Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

This is not a post reviewing a book. These are my notes on Atlas Shrugged which I'll keep editing and updating. Perhaps a second reading might enable me to understand fully what Ayn wishes to say, and subsequently accept or refute her arguments and write a review. 

#Page 97. Conversation between James Taggart and Francisco d'Anconia. James asks Frisco to learn certain ideals, be selfless. That his inheritence is not for his personal pleasure and he should think of the underpriviledged. Read this with the conversation between James and Francisco on page 94. James questions Francisco's obsession with earning money. Francisco replies he wants to be able to afford the price for admission in the heavens. On page 98, Francisco justifies his conduct to Dagny Taggart. For him, the code of competence is the only system of morality, everything else is just sham in the name of ethics.

It is curious to note that Rand makes a very ingenious argument for the case of Capitalism- that earning money is the greatest virtue, and being competent in one's job is the highest ethic. The argument, in my opinion, missed a crucial link in establishing Capitalism as the act of human greatness. It is no doubt of utmost important to give your best to the society. Afterall, how is the society supposed to function effectively unless everyone is excellent at the work he does. But vices and vile acts are as important for the society to function in an effective manner. There is a reason Utopia cannot exist. You cannot walk if the surface is too smooth. Friction, although in theory impediments motion, keeps you from falling. However, even if we consider self competence to be the greatest virtue, I fail to see how that justifies minting money for personal pleasure, though making money might be a consequence of your competence at the job. Rand has, till page 111 failed to convince me how and why self competence and sensitivity to public good cannot co exist. It justifies Dagny's attitude towards James when he cites public good to oppose policies that would benefit the railroad company. She wishes to be competent at the job and this competence requires her to be immune to public service. But isn't her competence in the end going to give better railroad services to the country- the only 'ends' that could justify her 'means'. In my opinion, self competence motivated by a greed for earning money for the sake of earning money is the utmost crime that can be perpetrated in today's society. Only two kinds of competence can be allowed to exist- one that exists because the individual exhilerates in being competent, because being the best is the only goal in his life and money is just a card in the game, and the other that is motivated by giving the society the best service that is possible, where social good of the best standard is the ultimate aim.

#Rand should've written romance novels as well. She would have created a whole new genre of romance. The love between a man and a woman in her novels is founded on higher and more evolved emotions like beauty, lust, soulmates or kindred spirit. Her love is based on the need to be together. As if one's existence is justified and complimented and finds the raw expression of being in the others presence. It is instinctive, crude and in a very twisted way-innocent. The conversation between Dagny and Francisco on page 97 somehow reminded me of the 'always' in Harry Potter. But the difference is of such stark brightness that it is almost indecent to think about both of them in a single plane of thought. Somehow, it is more adult and passionate.

#Women in Rand's novels are always a figure of rebellion. Be it Dominique Francon or Dagny Taggart. They are fragile beings, delicate to touch but defying their own brittle existence in every act they do. They are powerful figures. Not necessarily liked, but definitely sought after. They are perfect. They are warriors. The description of Dagny in her first ball dance at page 101- a bold, beautiful, powerful and dangerous woman. Innocent yet aware, free of compunctions, determined to question the cynical society, waiting to break all rules, enjoying in others shock at her indecent behavious, in her refusal to conform to conventional act, in her affinity for the taboo. Fearless because she knows she can conquer anyone and everyone- the Alpha Female.

#Page 380- Never before has anyone defended the paper so vehemently. It is when a certain Bertram Scudder, one of the many tiny components of Rand's super villain, comments, 'You know, money is the root of all evil...', that the-could-have-been protagonist Francisco d'Anconia argues for the case of the paper, questioning all premises, making a connection between  money, to those who make money to those who have the capacity to make that money juxtapositioning such money- makers who produce goods with their ability to think, to develop against looters who use guns, and moochers who use tears. He makes the statement in a tone of absolute confidence- 'Wealth is the product of man's capacity to think.'

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies.

A perfect description of childhood.

The follies of a child alongwith their unfettered imagination, innocent hopes and fears, their taking charge of things and subsequent strife for survival- everything woven into a simple story about a group of young boys stranded on an island.

