I feel as if I have been on some sort of emotional roller coaster with Francisco's character. Upon his introduction, I did not really mind him. His presence did not necessarily bother me I just viewed him as a person that was just there. In other words, I was indifferent to him. When the "relationship" between he and Dagny was revealed, if we can even call it a relationship that is, I liked him more. Through the interactions with Dagny I saw Francisco as this loving individual. I thought that he was a person greatly misunderstood by many, almost by all honestly, except for Dagny. He seemed like this stereotypical "the world does not get me" kind of guy. The second he warned Dagny however, I was not entirely sure of what to feel. I almost felt betrayed myself, as I was Dagny and as if I was in the relationship with him. The warning was strange and when he came back and destroyed everything, spend his money in the strangest ways, and pretty much threw away everything he had I hated him.
Having now reached the middle part of the novel I am realizing that this hatred I had for Francisco was ill-conceived. This hatred was fueled by a level of jealousy I did not realize I had. Realizing that I had felt this way came to me by viewing how other characters treated to Francisco's return. After Francisco goes on a rant (quite a good one) about how money is not the root of all evil, there is a women who yells that she does not agree with him. This women in particular made me realize my jealousy. It was not that I actually hated Francisco. I was jealous because he is so accepting and aware of how this world that we live in functions. More than that though, he is not only aware of it, but he acts on it too. He does not allow this world to just function as he watches it like a movie. Though his actions are not necessarily admirable from an economical standpoint, I find them admirable from a humane standpoint.
This title of "playboy" given to Francisco is perfect, just not in the way people think it to be. I think many are quick to label him as a playboy because they are angry with him. They are angry that he has lost them money and they have no other way of acting out. Nevertheless, I feel that their anger masks their jealously of his openness.
- Talia
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ReplyDeleteTalia, I believe that while reading any novel, we put ourselves in the position of the protagonist, and often allow ourselves to feel exactly what they feel. When Dagny loved Francisco, I loved him too. When she felt betrayed, I too felt heartbroken. I believe this is one of the greatest powers a novel can possess. When we watch films, we love certain characters and identify with them, but in novels, since we are creating the film in our own imagination, we almost become the main character. We think like they do and are taken into their worlds. Getting truly involved in a novel can feel like an otherworldly experience; sometimes, when I am suddenly distracted from a novel I am deeply involved in, it is my own world that seems fuzzy and unreal. When we truly connect with a novel, it feels like we can be transported somewhere else entirely.
ReplyDeleteI think we incorporate a bit of our own personalities into the novels that we read. This can be observed when we feel differently about the same characters. I felt a similar anger with Francisco when he betrayed everything he stood for, but I could never come to hate him. He is my favorite character, even now when John Galt has appeared.
It is interesting to see everyone's different responses. When we discussed it in class, Mona and Jessica dismissed Francisco completely and turned instead to Rearden as the perfect man. In a way, I think everyone that reads the book becomes their own personal Dagny. They interpret her thoughts with their own personal twist, and see her actions in their own way.
It is interesting that you chose to talk about your own perception of Francisco, because in reading it I saw how different it was from mine.