FOUNTAIN HEAD

P O W E R P O I N T: A N I TA H O F F M A N

GENRE/MOOD

G E N R E : T H E F O U N T A I N H E A D I S A N O B J E C T I V I S T F I C T I O N A L P H I L O S O P H I C A L L E G O R Y.M O O D : T H E F O U N T A I N H E A D H A D A N O V E R A L L M O R A L I Z I N G M O O D T H A T M A D E R E A D E R S T H I N K A B O U T E V E R Y A S P E C T T H A T T H E N O V E L H A D T O O F F E R .

IMAGERY• Page 1- “He stood naked at the edge of a cliff. The lake lay

far below him. A frozen explosion of granite burst in flight to the sky over motionless water. The water seemed immovable, the stone-flowing. The stone had the stillness of on brief moment in battle when thrust meets thrust and the currents are held in a pause more dynamic than motion. The stone glowed, wet with sunrays.”

• Page 111- “He had had time to see her eyes; they seemed weary and a little contemptuous, but they left him with a sense of cold cruelty.”

• Page 400- “He was like a new sort of legal instrument; if a finger were to touch any part of him, it would release the trigger.”

PROTAGONIST ANTAGONIST

H O W A R D R O A R K

“A building has integrity, just like a man.”

E L L S W O R T H T O O H E Y

“I play the stock market of the spirit and I sell short.“

The setting in The Fountainhead is in the time period of 1922–1939, mostly in New York city, but also in CT, OH, MA, and also Monadnock Valley.

The Fountainhead’s narrator is each of the characters, focalized in the story, and was in the Third Person point of view in the present tense.

SETTING NARRATOR/POV

PLOT

E X P O S I T I O N : H O W A R D R O A R K I S K I C K E D O U T O F S T A N T O N , L E A D I N G H I M O N T O H I S R O A D O F S T R U G G L E W I T H M O N E Y , J O B S , A N D P E O P L E . P E T E R K E A T I N G I S T H O U G H T T O B E S U C C E S S F U L , T H O U G H H I S S U C C E S S C O M E S F R O M R O A R K . R I S I N G A C T I O N : R O A R K A N D D O M I N I Q U E F R A N C O N M E E T , A N D W H I L E D O M I N I Q U E T R I E S T O D E S T R O Y H I M B E F O R E S O C I E T Y C A N , R O A R K B E G I N S T O G A I N M O R E A N D M O R E C O M M I S S I O N S . K E A T I N G R E C E I V E S T H E O P P O R T U N I T Y T O C R E A T E G O V E R N M E N T H O U S I N G , C O R T L A N D T H O M E S , A N D W I T H R O A R K ’ S I D E A S , H E T A K E S T H E C O M M I S S I O N A S L O N G A S H E D O E S N ’ T A L L O W C H A N G E S . W O R S E C O M E S T O W O R S E , A N D T H E R E ’ S N O T H I N G P E T E R C A N D O A G A I N S T T H E C H A N G E S M A D E T O T H E B U I L D I N G S . H O W A R D I S V E R Y U N H A P P Y . C L I M A X : H O W A R D R O A R K B L O W S U P T H E C O R T L A N D T H O M E S B E C A U S E O F H I S C O R R U P T E D D E S I G N S . F A L L I N G A C T I O N : H O W A R D R O A R K I S T O S T A N D T R I A L B E C A U S E H E I S B E L I E V E D T O B E G U I L T Y O F T H E D E S T R U C T I O N O F T H E G O V E R N M E T N H O U S I N G B U I L D I N G S , R O A R K A D M I T S T O D O I N G I T B U T P L E A D S N O T G U I L T Y A N D D E L I V E R S A B E A U T I F U L , E M P O W E R I N G S P E E C H , E A R N I N G H I M H I S F R E E D O M .R E S O L U T I O N : D O M I N I Q U E A N D H O W A R D G E T M A R R I E D , F I N A L L Y , A N D I T I S A H A P P I L Y E V E R A F T E R . < 3

THEMES

T H E M E 1 : T H E I M P O R T A N C E O F I N D I V I D U A L I T Y A N D I N D E P E N D E N C E .T H E M E 2 : T H E P A S S I O N O N E H A S F O R T H I N G S T H A T T H E Y O W N A N D L O V E .T H E M E 3 : Y O U C A N N O T D E R I V E S U C C E S S F R O M O T H E R S .T H E M E 4 : R E A S O N I S I M P E R A T I V E T O A S T A B L E - T H I N K I N G S O C I E T Y.

Symboli

smThe Banner symbolizes the corruptness of the altruist society portrayed in The Fountainhead. Throughout the novel, The Banner publishes the publics beliefs and opinions, no matter how dirty it made the newspaper seem. It symbolizes the worst elements of a dependent mass culture. At the end of the book, when Gail Wynand tries to defend Roark for his Cortlandt Trial, it brings down the newspaper,

CHARACTERIZATION

H O W A R D R O A R K

Howard Roark starts from the ground, portrayed as a failure thrown out of school for his ideas, and works his way up through honest work. More and more of his work begins to get traction, and Roark’s success is his alone. Roark did not accept help even when it was most needed, and his integrity shone throughout his character through the entire novel. Ayn Rand made Roark the ideal man, free from dependence upon others.