 Account of the 'littleuns'- their actions, thoughts, games and fears will bring a smile on your face. The blissful ignorance of death and tragedy is what helps the little protagonists to smile. Yet, it is the intution of danger, the knowledge that they are not at home and that something that might hurt is near is what helps them survive.

They are wicked, all right. Wicked just like you'd expect a child to be. They'll be mean to each other, will laugh when the other falls, hurt each other, but in the end they are comrades in arms. They huddle together in fear. The older ones assume the role of grownups. But in them too, we find such naive emotions- raw and pure, that even the acts of sheer stupidity cannot be blamed. At one place, we find that the kids are still under the influence of the society and the civilizatioan they come from. The guilt of wrongdoing is proof enough and so is the proud declaration of the English being best at everything.

Halfway through the book, you realise this is not an adventure story of a few boys stranded on an island. Golding has achieved a mastery over symbolism. The children all become mere characters of a fable, part of the huge symbolism that this whole story is woven around. While Ralph is the voice of system, of morality-he is the Superego, Jack is nothing but the personification of Id- that basic instinct that pays head to nothing but the simple formulae of pleasure and pain, Piggy is the voice of all that is reasonable and rational-the Ego and Simon, Samneric, Percival- are all humans, stuck between Id, Ego and Superego. The last quarter of the novel is nothing but horror. There is murder and buchery. These are not acts that you can ignore merely on account of the perpetrators being children. They are acts that bring to light the 'defects of the society via the defects of the human nature'(as was said by Golding in an interview).

The novel is a psychological comment, yet it is not a bore. Perhaps a mention of Speluncean Explorer's case is much called for at this juncture. If you like this book, then this case is worth reading. Think not from the glasses of law, think not from the glasses of what you have been taught is right or wrong, think and try to see without any glass. You will then be thinking, feeling, listening, speaking- all through your heart. And that is what the book deserves. A pure unbiased, unprejudised, uneducated, untrained thought on the human society- the political system, the moralities we have defined for ourselves and our basic nature.

Why read?

For a book that'll make you think.

You like AND UNDERSTAND symbolism, psychology and philosophy.

For the first part of the book, which is nothing but a beautiful description of a child's innocence that will make you smile.

Why not read?

Nearing the end, the book becomes a horrifying tale of how a bunch of kids lost their innocence.

Unless you understand symbolism and basic psychological concepts of Id, Ego and Superego, the book is nothing but an adventure story.

The description at some places becomes boring and you will be tempted to skip those pages.

Where to download?

http://www.epubbud.com/book.php?g=EA8GZQ6S

If you can't find the ebook, leave a comment with your email id or just leave a comment, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. :D

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jar- Sylvia Plath

Brilliant. One might not call her a literary genius, but she does what most geniuses fail to achieve. She makes you live the moments. The language is simple yet there is touch of the beautiful string of words used to describe things, feelings which we all feel, see, hear, but can never point a finger at. We have all felt this way when we were sad, the suffocation that we could not explain. Yet, she describes it quite simply-'Wherever I sat—on the deck of a ship or at a street café in Paris or Bangkok—I would be sitting under the same glass bell jar, stewing in my own sour air.'

The underlying emotion is sadness. But it is devoid of any dullness one might expect out of the story of a person who is depressed. On the contrary, everything Esther Greenwood(the protagonist, a loosely disguised version of herself) does or says or feels evokes a curious rush of adrenalin, the kind one might feel when one is about to kill themselves. We know it is wrong, that it'll hurt, yet we continue because we want to see and feel exactly what happens. You are not sad when her attempt fails, niether are you happy when you think she has succeded. You have given in to profane acceptance. You read it with a kind of numb resignation. Just the way Esther lives.

Esther makes you sad. But not for herself. She just reintroduces you to your own sadness. We witness the slow descent of a girl who has everything and is set to achieve even more to a girl who feels empty and sees herself in a 'Bell jar' suffocating her being and distorting her view of the world. She says, 'To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is the bad dream.' No one reason is given for her nervous breakdown. The book starts with the nervous breakdown. It does not answer the whys or the whos, it just starts from the point where Esther begins her descent. And maybe it is this lack of reason behind her descent that makes it possible for the reader to connect, not in the been-there, done-that way, but in a way where one reads as if echoing there own thoughts from the time they were sad.

