Chapter 4: The Immovable Movers
Taggart’s foundation is the moving trains, and Dagny’s trip to an engine manufacturer leaves her bitter because she still can’t get any. While there she sees a derelict hunk of rust that was once a proper machine, and it pisses her off more. Back at her office is more bad news; Eddie tells her McNamara has quit, retired and vanished off the face of the Earth. Everyone is baffled why the best construction contractor would just quit like that. Dagny says she’ll find another contractor, but inside she feels empty and still.
While walking home that night, she gets the urge to admire someone else’s achievement rather than find happiness in her own. So she does something new and goes for a night on the town. She is disappointed; the music is uninspired melody abortions, the literature is sensationalistic anti-business drek, the movies are trashy, and the people are obscene and without a shred of dignity. She settles on buying a newspaper and heads home to listen to Richard Halley.
She thinks about his composer career. His music has a powerful, bold tone that rings with both hardship and joy. But as a young man he never had appeal, not keeping with the times. This is accentuated by the one-night performance of his opera Phaethon, a triumphant variation on a Greek tragedy. The audience doesn’t care for that hot-blooded nonsense, and it ends in boos and jeers. But 19 years later the public decides that nonsense is pretty sweet, and it is performed again and gets a standing ovation, rave reviews, and Richard Halley stands before the cheering audience with a questioning look; the same he had 19 years ago when the same opera was rejected. He’s now a treasure of the people. The next day, he retires without explanation. Hey, at least he lives to see his work appreciated; most artists can’t say the same.
After listening to the fourth concerto Dagny checks the paper, and finds a story about Francisco d'Anconia. She's mortified, but reads the article anyway. Francisco is in New York following an adulterous scandal in which the wife tried to kill her husband to be with Francisco. They are currently going through a bitter divorce. Francisco isn’t bothered by the implications and claims to only be in New York to witness the whole thing for the lulz. Dagny drops the paper and weeps. I don’t blame her, he sounds like a jerk. "Useless playboy" showing through, I guess.
We're in James Taggart's apartment now. In this universe all the mega-rich leaders of industry either live with their parents or in shitty holes. Anyway, it's morning, he and his... girlfriend? Friend with benefits? The female he has passionless sex with, are grumpy and unhappy. He has a meeting with the Board, she thinks businessmen are dull, and his sister unfeminine. Jim tells her he plans to cripple the authority of the Operations Department and put Dagny in her place. Just as he says that he gets a frantic call, and a real bombshell: the government of Mexico has just nationalized the San Sebastian Line and mines!
Jim assures everyone at the Board not to panic, they're working on getting compensation from Washington. He also takes credit for the cutback schedule Dagny devised, just in case you forgot he was a villain. Also, this is why you should have gotten a government contract! No wonder industry is failing in this world, they’re all bone stupid.
Orren and James meet to discuss what in hell happened to Francisco. It just seems that he’s lost his money and that's that. Orren calls in his pasty, poor secretary (no really, that’s how Rand describes him), and a tired back and forth proceeds, until Orren finally gets out of him that Francisco doesn't wanna see Orren ‘cause he’s boring. It's worse than we thought, Francisco is Haruhi.
We look into The National Alliance of Railroads, basically the UN of rail companies. It passes the "Anti-dog-eat-dog Rule", the most uncool name for self-regulation ever. Even Comics Code has a better ring. Anyway, it passes despite no one liking it, so you have to wonder why they voted for it. I'm getting the feeling marveling at human stupidity is another theme of this book. Naturally, it prohibits destructive competition. They could have lobbied for subsidies like any normal self-interested industry, but that wouldn’t be dramatic enough! No railroad is mentioned by name as the cause, but apparently it's all Phoenix-Durango's fault. We know it is because Dan Conway, the owner of Phoenix, gives the custodian a tip as if in apology.
Cutback to Dagny's office, and DYNAMIC ENTRY!! James surprise attacks her, informing Dagny that the Anti-dog-eat-dog Rule has passed just as planned, which means no Phoenix-Durango in Colorado, so you're not the only one who can do good for the company HA HA HA!
Dagny spits blood. ”You rotten bastards!” That was completely dishonorable fighting, Jim! But she wipes the blood away and regains her composure, as she realizes something profound about James and leaves without a word.
