Dagny Taggart is the main protagonist of the novel and its only major female character. She is active and dynamic, facing even the most serious problems head on and instinctively taking charge of those under her authority. Her actions and decisions are a major driving force behind events in the narrative. Although she is the last of Galt’s chosen few to surrender her interests in the outside world, this is presented as a testament to her strength and loyalty rather than a weakness; she agrees with The Objectivist Perception of Morality from the outset and simply needs to exhaust the alternatives before agreeing to their methods. Through this quality in Dagny, Rand hence presents and then quashes perceived counterarguments to her philosophical ideas.

Dagny is presented as a character who always follows through in the course prescribed by her objectivist beliefs, standing—alongside her male counterpart, Galt—as one half of the personification of objectivist virtue. This role is emphasized in the novel’s final scene in which she and Galt stand side-by-side looking out over the world below. She is shown to be determined, independent, hardworking, and capable of making decisions and solving problems under immense pressure and against near insurmountable odds.