The title could not have been more apt. After you have read the book, the mere title will bring back those memories. earlier reviews have called it 'deeply disturbing'. I agree. However, it is traumatic in a beautiful way. Each one of us has at some point of time been in that bell jar. And it is important to read of someone's coming out of it.

Throughout the book you will feel as if your heart is just about to break but in the end, you are somehow saved. That a weight is lifted. It is perhaps very sadistic of me to suggest the readers to do as I did, but right after finishing the book, I read about Plath. About her life, and the end. And that broke my heart. Yes, this book is a thinly disguised fictional version of her life. And she describes the time when she had descended into madness while trying to understand life. This book is about a girl confused about what she should do, about a girl who is expected to resemble many people who have helped her at some point of time, about a girl who has it all and one by one she throws away everything she has, just like when she throws all her expensive clothes from her hotel window, about a girl who feels the weight of the male dominated society, about a girl who wants to be 'her own woman', about a girl who tries to kill herself, about a girl who has lived in a Bell Jar, about a girl who eventually comes out of it. Only, the book ends at a much happier note. The story really actually ends with Sylvia Plath herself. She once mentions, 'How did I know that someday—at college, in Europe, somewhere, anywhere—the bell jar, with its stifling distortions, wouldn’t descend again?'

Call it foreboding or a simple irony. This is what breaks your heart. And this is the beauty of it all. A book that has become such a literary genius because behind all the words is the reality of Plath's life, her death giving the perfect finale.

Why read?

Beautiful expression of thoughts of a patient of chronic depression.

It will absorb you not only while you are reading but for days after that.

The kind of book that makes you think and reflect.

Why not read?

No particular story or plot or mystery.

No suspense unless you count whether the protagonist will die or not.

Traumatic, depressing.

Where to download?

http://www.epubbud.com/book.php?g=3CHQQAJV

If you can't find the ebook, leave a comment with your email id or just leave a comment, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. :D

Calling Romeo by Alexandra Potter.

Calling Romeo.

I have no clue why I picked up this book. This is not the kind of title I would've usually gone for. But then again, I didn't really have much choice.

Right. At the risk of sounding very critical, I think the story line is kind of cliche. A and B love each other. Then A feels something is missing. A third bloke C wooes A. A falters on her path of devoted love. Blah blah blah. End is about who ends up with who, same old, same old. If you've read enough New York based Romance novels, you already know the end of this one.

Next we come to the language. The literature is not exactly great. No flowery descriptions, no artistic verses, nothing. The dialogues lack wit. It is more of a narrative, actually. A simple story told in an everyday-used tongue. No similes. The novel lacks even the use of aesthetic phrases.

To cut it short, it is a very well written script, complete with descriptions of places, costumes, emotions, for a chick-flick.
A good book to be read while travelling. You don't have to apply your mind. Just read to keep yourself busy. You wouldn't mind much if you leave the book halfway because you've reached your destination.
You will not like this book if you like books that make you think. It is not the kind of book that will make you want to yell at the characters. It is just a story. A proper well-written story that you will know is just a story when you're reading it. It will not grab you by the nose and drown you in emotions. You will not sympathize or empathize with the characters. Worst, you will not have any favourite character.

Why read?

You are bored and want something to occupy you for atleast 2-3 hours.

You like happy endings. 

You're not exactly into books with all the high level verbose or phrases that paint nice pictures of beautiful landscape or descriptions that have phrases like "sweat drops like little insects"(Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar) or "lacuna..a dark mouth in the rock"(Barbara Kingsolver, The Lacuna).

Why not read?

You despise books that lack proper literature and are just stories and nothing else.

All your favourite books are classics.

You want a novel with at least a little suspense or something to stir up emotions, any emotion be it fear, sadness, anger or pity.

Where to download?

http://www.ziddu.com/download/5121212/callingromeo.pdf.html

If you can't find the ebook, leave a comment with your email id or just leave a comment, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. :D