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Triumphs and Tragedies of Antithetical Characters in 'The Fountainhead'

  

Triumphs and Tragedies of Antithetical Characters

in ‘The  Fountainhead'

           

            Almost all of Ayn Rand's novels follow similar plot patterns. In each of them a very able and exceptionally talented protagonist fights the forces which are threatening to destroy them or the society in which they live.  This is very clearly seen in the plots of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged.  It is through her heroes that she sends her message to the world.  In The Fountainhead her aim is to show how her hero Howard Roark overcomes all the obstacles which society through other men places on his path and how he overcomes them.  Basically Rand was interested in writing her novels only to convey her philosophy to which she gives complete attention.  In spite of this her fiction is her greatest achievement.  Although her philosophy was opposed and condemned by many critics, they acknowledged the impact of her fiction.  When compared with other writers of her time her works are less in number, but they are still popular and continue to be read widely. 

             Architecture forms the apt backdrop for the extraordinary tale of achievement in The Fountainhead.  Rand chose architecture because it is an art, a science, and a business at the same time. Architecture forms the fundamental metaphor which runs throughout the book.  Each time the author describes a building, she strips it down to its structure.  She follows the same procedure while describing a person in the novel.  Her usual method of introducing a character is by giving a brief biographical sketch in which she clearly delineates the person's virtues and vices.  Her description of each of her character's face provides an immediate insight into the substance of the character. For example while describing Roark's appearance she says:

His face was like a law of nature - a thing one could not question, alter or implore. It had high cheekbones over gaunt, hollow cheeks; grey eyes, cold and steady; a contemptuous mouth, shut tight; the mouth of an executioner or saint. (FH 15) 

 This description contrasts with the introduction of Keating:

His eyes were dark, alert, and intelligent.  His mouth, a small upturned crescent faultlessly traced, words gentle and generous and warm with the faint promise of a smile...He held his head in the manner of one who takes his beauty for granted, but knows that others do not. (FH 28) 

             In all her descriptions of characters, Rand communicates to the reader quite clearly whether the character is to be viewed in a positive or negative light.  Even praising the character for a handsome appearance, or popularity Rand made clear to her readers her attitude towards that character.  In the above description Peter's appearance of generosity and warmth are a mask for his conceit and ruthlessness.  In other words if a character appears to have good qualities it might not be true.  The shape of the face betrays the foundational principle of that character.  Hence Rand shows that even though Roark outwardly appears cold and hard, he is true to his very bones.

             Right from the differences in their appearance, Keating and Roark are antithetical in every aspect of their personality.  Rand constantly juxtaposes their careers and the important decisions made by them to draw out this difference.  She gives a negative coloring to Peter's character in order to highlight the positive qualities in Roark.  The major characters, Gail Wynand and Ellsworth Toohey also serve as contrast or rivals to the hero.  Each of these characters represents a particular value or belief.  For example Roark stands for strength and following his own convictions boldly.  Rand explains her aim in writing the novel in her journal as follows:

            The story is the story of Howard Roark's triumph...  It has to show every conceivable hardship and obstacle on his way and how he triumphs over them, why he has to triumph.  These obstacles, of course, can come from only one source:  other men.  It is society with all its boggled chaos of selflessness, compromise, servility, and lies, that stands in the way of Howard Roark. (Harriman 140)

               Rand underscores the greatness of her hero by showing how each of her characters faces similar situations.  In the first few chapters of the novel she makes it clear to the readers that this difference does not arise from their recent circumstances by making them start off from the same point. Roark and Keating studied architecture at the same college.  While Keating passes with top honours, Roark gets thrown out before completing the course. In their profession too they practiced fundamentally different styles of architecture: Keating practices the historical style of architecture, paying respect to old traditions, often willing to accommodate the changes suggested by his clients and also quickly adapting to the new trends of architecture.  Roark on the other hand is uncompromising when changes are suggested.  His career reflects the trend of modern architecture's dissatisfaction with old styles and it's laying emphasis on individual creativity.  Most parts of the novel deal with the way Roark and Keating differ in how they construct their buildings, their dealings with the clients and how the public reacts to their buildings. 

