Through out the novel, we are reminded of what a terrible person Jim Taggart is. Taggart along with his crew of looters continue to ruin the economic situation of the world and constantly expect everything to just be handed over to them with no efforts put in. As the novel progresses, we continue to see a growing hate that Jim develops for Hank Rearden.
When his wife, Cheryl, asks him why he hates Rearden so much he acts out and instantly gets furious. I think that he reacts in this manner to her question because he is jealous of everything that Hank is and he is not. Already jealous of the fact that everyone knows that it is his sister, Dagny, that runs all of Taggart Transcontinental, I think that the fact that now Rearden is teaming up with her and helping her fix the ruins of the company upsets him even more. He is aware of the fact that Dagny did not chose to work with him because he and his group of friends are incapable of doing things the right way, so she had to go out of her way to team up with Rearden to properly get the job done.
The success that both of them earn quickly builds up jealously in Jim. He finds himself constantly teaming up with Lillian Rearden in order to blackmail them and bring them both down, when in reality, Hank and Dagny always over power them. Jim even sleeps with Lillian. I do not understand if its to get back at Hank, or simply because he is jealous in some way and wants to have what Rearden has had, when I am sure that just as Lillian has said, Hank could care less about Jim or his presence in his life.
After the broadcast show where Dagny openly admits to the affair and the blackmail that the government has threatened on Rearden, Jim and Lillian get desperate as the situation turns on them. Dagny does not believe in anything that her brother stands for, so refusing to help him out will get Jim no where because he knows that without her, he is nothing, same with his company.
Even though Dagny refused to stay with Galt in Atlantis, she is quickly realizing that helping her brother keep their family company alive is a mistake and she must give the battle up. She can not continue helping Jim and his group of looters, and neither can Hank. Both of them together are the only thing keeping the world alive, but sooner or later they will both return to the Valley, and Jim can not go on without them and knows it.
I agree strongly with Sofia in the character of Jim Taggart. In my opinion, the man is upset that his sister is so capable and admired by so many people. He, on the other hand, is not exactly widely respected by anybody. Everybody knows that it is his sister that runs the real company. He seems to be covering this ubiquitous fact up by promoting Robin Hood-like ideals throughout the novel as he supports many government issued directives that hurt his business. He does not truly seem to care about his business, just about how he looks. Overall, Sofia seems very accurate about Jim Taggart's lacking character as an individual.
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