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FROM NOVELIST TO PHILOSOPHER, 1944–1957
in his intemperance, counseled him on a better approach. It seemed to
work, Nathan reported a year later. Instead of anger, he tried logic: “When
they raise some objection—like taxation—I could refer them back to a
premise they had already accepted, like immorality of initiated force, and
they always had to cede the point.” 13 Even if his family still persisted in
their beliefs, Nathan was discovering the power of a defi ned and integrated
philosophical system. By this time he was calling Rand “darling”
in his letters. She reciprocated by elevating Nathan and Barbara above
all others, letting them read early drafts of her work in progress.
Ultimately it was Rand who was unwilling to let their connection go.
In early summer 1951 Nathan and Barbara moved to New York. Barbara
intended to pursue a master’s degree in philosophy at NYU, and Nathan
transferred to be with her. After the couple left, Rand’s restlessness grew
intense. She had always wanted to move back to New York, and with
The Fountainhead movie completed she saw no reason to remain. By
the fall of 1951 she had convinced Frank they must leave. She knew he
was “chronically and permanently happy” in California, but his preferences
meant little compared to hers. 14 It had been more than twenty
years since Frank supported himself. Increasingly Rand called the shots,
and he was along for the ride. She phoned Nathan in high excitement
to share the news. A few weeks later she and Frank were driving east.
The Hills, who rented the Chatsworth property in their absence, found
the house in disarray, as if the decision to leave had been made in great
haste. Left behind was a box of old pictures, numerous pieces of furniture,
and several stacks of railroad magazines. Frank asked the Hills to
keep his gladiolas alive until he returned.
Back in New York Rand made no effort to rejuvenate her relationship
with Isabel Paterson. Secure in her new triangle with Nathan and
Barbara, she rejected overtures to conciliation by mutual friends and
soon parted ways with Rose Wilder Lane, too. As Lane described it years
later, Ayn and Frank visited her Connecticut home, where she and Ayn
“had a hard struggle” over religion. Although Lane was not a churchgoer
or an adherent to any traditional Christian doctrine, she fi rmly believed
that the universe refl ected a divine creator and thought Rand’s atheism
was “untenable.” Writing to Jasper Crane, Lane described the scene
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