Church''

There are some purple passages. The description of Wynards Philadelphian rivals as the European chiefs preparing to meet Attila the Hun, The biographies of Tuohy and Wynard stay in my mind.

The British empire, is credited with Afternoon tea, and the Detective novel.

The descriptions of the working world of the middle century, catch you. Roark's only friend admiring him, for his work ethic. For Roark's skill. Male friendships often begin on this mutal respect. The Newspaper room of the Banner, during the strike. With Gail Wynard, fixing a typewriter. The hordes of rewriter's. The Copy boys. There are glimpses of Hell's Kitchen in it's rougher years.  Also there is trouble in Europe. This would have been in Rand's mind. She had managed to escape the USSR,

Where Wynard once told paramours that they would fornicate in front of six million people. Wynard today could see his sexual encounters online for  money. Its a different time. Before Hiroshima, Before Texas Instruments. Before Al Gore invented the Internet. Wynard has a radio station play, a piece of classical music for his wife, at an appointed hour. There is Wagner's song of the evening star, played in Swing music on in the background, in a cafe. Indeed the Radio announcer mentions that ``Time Marches on!'' The closing line of newsreels. One character divorces and Rand, as author comments on how society has absolved him from the end of the marriage. The book is before the no fault divorce

The story revolves arround Harold Roark a brilliant modern architect. Who the world tries to bring low. Its the story of the peg that refuses to get hammered. I found his character hard to read, when I first encountered him. He questions every thing. It is sometimes annoying and sometimes confusing. This is something, I have been wondering about. The world has moved on, since Rand's day. The social conventions that Rand new have ebbed. We are a more individualist society in some ways. There is less of an ``establishment'' than what Rand would have known. I notice that Roark does not have a family. Indeed he emerges out of the ether it seems. The beginning of the book, has him standing naked, in a field or a Quarry. An Adam, one is almost tempted to say a New Soviet man?  Also the first redheaded hero I can remember.

Well, I am glad I read it. It took effort. I am reminded and will conclude with an observation made on my History. What Ayn Rand needed most of all, was an editor

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Song for today ``There’s gotta be more…’’

Malchera in High school