              In the opening scene of the book Roark is seen standing at the edge of a granite cliff laughing after he has been expelled from his college, Stanton Institute of Technology for refusing to abide by the conventions of the college regarding the designs of buildings.  His Professors found that his designs contradict everything that the School taught. They perceived this as insolence and threw him out of the college.  Roark's response to his expulsion is not despair but indifference.  Though he knows that his future will be difficult, he makes the action of the college insignificant.  With his supreme confidence on his abilities he faces the first obstacle placed on his path by the tradition - worshipping society.  He has the firm belief that whatever the college authorities may do they cannot stop him from becoming an architect. 

              There is a fundamental difference in the perception of Roark and the others on the same matter.  For instance, when the Dean of his college offers to take him back after a break for a year if he agrees to follow the customs of the college, Roark asks him, "What made you suppose that I want to come back? ....I won't be back. I have nothing further to learn here."(FH 22)  Any other person in his place would have accepted the offer gratefully. Roark boldly faces the bullying arguments of the Dean without giving in and without sounding rude. He tells the Dean that one more year at the college would not benefit him in any way.  Roark does not think of his college degree as a tool to help him get a good job.  He only thinks of the knowledge which he gathered from there and how to use it for making better designs of his future buildings. From this incident Rand shows that Roark is a man who does not care about the social etiquette followed by everyone.  He does not rebel against society rather he is so engrossed in his love of designing that he hardly notices how other people do things. Having no regard for the evaluations of others he never considers what others think of him. 

               Roark is thrilled at the future that awaits him in his chosen field, but Keating lacks the ability to plan his future.  Keating gets two offers on the day of his graduation, one is a scholarship to study at a prestigious institute in France; another is a job offer from a prominent architect in New York.  Keating is unable to decide which to accept and he asks Roark's opinion openly stating that he values Roark's opinion more than the Dean's because he thinks that Roark loves the subject more than any of their Professors do. Even though Keating has the ability to think independently, he lets go of his judgement in order to please others. At the least hint of pressure he changes his decision.  Mimi Reisel Gladstein's comment on Keating's character is significant:

         Though Keating possesses a modicum of talent, rather than developing his gift, he guides his life by pursuing what other people think is important.  He never learns his craft, and when important commissions are called for he must put his name on other people's work.  When he achieves everything he thinks he should want, he does not understand the hollowness of it.  He will never be satisfied because he has never gone after what he wants". (28)

             Rand makes it clear that Keating does not realize what he wants which is he reason why he remains undecided most of the time.  Roark on the other hand knows exactly what he wants and is not the least interested in what others think of it.  Rand points out another difference between them in type of people they choose to work for.  Roark goes to work for an architect called Henry Cameron who was very popular but now completely ruined.  Like Roark, Cameron loves his buildings more than the clients and the money they pay for it. They are equally hard working and exceptionally talented.  "Instant recognition of the like- minded is an ability shared by Rand's heroes and villains alike" (Gladstein 23).  Peter on the other hand works for Guy Francon who is very popular in the social circle.  Francon knows how to entertain and flatter his clients.  More than his technical skill it is his social skill, which makes him successful and reach the top level of his profession.  This is the case with Keating too.  Keating excels at office politics.  He fawns before his superiors and also sees them as obstacles on his way to the top.  Hence he found the weaknesses in their personal and professional life and exploited them to remove them from his path.  Keating discovers that Claude Stengel, the chief designer is the brain behind the firm's success and also that Stengel wants to set up his own business.  Keating manipulates a client of their firm into arranging a contract for Stengel.  When Stengel takes it and departs, Keating steps into his vacant place at the office.  In this way Rand shows that Keating progresses in his career through flattery, stealing, lying, and other such base acts.  Right from his college days Keating takes almost all of his drawing to Roark to improvise them,   because he knows that Roark is capable of making excellent designs.  Whenever he in doubt, he goes to Roark to get the problem solved. He climbs the social ladder by using other's talents, whereas Roark would never take credit for another's work. Rand thus shows that major difference in the way they both work their way up their career.  The novel alternates between scenes of Roark's moral success and financial failure and Keating's financial success and moral failure.  Rand emphasizes this aspect in the notes in her journal: 