E L L S W O R T H T O O H E Y

Ellsworth Toohey is at first rarely spoken of, with only hints of his popularity echoing about. Toohey becomes more and more prominent with each well written article talked about, and soon the public is depending on him to give their opinions, telling them what to think and how. Ayn Rand made Toohey the evil side of man, and Toohey plays the part well as he leeches power off of the people, destroying their individuality in the process.

CHARACTER RELATIONSHIPSH O W A R D R O A R K : B R I G H T O R A N G E H A I R T O M A T C H H I S C O N F I D E N C E , H O W A R D R O A R K I S A S H I N I N G , C R E A T I V E , I N D E P E N D E N T A R C H I T E C T . H E R E L I E S O N N O O N E A N D F O R T H A T R E A S O N H E I S T H E N O V E L ’ S P R O T A G O N I S T . R O A R K I S R A N D ’ S I D E A L M A N B E C A U S E O F H I S I N T E G R A L C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S .P E T E R K E A T I N G : K E A T I N G B E G I N S A S A W E L L - L I K E D , A T T R A C T I V E B O Y W H O M A K E S I T B I G A S A N A R C H I T E C T … W E L L , A T F I R S T . H E M O O C H E S O F F O F R O A R K , P U T T I N G H I S N A M E O N R O A R K ’ S W O R K . B Y D O I N G T H I S , K E A T I N G O N L Y D I G S H I M S E L F A H O L E O F F A I L U R E , A N D I N T H E E N D , T U R N S I N T O T H E O P P O S I T E O F W H A T H E S E T O U T T O B E . E L L S W O R T H T O O H E Y : E L L S W O R T H T O O H E Y I S E V I L . H E P R E A C H E S D E P E N D E N C E A N D G R A Y N E S S . T O O H E Y I S C O R R U P T , A N D Y E T S O C I E T Y F O L L O W S H I M . H E G A I N S P O W E R B Y F E E D I N G O F T H E W E A K E R M I N D S A N D T U R N I N G T H E M I N T H E D I R E C T I O N H E P L E A S E S . T O O H E Y I S T H E A N T A G O N I S T .G A I L W Y N A N D : O W N E R O F T H E B A N N E R , W Y N A N D I S V I E W E D A S C O R R U P T B E C A U S E O F W H A T H E P U T S I N H I S P A P E R , B U T W Y N A N D A C T U A L L Y I S C O R R U P T . H E H A S A L L O W E D S O C I E T Y T O C O R R U P T H I M . W H E N W Y N A N D M E E T S R O A R K A N D D O M I N I Q U E , H E I M M E D I A T E L Y M A R R I E S D O M I N I Q U E A N D B E F R I E N D S R O A R K B E C A U S E O F T H E I R I N T E G R I T Y . W Y N A N D I S V E R Y P A S S I O N A T E A B O U T B O T H R O A R K A N D D O M I N I Q U E A N D W I S H E S T O N E V E R L E T S O C I E T Y H A R M T H E M , B U T I N T H E E N D , I T ’ S T H E M P R O T E C T I N G H I M .S T E V E N M A L L O R Y : M A L L O R Y I S A L O S T F I G U R E U N T I L R O A R K F I N D S H I M A N D R E A W A K E N S H I S S E N S E O F D I R E C T I O N . H E I S A B R I L L I A N T S C U L P T U R I S T . D O M I N I Q U E F R A N C O N : D O M I N I Q U E I S T H E B E A U T I F U L D A U G H T E R O F G U Y F R A N C O N . S H E I S M U C H L I K E H O W A R D B U T S H E D O E S N O T B E L I E V E T H A T T H E R E I S A N Y T H I N G G O O D I N T H E W O R L D U N T I L S H E M E E T S H I M . S H E S E T S O U T T O D E S T R O Y H I M B E F O R E S O C I E T Y D O E S , A N D T H E Y F A L L I N L O V E I N S T A N T L Y . D O M I N I Q U E F I R S T M A R R I E S K E A T I N G , T H E N W Y N A N D , B E F O R E F I N A L L Y M A R R Y I N G H O W A R D .H E N R Y C A M E R O N : C A M E R O N I S E S T E E M E D A R C H I T E C T K N O W N F O R H I S I N D I V I D U A L I T Y , B U T S O C I E T Y E V E N T U A L L Y T E A R S H I M D O W N B E C A U S E O F H I S R E F U S A L T O M O L D I N T O T H E I R I D E A L S .

CONFLICT!

The conflict in The Fountainhead can in no way be internal as far as Howard Roark is concerned. The main external conflict of Ayn Rand’s novel is that society is slack and dependably collective against Roark’s individual genius, and they constantly clash together.

MESSAGE OF THE

STORY

T H E M E S S A G E O F T H E S T O R Y I S T H E I D E A I N T H E M I N D S O F T R U E I N D I V I D U A L S A L O N E H A S M O V E D T H E W O R L D F O R W A R D I N P R O G R E S S I O N A N D W I L L C O N T I N U E T O D O S O , N O M A T T E R T H E P R E S S U R E S I N T H E I R P A T H S .

FOUNTA

INHEAD IN

COMPARISON

WITH

REALIT

YAyn Rand created Howard Roark as the ideal man, with integrity, confidence, and independence. In Fountainhead, Roark was criticized as being selfish and an egotist because of his beliefs and individual strenght. Roark, at his last trial, explains that the ‘act’ of selflessness has destroyed mankind by taking away its independence and individuality. This correlates with today’s society because the way we rely upon others, completely dependent on their thoughts and beliefs, makes us ignorant, unoriginal, and insecure.