Greg Salmieri and Ben Bayer discuss the following questions for Part II, Chapter 1, of Atlas Shrugged: “The Man Who Belonged on Earth.”

  • Question 1: How have Dagny and Rearden each changed (regarding their careers and personal lives) since Part I of the novel?
  • Question 2: Which characters in this chapter are actively avoiding certain thoughts? What thoughts are they avoiding, and why? What differences are there in their motives?
  • Question 3: What does Rearden notice about his interaction with the representative of the State Science Institute? How does it apply to other interactions in the chapter?
  • Question 4: What is unusual about Rearden’s mood when he comes to Dagny’s apartment at the end of chapter 1? When precisely does this change, and why?
  • Question 5: What clues are there in this chapter to mysteries raised earlier in the book?
  • Question 6: What other questions or observations do you have about Part II, Chapter 1?

 

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