While Howard Roark, at first glance, is monstrously selfish and inconsiderate of others - one sees, in the end, his great consideration for the rights of others (when they warrant it) and his ruthlessness only in major issues; while Peter Keating, at first glance, is unusually kind, thoughtful, considerate of others and unselfish - in the end, it is clear that he will sacrifice anyone and everyone to his own small ends, whether he has to or not. (Harriman 87)

            Rand uses the terms ‘selfishness' and ‘selflessness' in The Fountainhead in a context different from the usual meanings of the terms.  Instead of using the term selfish to mean choosing one's own self interest over other peoples' welfare, Rand describes it as remaining true to one's ideals against the influence of society.  Rand characterizes   selflessness as a concept of not having any regard for one's self and in this way not having an opinion or individuality of one's own.  Howard Roark symbolizes selfishness while Peter Keating exemplifies selflessness in the novel. Rand terms Keating ‘selfless' because a self is what he lacks.  She explains that a man‘s self is not what he is, but his set of values and the judgment he uses in selecting them.  Keating allows others to govern his life because impressing others is the fundamental drive of his existence. For example he does not want to become a great architect but wants others to believe that he is a great architect.  While Roark fills his life with the things he values, thus enjoying complete happiness; Keating fills his life with what others think is valuable thereby gaining few moments of pleasure and later recognizing that he has never been truly happy.  Rand uses the novel as a convenient vehicle for portraying her idea that a man's individuality and selfishness are supreme virtues which have to be treasured.

             "Ability is the touchstone by which all of Roark's friends and Rand's characters are measured" (Gladstein 28).  Roark respects productivity, competence and all those he thinks are very good at their job.  All of Roark's friends share this similarity.  Their social standing and field of work does not matter as long as they have ability.  One of Roark's closest friends Mike Donnigan, is an electrician he met at a construction site.  Mike is very passionate about his work and respects those who are passionate about theirs.  He worships expertise and this quality attracts both of them.  The other friends of Roark also take very little time to grasp his ability.  They not only admire him, but are also astonished by his courage and indifference to problems.  Roark brings a lot of change in their lives and instills faith in them by his mere presence.  Thus even though Roark has only a handful of friends, they are true friends.  Keating, on the other hand, who has become a very popular architect because of his good looks and fraudulent ways, has many acquaintances but no true friends.

             Roark's indifference to others' opinion and courage to stand on his own earns him a lot of enemies in his own profession and also an architectural critic called Ellsworth Toohey.  The main difference lies in the way they conceive their designs.  Most of the architects in the novel are not innovative.  They are forced to fit their designs into the principles preached by the schools of architecture.  They work from a technical point of view which constrains their creativity and prevent their buildings from being beautiful.  They superimpose an artificial style without any concern for the aesthetic needs of the building. Roark on the other hand does not go into designing with some preconceived notions about the building.  He envisions buildings from a different point of view, allowing each building to express itself naturally and dictate the style in which it has to be built. Roark considers the function of the building and the environment around the proposed site.  These two factors determine the shape of his buildings.  For example, the first house which he designs as an architect is that of his friend Austen Heller.  The house is located at the tip of a granite cliff.  He moulds the house to the shape of the cliff and does not make any alteration on the cliff to suit the house.  Mimi Gladstein observes in this context:

In architectural terms, Roark's work is original.  He does not follow an already established school or style.  His designs proceed organically from the site and each building has an intrinsic integrity.  As Roark explains to Austen Heller, "your house is made by its own needs."  The architecture produced by second-handers is derivative. (28)

             Roark's personality like all his designs is simple and straightforward.  This is a quality which none of the other characters possess.  Keating often means the very opposite of what he says.  When he sees that Roark has set up his own office he loudly praises Roark for his courage while inwardly resenting Roark's achievement.  Even his smiles are dishonest.  He simultaneously uses Roark's talent and also hates him for it.  This is because he is not able to understand Roark and the values which he stands for.  Rand labels characters such as Keating and Ellsworth Toohey weak characters because they do not appreciate the values held by Roark.  Rand also portrays strong characters in the novel such as Austen Heller, Henry Cameron, and Mike who are able to grasp Roark's genius and also appreciate the values held by him.

