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WHO IS JOHN GALT? 1957–1968
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also host seven informal, casual dress social evenings targeted toward
singles. 43 Though much of this social activity stemmed from student
demand, it was also linked to Rand’s belief that she lived in a “dead culture.”
It was axiomatic to Objectivists that they lived in a state of crisis,
a world uniformly opposed to their values and interests. This came
through most clearly in Rand’s devotion to Romantic art and her attack
on contemporary art, literature, and movies. Since the mainstream contained
nothing of value for Objectivists, it was necessary to create an
alternative world, where NBI students could fi nd the cultural nourishment
they needed. The institute’s new quarters were a testament to the
durability and power of the universe Rand had forged. Few noticed that
Nathan escaped to California for two months to personally teach the
Basic Principles course in San Francisco and Los Angeles.
For all the successes of the New York NBI, the organization was developing
an unsavory reputation. The idea that Objectivism was a weird
pseudo-religion had wide currency in the mass media. Some of this
sprang from the obvious passion Rand inspired in her readers. Religious
metaphors were often used to describe her: she was a “prophetess” or
“she-messiah,” and her audience was “a congregation” or “disciples.” 44
Much of the religious imagery, however, stemmed from eyewitness
reports of NBI classes. Life quoted a student who described an NBI
class as “almost liturgical: an immaculate white cloth altar with a taperecorded
tabernacle.” “As a newcomer,” the student said, “I was asked
three times if I were a ‘believer.’ ” Similarly, Jerome Tuccille wrote of his
time as an NBI student, “My fi rst reaction to all of this was awe, the
stunned awe of the true believing convert as devout now in my atheistic
capitalism as I had ever been in the Baroque Catholicism of the 1950s.”
At NBI Rand’s writings were like holy writ. In his lectures and articles
Branden used Rand’s characters to make his arguments, citing John
Galt’s reaction during a particular scene in Atlas Shrugged as an example
of “psychological maturity.” Rand’s creative world was cited as an
alternative to reality, and passages from her novels were taken as proof
of various trends and problems affecting the contemporary world. 45 At
critical stages of argumentation Rand and others tended to insert passages
from Atlas Shrugged to carry the point.
Visitors to NBI lectures were alarmed by the exalted place Rand
held at NBI and the conformity of the students Nathan taught. “When
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