Changes

The Ayn Rand Institute suggests that the two heroes of the novel were [[Dagny Taggart]] and [[John Galt]].<ref name=history/> This is not actually in accord with literary convention. Dagny Taggart certainly is the novel's heroine, but the other hero is [[Henry Rearden]]. They are heroes precisely because each must make a life-altering re-evaluation and decision in order to serve the causes that motivate them, a thing that John Galt does not do.

The Ayn Rand Institute suggests that the two heroes of the novel were [[Dagny Taggart]] and [[John Galt]].<ref name=history/> This is not actually in accord with literary convention. Dagny Taggart certainly is the novel's heroine, but the other hero is [[Henry Rearden]]. They are heroes precisely because each must make a life-altering re-evaluation and decision in order to serve the causes that motivate them, a thing that John Galt does not do.

John Galt is actually an anti-villain: one who pursues the cause of justice with the same single-mindedness of purpose with which a classical villain might pursue his own greed or an insane desire for vengeance. His major decision to call the great strike is a decision he makes ''before'', not during, the time frame of the novel's action.

John Galt is actually an anti-villain: one who pursues the cause of justice with the same single-mindedness of purpose with which a classical villain might pursue his own greed or an insane desire for [[vengeance]]. His major decision to call the great strike is a decision he makes ''before'', not during, the time frame of the novel's action.

Rand's character development decisions sometimes reflected the philosophical points she wished to make, and at other times reflected her almost free association between those characters and certain real-life counterparts. Some of her choices might seem bizarre; for example, her archetype for [[Mr. Thompson]] was [[President of the United States|President]] [[Harry S. Truman]], and that for [[Robert Stadler]] was [[J. Robert Oppenheimer]], the head of the [[Manhattan Project]].

Rand's character development decisions sometimes reflected the philosophical points she wished to make, and at other times reflected her almost free association between those characters and certain real-life counterparts. Some of her choices might seem bizarre; for example, her archetype for [[Mr. Thompson]] was [[President of the United States|President]] [[Harry S. Truman]], and that for [[Robert Stadler]] was [[J. Robert Oppenheimer]], the head of the [[Manhattan Project]].