             With each decision they make Keating and Roark walk further and further down the paths they have chosen.  Rand again brings into contrast their different personalities in the way they treat their elder counterparts who are dying.  When Roark hears that his former mentor Henry Cameron is dying, he rushes to him, and stays there to comfort him in his last moments.  In contrast, Keating rushes to the dying Lucius Heyer, the business partner of his employer to threaten and force him to resign so that he can become the next partner.  Heyer suffers a fatal stroke, but before dying he bequeaths his entire estate to Keating. These incidents reveal both Keating's repellant personality and Roark's compassion and strength of character.

             Although Keating gets all he desires at a young age, even becoming the partner of a well-known architectural firm when he is barely thirty, he does not feel happy about it.  He constantly evaluates himself based on others' opinions. He also needs their approbation in order to feel great.  The fact that he has not made an original design all his life pricks his conscience and so longs for the comforting words of Toohey who praises him in his articles.    As the novel progresses, Keating is pushed further and further into oblivion.  His downfall begins with his meeting with Ellsworth Toohey.  Ellsworth writes articles which praise Keating and also gets many contracts for him through his influence. Keating becomes a brain-washed follower of Ellsworth and gives him absolute control over his life.  It is only when Toohey abandons him in order to promote another architect that he realizes he has been only a pawn in the hands of Toohey.  After that all his clients desert him too.  In a final attempt to save his career, Keating obtains a government housing contract called Cortlandt Homes, which he is unable to design and takes to Roark for redesigning.  Roark tells Keating that he will do it only on one condition - Keating has to understand why Roark is doing it - because he loves designing it.  Roark explains that he wants to design the housing contract not because he wants to help the poor, but because it is an interesting project and also that most of all he wants to see his design go up exactly as he intended it.  Only at this point does Keating understand Roark's motive behind doing things his way and also the shallowness of the motives such as fame and money which have driven him all his life.

             Rand demonstrates another major difference in the way Roark and Keating face the Cortlandt trial.  Roark stood and spoke as if he is not guilty.  He is convinced that what he has done is right.  Keating reveals that he had not designed the Cortlandt and that he was afraid of what Roark would do to the building.  His statement was meant to be sensational, but the people who were listening to him felt as if no man was speaking to them.  During another trial when Keating testifies for the Stoddard case, his behavior is marked both by guilt and a desire for public approval:  "He kept his eyes on the audience... He looked as if he were begging the crowd for support - as if he were on trial before them." (FH351). Keating uses his feeling and his discomfort with Roark's integrity to turn his testimony into a drunken rage against him.

             By the end of the novel Keating disappears from the scene completely.  He becomes an empty shell of an architect who has sacrificed his life for the schemes of Ellsworth Toohey.  He is unable to save himself because he has always relied on others to save him.  Through his life Rand shows the consequences of sacrificing ones self and values for the sake of others.  If he had understood what he wanted, he would have married Katherine Halsey, his ex-girlfriend instead of the stylish and elegant Dominique Francon who made their marriage a loveless affair.  He even trades his wife for getting a lucrative project from Gail Wynand.  He would degrade himself to any extent in pursuit of success.  His good fortune deserts him because he has not laid the foundation of his career properly and also because he has no integrity.

             Although Rand makes many comparisons between and Roark, she does not make Keating his adversary.  Roark's enemies throughout the novel are the socialists who fear the truth of his work and want to destroy him. Ellsworth Toohey is the chief among them.  He is also the champion of the ordinary and the downtrodden.  ‘Humanitarian' is the favorite term he often uses to describe himself.  In all his speeches and articles he praises the works of people who have no talent, but denounces the work of true geniuses stating that no one has the right to rise above the ordinary.  He never encourages his followers to be idealistic.  He thinks of the men who are outstanding in their career as a threat and seeks to destroy them by inciting the public fury against them.  Under the guise of offering spiritual guidance, Toohey takes over the souls and lives of his followers.  He advises them to give up the most important things in their lives - their values.  His followers are thoroughly brain-washed by him and give up all forms of independent reasoning to obey his every command.  When he identifies the kind of people whom he can control, he raises these men to prominent positions and through them control the entire profession.  Nathaniel Brandon elaborates on Toohey's character as follows:

