Sexual Catharsis as an Experience of the Postfeminist in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged

Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged is not just a fully actualized rendition of her Objectivist philosophy, but a symbol of the possibility of postfeminism in a postindustrial world. Rand's postfeminist signifier, Dagny Taggart, is able to attain this ideal of equality only through the catharsis of the physical relationships with men whom Dagny considers her spiritual equals. The men in Dagny's life each contribute a new awakening to her about herself as she, at the same time, awakens them.