Pets in Rand's Novels
This has been an idle thought that has been resurfacing in my mind for the last few days, and please excuse my errors. I'll learn.
Why are Rand's novels conspicuously devoid of animals/pets? The only instance I remember is Gail Wynard's kitten in Atlas Shrugged, which was mentioned only once, and fleetingly at that.
Was Rand making a philosophical point about animals? She may not have viewed them as worthwhile because they aren't intellectually stimulating for the heroes. Was it a personal preference? I haven't done any research, but maybe she just didn't like animals.
I've been writing an essay for the Fountainhead essay contest, and I wrote: "[Authors] must be selective in picking events that are ideologically significant to their theme." I personally believe that if one of the heroes had a pet, it would be insignificant to the idea of independence and rationality Rand was trying to create.
Or, to think of it differently, what was significant about Wynard's kitten that made it worth mentioning?
So, what say you?
Why are Rand's novels conspicuously devoid of animals/pets? The only instance I remember is Gail Wynard's kitten in Atlas Shrugged, which was mentioned only once, and fleetingly at that.
Was Rand making a philosophical point about animals? She may not have viewed them as worthwhile because they aren't intellectually stimulating for the heroes. Was it a personal preference? I haven't done any research, but maybe she just didn't like animals.
I've been writing an essay for the Fountainhead essay contest, and I wrote: "[Authors] must be selective in picking events that are ideologically significant to their theme." I personally believe that if one of the heroes had a pet, it would be insignificant to the idea of independence and rationality Rand was trying to create.
Or, to think of it differently, what was significant about Wynard's kitten that made it worth mentioning?
So, what say you?