Ellsworth Toohey, the architectural critic who secures the government commission, Cortlandt Homes for Peter Keating, is Ayn Rand's first major literary portrait of evil.  Toohey is a socialist who preaches self-surrender, self-sacrifice, and collectivism as a means of power over other human beings.  Now after years of plotting and scheming, he is at the height of his fame and influence; his goal at present is control of the Wynand newspaper chain for which he works as a columnist.  (436)

             Through the developments in the plot of the novel, Rand highlights the difference in the way Roark and Toohey use their power.  Power can be used to create or to destroy.  Roark holds the power to create, while Toohey seeks political power to destroy all that he hates.  Toohey's brain does not create buildings, but the plots and schemes intended to gain more power.  Just as he dominates other's lives, his own life is filled with the schemes and machinations necessary to control other's lives.  In this way, his life is utterly dependent on others.  Rand also depicts the difference in the attitudes of Roark and Toohey in the way they treat their subordinates.  Toohey controls every aspect of the lives of his followers, whereas Roark finds no such need to control others.  He guides his staffs and coworkers by offering his suggestions and then allows them to express their originality.  Rand's description of Roark as a boss is, "a cold, unapproachable, inhuman boss. Roark made mistakes in choosing his employees occasionally, not often; those whom he kept for a month became his friends for life" (FH 309).

             Another key difference in their character lies in their perspective of man's place in society.  Toohey thinks of human beings in society as faceless, mindless masses, who can be misled easily.  He encourages insignificance in men.  The idea that the society is made up of individuals and not masses is a point which Rand tries to emphasize in each of her novels.  She explains it through the actions and words of Roark in the book.  Roark depicts the greatness of man in his buildings, especially the temple of human spirit which Toohey criticizes as "the cell of a megalomaniac", that exudes "arrogance, audacity, defiance, and self exaltation" (339).  There are also other individuals who exist and think freely.  For example Mike Donnigan, can recognize the quality in a building and the skill of an architect though he is an electrician.  He does not need Toohey's verdict to distinguish between a well-designed building and a badly designed one. 

             It is only when Roark and Toohey come face to face after the Stoddard trial that the contrast between them becomes apparent.  Toohey feels proud of his abilities that he has succeeded in destroying Roark's career and he asks Roark what he thinks of Toohey.  Roark replies in simple honesty that he does not think of him.  Toohey knew that he can never be a creator like Roark hence by controlling these men he believes that he is better than them. Toohey realizes that though he has succeeded in taking away business contracts from Roark and also in defaming him he will never be able to touch his independent spirit. Roark will continue making revolutionary structures in future. At this juncture Toohey sees that this is a battle he cannot win.  Rand proves in this way that Toohey's ambition will not be fulfilled. He wants to convince everyone that they must aim for mediocrity which is a great attribute for a man.  Rand says that he acquired this perverse trait in his childhood.  He was a sick and feeble child who could not participate in any form of sports. Because of his inferiority complex, he started hating those who excelled in physical activities and were more talented than him. He continues his villainous trick of covering up his evil nature behind words of sacrifice even in his later life.  In Toohey's own words, his method of destroying ideals is:  "Don't set out to raze all shrines. You'll frighten men. Enshrine mediocrity - and the shrines are razed." (FH636)

             Rand contrasts Roark and Toohey not only in their traits, but also in their physical appearance.  When she introduces the character of Ellsworth she says that he looked like "a chicken just emerging from the egg, in all the sorry fragility of unhardened bones" (FH26).  She is at her satirical best when she describes his eyes, which " held such a wealth of intellect and of twinkling gaiety that his glasses seemed to be worn not to protect his eyes, but to protect other men from their excessive brilliance" (FH26).  Roark is shown as the exact antithesis of Toohey in this respect. Rand gives a powerful description of the muscles and hard bones of Roark in the beginning of the novel.

             Just as Toohey hated the healthy and talented boys of his school, Toohey hates Roark for his originality and creative genius.  He confesses his goal regarding Roark to Keating: "I want him in jail ...Locked, stopped, strapped- and alive...He'll obey.  He'll take orders.  He'll take orders!"(FH633).  Toohey hates Roark so much that he wants to break Roark's spirit.  Through his writings he wants to create a world where men like Roark are not only ignored but also actively destroyed.  He publishes a history of architecture for the common man titled, ‘Sermons in Stones' in which he praises the architects who followed the traditions of the past.  He writes that architects should not build according to their taste but to the taste of the majority.  Francon is praised for his dedication to classicism and Henry Cameron is denounced as an architect who deserves oblivion. 

