Summary—Chapter III: Anti-Greed
In rural Iowa, the government unveils the Thompson Harmonizer,
a new super-weapon, the result of the mysterious Project X. Although he
has known nothing of it, Dr. Robert Stadler finds himself being credited
with its creation and coerced to speak at the unveiling event. The
weapon uses sound waves to destroy all living things within its
radius. Dr. Floyd Ferris convinces him it is necessary to control
an increasingly hysterical population. The stunned and horrified
audience watches as a farmhouse and some goats are torn to shreds
by the machine, but no one comments. Wesley Mouch declares it to
be a wonderful instrument of peace.
Dagny calls Rearden to tell him she is alive. When she
returns to the office, she learns that the government has passed
the Railroad Unification Plan. Under it, all the railroads will
pool profits and distribute them according to the mileage of track
each railroad maintains. Taggart stands to make a huge profit because
it owns the most track. Eddie is meeting with Cuffy Meigs, the head
of the Unification Board, who is in charge of the new plan. Under
his orders, trains are being rerouted and used as favors for influential
friends.
Jim insists that Dagny appear on a radio show that night
to reassure the public that she has not deserted and that the railroads
are safe. She refuses. Later, Lillian visits her and tells her that
her affair with Rearden will be exposed if she does no go on the
air. She agrees to appear. When she speaks on the air, she proudly
tells the public about her affair with Rearden and about the blackmail
used to force him to sign over the rights to Rearden Metal. When
she sees Rearden later that night, he finally confesses his love
for her, although he already knows he has lost her to the man she
truly loves. Her speech on the radio had been delivered in the past
tense. When she tells him that her love’s name is John Galt, he
is astonished. He suspects where she has been.
Summary—Chapter IV: Anti-Life
Jim Taggart is pleased with a deal he has just arranged.
Argentina has been declared a People’s State, and d’Anconia Copper
will be nationalized in less than a month. Knowing this in advance,
Taggart transfers his investments from d’Anconia Copper to a new
company, which will control its assets after the nationalization.
Aware that he will make a fortune he feels a vague desire to celebrate.
He hopes that his wife, Cherryl, will give him the admiration he
seeks, but she is no longer in awe of him, having realized his true
nature in the year since their wedding. She has learned the true
story of the John Galt Line, and suspects some terrible evil in
Jim. When he drinks a toast to destroying Francisco, she leaves
in disgust.
Cherryl goes to see Dagny. She offers an apology for accusing Dagny
of being the weak and evil one at Taggart. She knows now it was
Dagny who created all the success and Jim who was wrong. Dagny accepts
her apology and offers to help Cherryl. She talks about the evil
of giving to the undeserving and about the importance of justice,
and Cherryl finally feels she is understood.
Back at Jim’s apartment, Lillian Rearden appears. She
has come to ask Jim to use his influence to prevent Rearden from
divorcing her, but he cannot help her. In a final attempt to hurt
Rearden, she has emotionless sex with Jim.
