The Role Of Eddie Willer In Atlas Shrugged

The function of an “everyman” character in novels allows for the reader to truly understand the impact of situations on the characters. In Atlas Shrugged, Eddie Willers takes the role of the “everyman” because no matter what the circumstance, he does not give up—at least not until the end of the novel when he jumps in front of a train and presumably dies. The dialogue, character action, and characterization of Eddie Willers depict him as the “everyman” character in Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.

The author’s use of dialogue symbolizes Eddie Willers’s importance to the literary work Atlas Shrugged. At the start of the novel, Willers discusses over the phone a seemingly meaningless conversation, throwing out the question “Who is John Galt?” He talks

about how he enjoys his life and job at Taggart Transcontinental, something that seems insignificant, but ultimately proves its importance to the novel because Eddie Willers reveals later on he knew John Galt all along and spoke with him on the phone at the beginning of the story. The dialogue between Galt and Willers also shows his function as the “everyman” character of the novel because even though he knew the most powerful character of the book, he did not seek to abuse John Galt’s power or knowledge—rather, he kept it to himself and continued to work at an economically doomed company.

Although the reader does not know whether or not Galt offered Eddie Willers the opportunity to join his brain strike, one can infer that he must

have, given that Eddie had a long friendship with the genius. This conversation with John Galt also foreshadows the dark period that would overcome Taggart Transcontinental as well as the rest of the nation as the result of the corrupt government and economy. The discussion of his job and his enjoyment of it foreshadows the demise of the company and nation because he talks about how much he loves his job and how nothing could possibly go wrong with the company—and then, something does go wrong.
The actions that Eddie Willers takes throughout the course of the novel show his importance as the “everyman” character.

Eddie stayed by Dagny’s side during the action of the book and did as he was told to do. When Dagny quit to build the John Galt Line, Eddie took her position as acting vice-president and corresponded with her often so he could keep the company afloat. Even when Dagny quit completely with the passage of ridiculous laws such as the Anti-Dog Eat Dog Rule and Directive 10-289, Eddie stayed loyal to the company to keep it running, but he also stayed loyal to Dagny. His loyalty to the company, but most importantly to Dagny, signifies his role as the “everyman” character because when Dagny quit, she told Eddie her plans and told him to tell no one except Hank Rearden of her location and he honored his promise to her, even when situations got rough at the Taggart Transcontinental offices. However, his role as the “everyman” became too much for him and when The Comet broke down and everyone but him deserted, he found himself determined to fix the train in the middle of the desert, presumably where he died at the end of the novel. His death symbolizes his importance to the novel because he dedicated his life to Dagny and the railroad company, shown through his loyal actions from start to end, even when it appeared absolutely hopeless to continue to have loyalty to such a corrupt

world.
The indirect characterization of Eddie Willers shows his significance as the “everyman” to the novel. The interactions Willers had with others allowed the reader to see Eddie through the eyes of other characters. For example, Dagny Taggart’s faith in Eddie throughout the entirety of the novel depict him as a reliable source for most to come to, especially the protagonist herself. Not only does her faith in Eddie amplify his role as the “everyman,” but her differences to him do as well. For example, Dagny finds herself afflicted with maintaining the economic safety and wellbeing of her company for the duration of the novel, while Eddie finds himself preoccupied with doing what, overall, would benefit the company and outside factors the most. Eddie has characteristics of the most rational, understanding character of the novel, while his friends Dagny, Francisco, Rearden and John Galt possess intelligence, which contribute to his role in the literary work because unlike the others who quit because situations were less than ideal, he stayed and continued to work for a failing company.