Ragnar Danneskjold's The Tale Of Robin Hood

“ “But what sort of life have you chosen? To what purpose are you giving your mind?” “To the cause of my love.” “Which is what?” “Justice.” ” In this exchange between Ragnar Danneskjold and Hank Rearden the readers learn of the goal of Danneskjold that he attempts to reach throughout the novel. He seeks to instill justice back into the world using his methods which he deems the best way to reverse the backwards morals, which were engrained into the people. But, what morals were spread throuhghout the people, and by what method? This question can be answered by looking at the man whom Ragnar seeks to destroy. Robin Hood. The tale of Robin Hood was deeply misunderstood by the modern people of Atlas Shrugged, and in comparison to the original …show more content…
When he learned of the travesty that erupted at the Starnes Motor Company where his comrade John Galt had worked, he knew that he had to do something in order to change the political and social problems that existed in the nation. As “the friend of the friendless” Ragnar was one of the only supporters of the productive rich, who were viewed as immoral beings, due to the backwards morals that were instilled in much of the nation. His aim seemed simple; justice. However, his plan to fix the issues was more complex than one would …show more content…
To help restore the wealth to its proper place Ragnar chose a radical pathway, and became a pirate. This quote from Ragnar shows the desperation that he has reached and how his new ways were only used to match those of the opposing side: “What I actually am, Mr. Rearden, is a policeman. It is a policeman's duty to protect men from criminals – criminals being those who seize wealth by force. ... But when robbery becomes the purpose of the law...then it is an outlaw who has to become a policeman.” When looking at it from this point of view, his prospect of becoming a pirate for the wealthy does not seem as obsurd as before. They ways of the looters and moochers were using tactics beyond comparision, but they were doing it for the “benefit of society” so their destructive efforts went unnoticed to most of the public eye. Vikings were known for their capture and invasions on the sea, so Ragnar set out on a plan based on their tactics. Ragnar targeted hijacks on ships that he called “loot carriers”, ships that were supposedly for the benefit of human kind, but in reality were paid for by the taxes of the people. Once on these ships Ragnar took them to smugglers in Europe to sell them in exchange for a payment in gold. Once he had enough gold he told the industrialist of their secret bank account, which included the wealth that had been stolen from them in