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[[Nathaniel Branden]], in his essay "The Benefits and Hazards of the Philosophy of Ayn Rand," criticized Rand for creating such "over-the-top" characters as Dagny Taggart and John Galt—characters who, furthermore, never seem to speak to one another on a simple human level, apart from a slavish attention to the philosophical implication of every thought, word, and action. Among other faults, Branden noted that when Dagny discovers John Galt working as an unskilled laborer in the Terminal, the two of them have a brief tryst—and then immediately afterward, John Galt is talking like a philosopher again.{{cquote|I have reason to believe that Galt has a great many imitators around the country, and I also know that it is driving wives and girlfriends crazy!<ref name=branden>Branden N, "The Benefits and Hazards of the Philosophy of Ayn Rand," audio presentation, 1984. Transcript hosted at <http://www.nathanielbranden.com/catalog/articles_essays/benefits_and_hazards.html>.</ref>}}
[[Nathaniel Branden]], in his essay "The Benefits and Hazards of the Philosophy of Ayn Rand," criticized Rand for creating such "over-the-top" characters as Dagny Taggart and John Galt—characters who, furthermore, never seem to speak to one another on a simple human level, apart from a slavish attention to the philosophical implication of every thought, word, and action. Among other faults, Branden noted that when Dagny discovers John Galt working as an unskilled laborer in the Terminal, the two of them have a brief tryst—and then immediately afterward, John Galt is talking like a philosopher again.{{cquote|I have reason to believe that Galt has a great many imitators around the country, and I also know that it is driving wives and girlfriends crazy!<ref name=branden>Branden N, "The Benefits and Hazards of the Philosophy of Ayn Rand," audio presentation, 1984. Transcript hosted at <http://www.nathanielbranden.com/catalog/articles_essays/benefits_and_hazards.html>.</ref>}}
[[Whittaker Chambers]], in his review of ''Atlas Shrugged'' published in ''[[National Review]]'', criticized Rand on a much simpler and perhaps not well thought-out ground: simply for creating in Dagny Taggart a character who was impossibly beautiful.<ref name=chambers>Chambers W, "Big Sister Is Watching You," ''National Review'', December 28, 1957. Hosted at National Review Online, published January 5, 2005. Accessed May 1, 2009.<http://www.nationalreview.com/flashback/flashback200501050715.asp></ref>
[[Whittaker Chambers]], in his review of ''Atlas Shrugged'' published in ''[[National Review]]'', criticized Rand on a much simpler and perhaps not well thought-out ground: simply for creating in Dagny Taggart a character who was impossibly beautiful.<ref name=chambers>Chambers W, "Big Sister Is Watching You," ''National Review'', December 28, 1957. Hosted at National Review Online, published January 5, 2005. Accessed May 1, 2009.<http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/222482/big-sister-watching-you/flashback></ref>
In her own defense, Rand often fell back on her understanding of what constituted good novelist's craft. This included creating characters that were somewhat larger than life. Rand complicated the matter by using the novel form to communicate her philosophical ideas. This, of course, results in a character who makes a three-hour speech and who talks like a philosopher even in an intimate moment, and another character who accepts such behavior. For that matter, it results in two characters who have an affair and take time to discuss all its moral and philosophical implications.
In her own defense, Rand often fell back on her understanding of what constituted good novelist's craft. This included creating characters that were somewhat larger than life. Rand complicated the matter by using the novel form to communicate her philosophical ideas. This, of course, results in a character who makes a three-hour speech and who talks like a philosopher even in an intimate moment, and another character who accepts such behavior. For that matter, it results in two characters who have an affair and take time to discuss all its moral and philosophical implications.