| Orion: “But then again, if she had a sadistic streak, apparently a number of her then-followers must've had a masochistic streak, because they remained fiercely devoted.” Yes, and devotion to the Great Leader is one of the hallmarks of a cult. While we’re on the subject of art and sadism, Orion, it’s often said that artists use the raw material of their own lives in the service of their art.
I’m reminded of this by a scene in Atlas Shrugged, where Dagny is packing her bags before going in search of Galt’s energy machine. She calls Eddie Willers on the phone to come over and take some notes on running the business in her absence.
Since she is in a hurry, she takes Eddie into her bedroom and dictates while she is packing items of clothing, including her underwear. A short while later, Eddie catches a glimpse of Hank Reardon’s dressing gown in Dagny’s cupboard.
The perceptive reader will have guessed that Eddie holds a candle for Dagny, so the scene is doubly poignant. No sooner does Eddie finally get a glimpse of his true love’s panties, than he realises that another man is getting into them.
All the while, John Galt has been pumping Eddie for inside information on Dagny. The poor schmuck gets shafted by all and sundry, without getting a slice of the action for himself.
I wonder whether Miss Rand unconsciously modeled Eddie on her husband Frank, and whether the dressing gown incident was modeled on Nathaniel Branden inadvertently leaving behind some memento of his afternoons in their apartment.
There are some similarities between Frank and Eddie. Both are men of principle, but they lack drive and stand passively by while their objects of affection couple with other men.
So there certainly seems to be an element of sadism in the depiction of Eddie. On the other hand, Dagny seems to enjoy getting knocked around while being knocked up, so there also seems to be an element of masochism there.
Is that possible? In real life, do S&Ms take turns? And when they’ve finished, who gets to do the washing up?
Brendan
| 
