Simply by the personalities of each of the Taggart siblings,
one would never be able to assume they could run a railroad empire
effectively. Dagny is objective,
simple, and direct while her brother Jim is evasive, indecisive, and
begrudging.
Upon readers first introduction, Jim
Taggart immediately shows his seeming inability to make a direct decision while
Dagny automatically conveys a sense of purpose from her personality. Jim tells
Dagny that “Nothing is absolute” when she wants a simple “yes or no” answer.
Jim was interested about the reactions Board and about Orren Boyle while Dagny
was thinking only of making the tracks and money. Dagny dose what’s best for
the future of the company and does not care about how others perceive her. It
is not apparent until Owen Kellogg quit that Dagny has vulnerability.
Dagny is not afraid of failure and will take responsibility
for all of her actions. Jim makes excuses that he simply does not have the
ability to change a situation. The thought of being out of control is almost
uncomfortable to Dagny. When Owen Kellogg quit she lost all control because her
simple and objective way of handling a situation could not be applied and she
could not fathom a logical reason for his leaving.
Jim seems naïve, and his positivity
for things to just fall into place without action is misplaced. He talks about his
sister having no emotions yet he is thought of not having the humility to sit
in coach. There’s a needed balance between the two siblings, the ability to
make strong and difficult decisions, and another side to recognize other
peoples feelings in the process.
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