            Toohey is a man who never holds on to his opinions strongly.  He anticipates what will be suitable for the occasion and modifies his sayings and writings to suit the situation.  In the beginning Toohey wanted to be a minister in the Church.  At sixteen he discovered socialism and abandoned religion. Later when he became a vocational advisor he was a great success.  He advised the boys to think of what they can do for others and not what they wanted for themselves.  He disseminated his ideas on all subjects in his speeches and after the publication of his book he became known as an eminent critic of architecture.  In his newspaper column he preached the sentiments with which most people agreed, namely, unselfishness, brotherhood and equality.  When he found Keating to be a suitable pawn to use in his game, Toohey praised him in all his articles.  After a few years there was a change in the style of architecture and people preferred a modified form of Henry Cameron's building.  Immediately Toohey embraced it and called it the modernistic style.  He later abandons Keating and picks up another mediocre architect named Gus Webb. While showing Toohey to be a man who is inconsistent in his opinions Rand places the picture of Roark by his side in the words of Stephen Mallory to Dominique:

            He doesn't change, you know...I often think that he's the only one of us who's achieved immortality...You know how people long to be eternal.  But they die with everyday that passes. When you meet them, they're not what you met last.  In any given hour, they kill some part of themselves.  They change, they deny, they contradict - and they call it growth. At the end there's nothing left, nothing unreversed or unbetrayed; as if there had never been an entity, only a succession of adjectives fading in and out on an unformed mass.  How do they expect a permanence which they have never held for a single moment? But Howard - one can imagine him existing forever. (FH 452)

             The more she exalts the character of Howard Roark, the more despicable she makes the character of Ellsworth Toohey. Gail Wynand is another character Rand depicts as a contrast to Roark. But in this case there are more similarities than differences between these two men.  Like Roark, Wynand also rose from unfortunate circumstances in his life. He pulled himself out of the miserable environment of a slum called Hell's Kitchen and went in search of beauty and integrity.  As a youngster he had many original ideas.  His innovative ideas were greeted with derision by the people around him. "You don't run things around here, kid" (FH 356) was the standard response from those to whom he made his suggestions.  His search for integrity brought disillusionment when he found that no man with integrity could survive for long in this world.  He gained a lot of wealth and power by selling himself to the public through his newspaper which represents the values and thinking of the most vulgar tastes of society. He guides his own life by his own thinking and is never a follower like Keating.  Wynand also has the ability to appreciate great works of art which is seen in the great pieces of art he has selected for his private art gallery.  Similarly he recognizes the beauty in Roark's buildings and calls him up to give the contract to build a skyscraper.  Rand endows the character of Wynand with both despicable and also highly appreciable qualities.  Mimi Gladstein comments on his character as follows:

What is accomplished if the man attains power and prominence at the cost of playing down to the masses? It is not he that triumphs.  It is not his ideas and standards.  Rand does not consider the people who are generally regarded as truly ambitious ‘selfish'.  The problem, as she saw it, was that most ambitious men of the times achieved success by pandering to the masses and in doing so negated the self, thus becoming in her words ‘selfless'.  The character of Gail Wynand is the personification of the man who becomes a slave to those he thinks he controls. (28)

             Wynand devoted his paper to printing exactly what the public wants to hear.  It "was permitted to strain truth, taste and credibility, but never it's reader's ‘brain power'."(FH 523) On his rise to power Wynand becomes cynical and bitter.  He finds it hard to tolerate men who are brilliant and honest. When he finds them he forced them to go against their principles. For instance when he saw an eloquent writer who supported important social causes he bought him and forced him to write utterly vulgar columns for The Banner. If the men had refused, Wynand would ruin them though a series of untraceable steps.

