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Explain Ragnar Danneskjold’s statement that Robin Hood is the one man he is out to destroy.
What is the deeper moral meaning of his claim?
The moment the character Ragnar Danneskjold explains the core of his philosophy in
Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged is one typical of the novel, which functions both as a piece of fiction
as well as a political manifesto. He tells Hank Rearden that Robin Hood is the man he is “out to
destroy,” and, giving Danneskjold the perfect opening to launch into a lengthy speech on the
subject, Rearden asks, “What in blazes do you mean?” (Rand 441). The subsequent explanation
Danneskjold gives provides a cornerstone in the novel for the theme of ethical egoism, a belief
system that advocates that it is right, moral and good to do everything in one’s own best
interests. The moment also serves as one cairn along the trail of Rand’s construction of political
and philosophical theory, as she inserts her voice into many a character’s statement.
Danneskjold’s mission is to take wealth that has been ostensibly stolen from the rich and given to
the undeserving poor. While he has never touched a military vessel, the existence of which are
justified by his philosophy, he has “seized every loot carrier … every government relief ship,
subsidy ship, loan ship, gift ship, every vessel with a cargo of goods taken by force from some
men for the unpaid, unearned benefit of others” (Rand 441). Danneskjold’s belief is that taxation,
specifically income taxation, as well as other government controls on free industry that puts any
negative pressure on private companies whatsoever is unjust. Therefore, when he “steals” from
government ships, he believes that he is merely taking back stolen goods to return them to their
rightful owners. This is a sort of constructed morality, where one commits an act that, without
context, is immoral (stealing) but in context, is righteous. The context is Danneskjold’s morality,
which he has fashioned for himself. While he sneers at Robin Hood-types, he himself is
following the same template of rogue morality. Danneskjold’s morality, like his own profession
of “pirate,” is a renegade idea. It conforms to the larger themes and philosophies of the text, but
radicalizes them via the action of stealing and performing righteous acts outside the purview of
both the law and societal norms.
Danneskjold says that he is out to reverse the Robin Hood system: “He was the man who
robbed the rich and gave to the poor. Well, I’m the man who robs the poor and gives to the
rich—or, to be exact, the man who robs the thieving poor and gives back to the productive rich”
(441). He uses a well-known philosophy—that of Robin Hood, which is to steal from the rich
who presumably gained their wealth unfairly, and give it to the poor, who are presumably only
poor because of an unfair class system—to illustrate his own philosophy, instead of simply
creating or explaining his philosophy without a crutch. This juxtaposition he creates between the
Robin Hood philosophy and his own demonstrates that his philosophy only exists because a