Dagny meets with Dan Conway, offering to fight for him. Since Taggart Transcontinental can't handle all of Colorado on its own, she's willing to fight back-to-back with Dan, until now a great rival. But Dan says he doesn't want to fight anymore. He had dedicated his life to doing good, to build rails for all, and he resigns himself now to the will of the majority. And here we get the first real inkling of the whole Objectivist philosophy driving the book. Dagny urges Dan to stand up and say Dude, where's my reward? for being awesome. But he can't fight this.
”Why?”
“I don't know. Who knows why the world is what it is? Oh, who is John Galt?”
You know, I think I've figured it out. These are famous last words that indicate the character uttering them is no longer relevant in the story. Dagny, growing genre savvy by the chapter, asks Dan what will he do. He hints at retiring, catching up on reading and fishing, but then asks Dagny why she's concerned. Rather than for his well-being, Dagny wants her final battle with a worthy rival, but what's a blood knight to do when war itself is outlawed? Without a rival the battle will be tougher, and Dagny refuses to join the Anti-Spiral Looters. Dan cautions her, saying they'll come for her too.
Dagny's office is a place of destiny, for it's here she meets another star player: Ellis Wyatt, the Wizard himself. [Dagny] leaped to her feet, involuntarily. She understood why nobody had or could have stopped him in the outer office. Hell yeah, dude brings oil wells back to life, imagine what he’d do to your spine? Ellis gets right to the point and states that he is not pleased to be forced into working with Taggart Transcontinental, but rather vows that if Dagny would destroy him and feast on his remains, his wrath will bring everyone down. Dagny is stoked, and agrees with hesitation, intending to show him how powerful she really is. And then Ellis leaves. I swear, every other scene ends with a tiny "And then they left" sentence. I’d say it's yet another theme in the book; walking away.
Hot damn, a Hank Rearden scene! Time to blast his theme song, Messiah of Steel. Come on, Jam Project!
Dagny asks Rearden to go Beyond the Impossible and get the Rio Norte Line rails to her in 9 months instead of 12. He agrees without hesitation, because human limits don’t sound this cool. "Don’t show that you’re relieved." His voice was mocking. ... "I might think that I hold Taggart Transcontinental in my power." That's not all you'll be holding in your power If You Know What I Mean, aww yeah... Actually I think he does know, 'cause the next page and a half is a drawn out back and forth between them of how he doesn't take favors, that he needs what Dagny offers, that he'd "break" her someday, that she expected him, to uh, squeeze her for every drop of "profit", that umm... damn, are you two still talking about business arrangements? Anyway, they both agree it's in their best interests to get the line ready before Phoenix-Durango closes up, hence the rush job. But together they will save the nation from itself. Meanwhile Dagny notes an ornate vase in Hank’s office, artistic compared to the industrial rigidity of the decor. Mmm'kay.
Back to the innuendo. Hank has considered undercutting Dagny's transportation charges by building a new factory in Colorado. She's okay with that as long as she can carry his "supplies"... good grief. Hank admires her receptive reactions. In my opinion, she's just desperate, and is trying to look clever about it. But whatever.
He shows her the first shipment of Rearden Metal being loaded. There was no trace of sun in the gray spread of clouds, yet the rails glistened, as if the metal caught light out of space. The metal was a greenish-blue. They bask in Hank's awesomeness for a bit, and his plans for Rearden Metal. No mention of weapons or military vehicles... I mean I know it's bad form to jump to that, but really, the military would be all over this. Oh well, I'm sure they'll figure it out...
And then...
She looked at him in the exact moment when he turned to look at her. They stood very close to each other. She saw, in his eyes, that he felt as she did. If joy is the aim and the core of existence, she thought, and if that which has the power to give one joy is always guarded as one’s deepest secret, then they had seen each other naked in that moment.
Nailed it. Didn't I say I give it 2 chapters before Hank looks to cheat on his wife? And here we have it, kindling.
The chapter closes with Hank stating that he and Dagny are "blackguards", a couple of unspiritual, materialistic opportunists who keep the world moving. And in this universe where the average person can't be trusted to tie his shoes, he's absolutely right.
End of chapter 4.
The plot thickens, and the main players are gathering one by one. It's strange, the characters are getting more mean-spirited with little justification. Don't be mad, be legendary!
