One of the central characters in Atlas Shrugged. He is the founder of Rearden Steel and the inventor of Rearden Metal, a form of metal stronger than steel. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Lillian, his brother Philip, and his elderly mother Gertrude (whose name almost never appears in the book), all of whom he supports. Gwen Ives is his secretary. The character of Hank Rearden has two important roles to play in the novel. First, he is aware...
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One of the central characters in Atlas Shrugged. He is the founder of Rearden Steel and the inventor of Rearden Metal, a form of metal stronger than steel.
He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Lillian, his brother Philip, and his elderly mother Gertrude (whose name almost never appears in the book), all of whom he supports. Gwen Ives is his secretary.
The character of Hank Rearden has two important roles to play in the novel. First, he is aware that there is something wrong with the world but is unsure of what it is. Rearden is guided toward an understanding of the solution through his friendship with Francisco d'Anconia, who does know the secret, and by this mechanism the reader is also prepared to understand the secret when it is revealed explicitly in Galt's Speech.
Second, Rearden is used to illustrate Rand's theory of sex. Lillian Rearden cannot appreciate Hank Rearden's virtues, and she is portrayed as being disgusted by sex. Dagny Taggart clearly does appreciate Rearden's virtues, and this appreciation evolves into a sexual desire. Rearden is torn by a contradiction because he accepts the premises of the traditional view of sex as a lower instinct, while responding sexually to Dagny, who represents his highest values. Rearden struggles to resolve this internal conflict and in doing so illustrates Rand's sexual theory. Rearden appears in sections 121, 132, 147, and 161, and is mentioned in sections 114 and 131.