             Wynand loves the power which the public gave him.  He believed that a man either rules or is ruled, a man conquers or is conquered.  He felt that there were no more noble and intelligent people on the earth and that the world is filled with people who are mediocre and have no values.  So the only way for intelligent people to survive was by gaining power over others.  Wynand uses his brilliant mind for the degrading purpose of acquiring power over others.  He wanted power so that he could rule the majority of mankind who were corrupt and mediocre.  When Wynand meets Roark he was so inspired by Roark's presence that he decides to change his whole perspective towards his career.   

Instead of the usual hatred which men of Roark's integrity had always aroused in him, Wynand's reaction is a great, irresistible, unformulated wave of recognition and admiration... He knows only that he needs Roark in some odd unaccountable manner.  Slowly, through their strange relationship of unspoken understanding, Wynand begins to realize that Roark is the symbol of everything he has betrayed; Roark achieved what he has lacked the courage to achieve. (Harriman 233)

             He wants to achieve success by becoming moral and following his integrity.  This is a very difficult task for him because he has spent his whole lifetime creating the Wynand Empire on the foundation of vulgarity and dishonesty.  He thinks that his readers would accept any thing that he cares to give them.  He does not realize that a ruler is a ruler only as long as he pleases his subjects.  Once he goes against their wishes they throw him down and go for another ruler.  Wynand learns this lesson while he tries to build a favourable public opinion for Roark during the Cortlandt trial.  When he stops writing what the public wants and writes what he wants to convey, people stop buying his papers.  Even his own staff at the newspaper strike against him when he defends Roark.  Finally Wynand is forced to change his policy regarding Roark.  He learns that he was not directing public opinion, but public opinion that was controlling and directing him. 

            Rand has portrayed Wynand as a first-hander in the novel because unlike Toohey and Keating he relies on his own abilities for his progress.  He has created the Wynand empire of almost twenty-two newspapers, magazines and news services by his own efforts.   Toohey does not have the power to create such a flourishing business, but he aspires to take over the control of the newspaper.  Wynand provides the platform for Toohey to voice his opinions, when he removes that platform by throwing him out of the job Toohey is quite powerless.

             Though Wynand has some admirable qualities Rand does not make him successful in the end like the kind of success achieved by Roark.  He does not understand the importance of freedom.  He will always want to run things and will not be content with running himself.  In the end Wynand is forced to give in to the wishes of his staff.  To save his newspaper he joins the voices denouncing Roark.  Later he recognizes the futility of his career and also sees that his quest for power has made him a slave of those he thinks he controls.  So he closes the Banner. He understands that a man cannot sacrifice his values all his life and expect to be saved from the consequences.  "You were a ruler of men", he tells himself.  "You held a leash. A leash is only a rope with a noose at both ends". (FH 615)

            Rand gives the same background to Wynand and Roark to show that if Roark could overcome all the temptations of society Wynand could have done it too.  Both of them begin their lives in almost similar circumstances and also make their fortune through hard work.  They also understand the importance of beauty and integrity.  But while Roark completely ignores the society and its corruption, Wynand lowers himself to the level of the corrupt world and grabs as much power as he can.  Neither of them wants to compromise.  Roark does not make even a slight compromise on his buildings because he knows that even small compromises corrupt a man.  Wynand makes compromises all along the way without knowing it.  In the end he has to face the consequences and ends up as the most tragic figure in the novel.  He loses his wife whom he loved dearly and also has to closes The Banner to prevent men like Toohey from controlling it. In her journal Rand writes about Wynand's ultimate defeat:

It is Wynand's final tragedy.  He faces the full understanding of his own spiritual degradation and of that illusory power over men for the sake of which he had allowed the degradation... He has nothing left but his newspaper empire, which he now hates- with all its energy, spirit and prestige gone...Wynand loses, defeated and broken by the corrupt machine he himself had created. (Harriman 235)

             The Fountainhead is the story of the ambition, the motivation, triumphs and tragedies in the lives of the four major characters.  Though there are four main characters, Rand concentrates more on developing the personalities of Howard Roark and Ellsworth Toohey because they represent two moral extremes in the story.  She makes Toohey a formidable opponent for Roark by making them equally powerful.  By comparing Roark to the other characters in the novel Rand fulfils her wish to depict desirable human behaviour.

About the Author

The author is a post graduate in English Literature and pursuing her M.Phil Degree.

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