Mort Liddy, Clifton Locey - Characters, Atlas Shrugged | Atlas Shrugged - Summary, Themes and Characters - Novels PDF Download

Mort Liddy

Mort plays a small role at Hank's anniversary party, but it's one that sets off a huge chain reaction, so to speak. Mort is a hack composer who turns up the radio so everybody can hear a great new song – a mangled version of Richard Halley's Fourth Concerto. This horrifies Dagny. Right after this, Dagny spies Lillian wearing Hank's Rearden Metal bracelet. She marches up to her and demands that she exchange it for Dagny's diamond bracelet. This is a huge character moment for Lillian, Hank, and Dagny. So aside from further demonstrating the decline of the arts, Mort acts as a catalyst for one of the book's most important scenes.

Clifton Locey

Clifton Locey is a trained seal, according to Eddie Willers (2.7.1.1). We think this is a great description. Clifton, who is appointed to Dagny's job after she temporarily quits, is clearly a moron. If the relatively mild-mannered Eddie is calling him a trained seal, we know he has to be pretty bad.

Clifton is a pal of James's, which is a strike against him. He's also the one who sends out the initial order to send the Taggart Comet through the tunnel as fast as possible with "whatever" engine is available. Consummate looter that he is, Clifton words the order so that Dave Mitchum will understand he is to use the coal engine. But the order is also vague enough that Clifton can't be blamed for anything that goes wrong. Clifton quickly runs off after sending the order so that no one can contact him for a follow-up.