Custom «Ayn Rand» Essay Paper Sample

Ayn Rand, the novelist and philosopher, has written so many novels and plays. In her story The Night King, she narrates how she tried to steal a black diamond from her boss, Winton Stokes, who was very wealthy. Her Second Career is also her story of a very wealthy lady who failed in her career as an actress due to her arrogance. The main aim of this essay is to compare the two stories.

The both stories The Night King and Her Second Career tell about a millionaire who owns so much while most other people are very poor. To start with, The Night King is a story of the millionaire known as Winton Stokes and the writer, Ayn Rand, who tried to steal the black diamond from him. Winton owned a black diamond which was very famous all over the world. People who owned the black diamond gained a lot of recognition and they were envied by everyone. The protagonist of the story Her Second Career is also the millionaire, known as Claire Nash who is arrogant and rude because of her wealth. She is a movie producer and an actress. Therefore, the two stories are based on the life of two millionaires and their relations with other people.

The two stories portray how wealthy people discriminate the poor as well as disrespect them. For instance, in The Night King story Winton thought that it was too polite to smile at other people since he did not want anything from them, “….his smile was the worst of all. He always had it when he looked at people—just two little wrinkles in the corners of his mouth, which seemed to say you, were terribly funny….” (Rand 1984). The same case applies to the story Her Second Career, whereby, Claire felt that she did not have any right to respect or feel sorry after insulting any man because of her status, “Why should she feel such anger at the insult of any single man?” (Rand 1984).

Moreover, the two stories portray how certain people from humble backgrounds struggled hard to achieve their dreams. For instance, in the story The Night King, Ayn Rand wrote about herself and Winton, the millionaire. She admitted that the reason why she had accepted the employment from Winton was because the reason she wanted to pursue and eventually get the black diamond, “…you see, I was after the most precious thing and against the most dangerous man in New York’’. She took the risk of stealing the precious metal from his boss, although, she did not succeed. In the story Her Second Career, a lady known as Heddy Leland was very determined to become an actress after she was thrown out of Claire’s group. She begged for the job despite the insults she got from Claire. The crowd felt pity for her especially when Claire told her that “Haven’t you understood that I do not want you back on my set?” (Rand 1984). Surprisingly, the girl succeeded and eventually became an actress in another set which made her to become a super star.

In conclusion, Ayn Rand shows clearly what happens in real life and portrays so many themes in the two stories. One of them is the theme of determination. It is well portrayed in the story Her Second Career. In The Night King story is the theme of revenge. Basically, the two stories mean that as long as one is interested and determined in doing something, he or she can succeed. Success requires a lot of effort and hard work.