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More oxford books @ www.OxfordeBook.comFore more urdu books visit www.4Urdu.com200WHO IS JOHN GALT? 1957–1968the “consistent philosophy that ignored no aspect of life” he had alwayssought. Sharon Presley, one of the few women to become active in thelibertarian movement, remembered Atlas Shrugged as a revelation: “Itwasn’t until Rand that I had some kind of explicitly articulated theoryor set of principles that made sense to me . . . so that was a major, majorinfluence on my life.” 27 Objectivism seemed immediately superior to herprevious habits of thought because Rand’s ideas interlocked and supportedone another.In many ways the overwhelming impact of Rand’s ideas mimickedMarxism’s influence. Arthur Koestler’s memory of his conversion toCommunism echoes the sentiments expressed by Rand’s readers: “Thenew light seems to pour from all directions across the skull; the wholeuniverse falls into pattern like the stray pieces of a jigsaw puzzle assembledby magic at one stroke. There is now an answer to every question; doubtsand conflicts are a matter of the tortured past.” Only a small portion ofRand’s readers became as feverishly devoted to her ideas as Koestler didto Marxism, but the basic dynamic was similar. A twenty-four-year-oldwoman told Rand, “you have combined all my stray thoughts into anorderly, workable pattern—this alone is worth many years of my life.” 28Rand’s perspective could bring refreshing clarity to the unfocused, replacingdoubt and uncertainty with passion and conviction.No matter how they came to Rand, some basic similarities seemedto underlie those who were attracted to her. In his 1963 study of youngconservatives, They’d Rather Be Right, Edward Cain designated Rand theprimary “theorist” of conservative youth and described the type whowas drawn to her. According to Cain, the follower of Rand was limitedin number “but qualitatively very important. He is very likely to picturehimself as someone whom John Galt might call to his mountain retreat.Bright, alert, and conscious of his capacity, he would admire the boldnessof heroic action. Having something to offer, he feels there should beappropriate reward for a job well done, and has probably long despisedthe ‘second handers,’ or drones, who have had to crib from his chemistryreports or term papers.” 29 Although Cain’s emblematic Objectivist wasmale, the presence of Rand herself, along with her independent, intelligentfemale heroines, made Objectivism attractive to female studentsin search of role models. Whatever their gender, Rand drew studentswho were self-consciously intellectual and willing to read outside their