Greg Salmieri and Ben Bayer discuss the following questions for Part II, Chapter 3, of Atlas Shrugged: “White Blackmail.”

  • Question 1: In what ways do we see the influence of Francisco on Rearden’s thoughts and actions?
  • Question 2: How is Lillian’s scheme for punishing Rearden similar to Floyd Ferris’s attempt to blackmail Rearden? How does Rearden react to each incident?
  • Question 3: Rearden thinks of himself as traveling down a path of discovery. What new steps does he take down this path in this chapter? What prompted the steps and what actions do they lead him to?
  • Question 4: How does Dagny’s understanding of the phenomenon of vanishing producers develop in this chapter? What clues are there that might help us understand this phenomenon?
  • Question 5: What can we tell from this chapter about why Francisco comes to Rearden’s office and about whether he accomplishes his goal?
  • Question 6: What other questions or observations do you have about Part II, Chapter 3?

 

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