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Part 1, Chapter 7
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Atlas Shrugged, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Morality of Self-Interest
The Value of Productive Work
The Individual vs. the Collective
Government Power and Corruption
The Corruption of Language
Despair in the Absence of Purpose
Summary
Analysis
Eddie sits in the cafeteria, speaking quietly with a railroad worker he trusts. Although he now holds the title of Vice-President in Charge of Operation at Taggart Transcontinental, he says he feels like a fugitive. He has avoided the cafeteria for months because people stare at him. Eddie explains that he has not seen Dagny in two weeks, but they still speak every day by phone. He says she sounds energized, focused on her work with the John Galt Line, even though the media no longer reports on it.
Eddie’s feeling of alienation, despite his official title, captures how appearances no longer match reality. The Taggart hierarchy is hollow—Dagny’s absence has left him performing a role that belongs to someone else. His quiet conversations with the nameless worker parallel earlier scenes of unspoken trust, signaling that the few remaining competent people now operate in the shadows.
Themes
Eddie reveals that despite Dagny’s success, the railroad faces a major problem: its locomotives are outdated and cannot handle the high speeds made possible by Rearden Metal rails. However, there has been a promising development—Dwight Sanders, a talented engineer, recently bought United Locomotive Works and plans to build powerful new Diesel engines. Eddie and Dagny have just signed a contract for the first 10 engines, which gives Eddie some hope despite lingering fears about the railroad’s future. Eddie laments that he is now effectively Dagny’s “stooge,” holding a position that rightfully belongs to her, while she runs her new company—John Galt, Inc.—from a small, rundown office across from Taggart’s terminal.
The promise of Dwight Sanders and the new Diesels briefly restores Eddie’s hope, only to set up another disappointment. The old engines cannot match the innovation of Rearden Metal, symbolizing the growing gap between technological progress and the infrastructure designed to support it. Eddie’s admission that he is Dagny’s “stooge” underscores the moral corruption of a world where capable people are displaced and replaced by placeholders. The irony of Dagny working in a crumbling office while Eddie holds the executive title captures the reversal of merit and position that defines the novel’s crisis.
Themes
Dagny works through exhaustion in her cramped new headquarters, a run-down two-room office facing a dark alley near the Taggart Terminal. She flies back to New York after hearing that Dwight Sanders has abruptly retired without offering any explanation. She cannot locate him or uncover his reasons, and the news leaves her discouraged and overwhelmed. Late at night, during a moment of quiet despair, she feels deeply isolated and begins to believe that something vital in the world has gone missing. She notices the shadow of a man standing just outside her office door, clearly unsure whether to come in or leave. Dagny watches as he hesitates and then vanishes into the darkness. She runs outside to find him, but the alley is empty.
The moment Dagny sees the shadow of a hesitant man outside her office encapsulates the broader mystery of the disappearing minds. Like McNamara and Sanders, this man seems poised to act—then vanishes. The image of her running into the empty alley amplifies her growing sense of being alone in a world where the best people are retreating into silence. The exhaustion, the dim surroundings, and her inability to understand what’s happening intensify the feeling that she is fighting against a vanishing moral presence.
Themes
Meanwhile, Hank faces an equally difficult challenge. The Equalization of Opportunity Bill requires him to sell his iron ore mines, and he reluctantly transfers ownership to Paul Larkin. Paul tries to reassure Hank that the sale is only a legal formality and that Hank will always receive priority access to the ore. Hank rejects these hollow promises, bitterly reminding Paul that he has never placed himself at anyone’s mercy before.
Hank’s forced sale of the mines marks another violation of earned power. Paul Larkin, who has done nothing to deserve control, now holds a resource Hank built into value. The legalism of the deal hides its deeper violence: it severs the connection between labor and ownership. Paul’s casual promises about future access betray a mindset shaped by favoritism, not principle.
Themes
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Hank looks at Paul with contempt and resents that he must now rely on Paul’s honesty. In that moment, he experiences genuine hatred for the first time, revolted by the position the law has forced upon him. Soon after, he sells his coal mines to Ken Danagger, a capable and principled businessman. Although Hank still resents giving up control, he finds the transaction easier because he respects Danagger. Danagger offers him secret rebates as a sign of support, but Hank refuses, insisting on honest and transparent business terms.
The contrast between Paul and Danagger emphasizes that justice, for Hank, depends on earned respect. Hank tolerates the Danagger sale only because Danagger still believes in trade and honesty. Even here, though, Hank refuses a secret rebate—he insists on moral clarity, even in a world that no longer respects it. His rejection of personal favors aligns with his earlier refusal to grant Philip a job: he won’t participate in systems that distort value for emotional or political gain.
Themes
As the John Galt Line approaches completion, public hostility increases sharply. Newspapers, radio commentators, and self-proclaimed experts condemn Dagny and Hank. Journalists publish articles that question the safety of Rearden Metal and accuse Dagny and Hank of risking human lives out of greed. Orren Boyle and other competitors in the steel industry also challenge the reliability of Rearden Metal in public statements. Critics call for government intervention, using phrases such as “public safety” and “social responsibility.” Dagny and Hank ignore the attacks and move forward without hesitation. Dagny mocks the outcry and invites reporters to attend the inaugural run. She states clearly that her only goal is profit, shocking those who expected her to hide behind noble intentions.
