"To survive it and to preserve the kind of spirit she projected on the screen...the radiantly benevolent sense of life, which cannot be faked...was an almost inconceivable psychological achievement that required a heroism of the highest order. Whatever scars her past had left were insignificant by comparison" - Ayn Rand Los Angeles Times, August 19, 1962 Written by Ms. Rand upon Marilyn Monroe's death.

It's hard to believe this is the woman you portray as vile and unfeeling.

Blanche:

"To survive it and to preserve the kind of spirit she projected on the screen...the radiantly benevolent sense of life, which cannot be faked...was an almost inconceivable psychological achievement that required a heroism of the highest order. Whatever scars her past had left were insignificant by comparison" - Ayn Rand Los Angeles Times, August 19, 1962 Written by Ms. Rand upon Marilyn Monroe's death.

It's hard to believe this is the woman you portray as vile and unfeeling.

Oh there's no question but that Ayn oozed feeling from her every pore. The irony is that so many of her admirers profess to scorn "feelings" as a significant factor in decision making. Rand's novels practically beg us to feel the pain that her heros so pointedly deny. The Marilyn quote is of a piece with that same novelistic formula.

"Vile" seems a bit overwrought for me too.

The irony is that so many of her admirers profess to scorn "feelings" as a significant factor in decision making.

Interesting. My father who is a very intelligent guy, but not big on reading fiction and most certainly has no idea who Ayn Rand is/was told me long ago that, "A decision based purely on emotion is most often the wrong decision." However, he has always been a very empathetic and caring person. He did often criticize me for being overly emotional, but as I grew older I understand what he meant. Often times our feelings can cloud reason. Often horrible things result from good intentions or from sympathy towards others. One might be compelled to save one person to the detriment of many more following based on feelings rather than on reason.