The public campaign against Dagny and Hank shows how quickly society turns against its benefactors when values are inverted. The charge that they are “greedy” becomes a weapon to suppress courage and competence. Dagny’s refusal to defend herself on any terms but profit is radical—not because it is selfish, but because it is honest. Her clarity threatens a culture built on pretense. By refusing to play the role of the benevolent martyr, she defies every expectation the public has of moral success.
Themes
Resistance also arises from within Dagny’s own workforce. A union delegate tells her that the engineers refuse to risk their lives by working on the bridge, which they claim is unsafe. Dagny responds with calm determination. She says she will not compel anyone to work, but the train will run, even if she must drive the engine herself. She calls the delegate’s bluff by demanding that he put the union’s refusal in writing and agree to bar those workers permanently from employment on her line if they walk away now.
In the confrontation with the union delegate, Dagny refuses to negotiate through threats and instead reframes the issue: those who abandon her now will lose any right to future work. Her demand that the refusal be made permanent forces the delegate to choose between cowardice and action. The quiet result—withdrawal of the threat—shows that the bluff was always about moral evasion, not safety.
Themes
The delegate, clearly intimidated, withdraws his threat. Dagny calls for volunteers to operate the first train, and the overwhelming response surprises her. On the scheduled day, nearly every engineer and worker across the Taggart system steps forward. A man named Pat Logan receives the position of engineer through a lottery drawing. Dagny announces publicly that she will ride in the engine cab beside him. Hank, privately amused and inspired by her boldness, declares that he will join her in the cab as well.
The overwhelming response from workers volunteering to run the first train flips the novel’s dominant narrative: courage still exists, but it has been waiting for a place to go. Pat Logan’s lottery win gives the event a democratic legitimacy: he is not chosen by rank, but by willingness. Meanwhile, Hank’s decision to join Dagny is an unspoken declaration of unity.
Themes
On July 22, a large crowd assembles at the station in Cheyenne, Wyoming, to witness the first run of the John Galt Line. Surrounded by both excitement and doubt, Dagny steps confidently into the locomotive cab beside Hank. Eddie cuts the ceremonial ribbon with pride, marking the train’s official departure. As the powerful Diesel engine gains speed, Dagny feels a surge of freedom and triumph. The train, pulling 80 freight cars, reaches and maintains a speed of 100 miles per hour. As it races toward Colorado, people gather along the tracks to cheer—farmers, retired railroad men, and families who depend on Dagny’s success. Workers even organize spontaneous armed patrols along the entire route to protect the train from sabotage.
The inaugural run of the John Galt Line becomes a moment of resurrection. The cheering crowds, the speed, the unity of movement all suggest that rational action can still produce wonder. That the public gathers to support the train, despite media silence, shows that admiration for achievement still exists in the people, even if it is absent in government and journalism. The improvised armed patrols point to a world that will protect what the state ignores—a shadow republic of competence emerging to defend what matters.
Themes
As the train approaches Denver, it barrels through the densely populated city at full speed, creating a tense moment. Dagny watches the city flash past in seconds, a blur of cheering crowds, blaring sirens, and drifting confetti. The train continues into the mountains, racing toward Wyatt Junction. As it climbs the winding, dangerous mountain passes, Dagny marvels at the strength of Rearden Metal. Overcome by the moment, she moves into the roaring motor section of the engine, exhilarated by the raw power that surrounds her.
As the train enters Denver, the moment is cinematic—but not romanticized. The tension of speed through a populated city speaks to the risks Dagny and Hank are willing to take for the sake of creativity and personal achievement. Dagny’s exhilaration inside the motor section recalls her earlier despair—it is a reversal of the shadowed alley. Here, power is not abstract; it is sensory, immediate, and earned.
Themes
At last, the train reaches the new bridge that spans a deep canyon near Wyatt Junction. As it races onto the structure, Dagny feels a rush of joy, as if the train has leapt into open space. The bridge holds firm, disproving every critic’s warning. The train glides into Wyatt Junction without incident, where cheering crowds greet it with celebration. Wyatt climbs into the cab and lifts Dagny out with visible pride. That evening, he hosts Dagny and Hank at his secluded home, which overlooks his thriving oil fields. He speaks confidently about bold new plans for record-breaking oil production. The three remain together late into the night, sharing a rare moment of victory and mutual respect.
The successful crossing of the bridge is a direct repudiation of every critic. Their warnings dissolve under the weight of facts: the bridge holds, the train glides, and the people celebrate. The joy Dagny feels is a sense of relief that reality still responds to logic. Wyatt’s embrace of Dagny is a much warmer than anything he has displayed previous, which shows just how much this success mean to him. His belief in Dagny has paid off, and now he offers her a more intimate friendship in addition to their business relationship.
Themes
That night, after the celebration, Dagny and Hank remain on a moonlit balcony that overlooks Wyatt’s oil fields. Below them stretches a web of lights—derricks glittering in the darkness, machinery humming softly through the still air, and the distant shine of the Rearden Metal bridge crossing the chasm. When Dagny turns toward Hank, she sees something new in his face. The tight control slips from his expression, and for the first time, she sees the full force of a desire he has always hidden. Hank steps forward without speaking and draws her close. They kiss with rough urgency, and then Hank leads Dagny to the bedroom, where they have sex.
The lights of Wyatt’s oil fields, the glow of the bridge, and the hum of machines create a world where everything is in motion, and everything has meaning. Hank’s desire, long buried under duty and repression, emerges as a moment of affirmation. His surrender to feeling is not a collapse—it is a claim. For both Dagny and Hank, sex becomes the final act of unity between mind and body, work and pleasure. In a world that denies both, they claim both—fully, and without apology.
Themes
