3.) Gail Wynand hires Roark to build a fortress to protect Dominique from human society. Despite the irony, there is almost an inevitability to this event. Why does Wynand choose Roark from among all the architects of the country? Why is it fitting? What is the essence of their bond?
Wynand chooses Roark to build his home because he is in love with Roark's purpose and work. Wynand has a particular purpose for building this home, which generally revolves around both a tribute and a protective barrier for Dominique from the rest of society. Wynand finds Roark fitting to do the job because all of his designs are made for a specific purpose, and there is never anything useless in his buildings. Wynand wants every single part of the house to represent and encase Dominique, which he knows Roark will be able to do if given free reign over the plans. In a more symbolised sense, however, it is fitting for Roark to build the tribute to Dominique because he is, indeed, in love with her. Although Wynand loves Dominique, I don't think that at first he realized that it would take someone who shared that with him in order to build what he was asking.
The essence of their bond dwells with ideals and perceptions. They are complete opposites, in a sense, but they think alike, as well. While Wynand is after power, Roark is simply after having his work constructed, but both of them see the differences between creators and second-handers. Both of these men are in love with Dominique, and while it is easily apparent to Roark, it was hidden from Wynand. Their bond is only understandable once many of the factors have been brought to attention, but it is very deep and very apparent. While they respect each other, they both have their own intentions and plans to carry those intentions out.
6.) Why is Roark's brilliant design for Cortlandt Homes altered by Gus Webb and Gordon Prescott? What factors in society make it possible? Why is Keating, despite his best efforts, powerless to stop it?
Roark's design for the Cortlandt Homes is altered because the design went through Keeting, and Webb and Prescott knew that Keeting would be easy to step all over. Keeting has always given in to what others wished of him as to avoid being seen as rebellious or argumentative. Webb and Prescott were not aware that the design was created by Roark, but they stepped in to partner with Keeting and altered the design in order to, in a sense, give it a gilded appearance. The society in which this took place affected the outcome in various ways. The specific area for which the design was made was very poor and declined, hence the building was meant to be low rent and cost efficient.
The society did not know the plans, the original design or who it was by, therefore they did not make even a notice when the plans began to change. Roark was away with Wynand at the time, so he could not enforce Keeting to stand up. Although Keeting did make efforts to stop the changes being made, he was ineffective for quite a few reasons. Keeting had never stood up for himself, and this once-in-his-life action probably seemed more like a joke than it did a real request. He had never cared before, so people didn't value his opinion. He had become a failure, so people didn't respect his wishes, judgement or threats.
8.) Dominique assists Roark in the dynamiting, and tells him that she will wait for him even if he serves time in prison. She is no longer afraid of what society will do to him. What is the essence of Dominique's change of thinking? What error has she previously made that she now corrects? What enables her to finally see the truth? How does her change of mind integrate with the novel's theme?
"Howard, if you win the trial-even that won't matter too much. You've won long ago....I'll remain what I am, and I'll remain with you-now and ever-in any way you want...."
Dominique's thinking changed when she came to this realization, and I believe that she realized this because she let herself feel the fear of having Roark locked in a jail. Sure, it'd be horrible not to see him all the time, but when it comes to true love...that doesn't always matter. She realized that they both knew the truth and that was all that mattered. She came to her senses and realized that she would always be his, and that he would always be hers, no matter how many years they spent apart. She knew that they would be reunited eventually, and she knew that if he did go to jail, that it would be for good reason; he would have stood up for his morals and that's all that counts.
The error that she is correcting relates to happiness and pain. She always thought that she couldn't be happy without him, but now she sees that they always belonged to each other anyways. She is correcting the idea that she had about sacrifice, in the sense that she got back what she let go. The thing that enables her to finally see the truth is that she is happy. She knows that she has admitted pain to him, but now she is admitting happiness to him, and the only way he was able to stand that was because he understood and he felt the same way. Her change of mind and the novel's theme blend because both are about realizations and perspective. Dominique explaining this to Roark was the equivalent of Roark's speech at his trail.
11.) In his courtroom speech, Roark discusses the outstanding innovators who have carried mankind forward, arguing that it was their independent thinking--not compliance with their brothers--that enabled them to reach their monumental achievements. In terms of some of history's great independent minds--Galileo, Darwin, Pasteur, the Wright Brothers, et. al.--explain and defend Roark's thesis.
Roark is saying that individuals have conquered while second-handers have copied. Independent minds have created things, while dependant minds have simply been praised for making duplicates. He is saying that creators rise to the occasion, while followers copy stuff and expect it to be used even in a time when it is not needed. Roark is an individualist, and every part of his designs carry purpose and dignity, while say, Keeting, for example, always relied on past works and got help in almost everything he was challenged with. Roark's work has purpose and makes sense, while Keeting's work is simply praised because it was praised in the past.
12.) At the end of the novel, Roger Enright buys Cortlandt Homes and hires Roark to build it in accordance with his original design. Wynand hires Roark to erect the Wynand Building, the world's tallest skyscraper. Roark marries Dominique Francon. He has succeeded completely, and on his own terms. What point does the author make regarding the nature of success? In contrast to the evil Toohey, what point does she make regarding the nature and power of the good?
Rand makes the point that anything can happen if you have your business in order. From the beginning of the book, Roark was expected to be a failure, but he ended up winning. In various places his work was always recognized and praised, because there were other people that thought like him. She makes the point that if you stick to what you started out with, you can achieve the corresponding goal that you set. Rand makes the point that success can be achieved even in the most heinous situations.
Toohey failed at life. While he was a twisted collectivist, he was considered evil throughout the whole book. Toohey manipulated people and looked for power, while Roark used nothing but himself and looked for his buildings to be useful. Toohey was bad, and he lost. Roark was good, and he won. The power of evil can be used to manipulate and hide the truth, but with the power of good comes realizations that show the truth and everything real. Rand makes the point that the power of good is stronger than the negative power of collectivism.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Fountainhead:: Blog Three
2.) Toohey presents Mallory's sculpture of Dominique to Wynand in an effort to bring Dominique and Wynand together. What is the purpose of Toohey's scheme? Why does he need something to distract Wynand's attention away from his newspaper?
I think that Toohey has multiple reasons for trying to get Dominique and Wynand together. The first and foremost reason is to get the Stoneridge contract for Peter Keeting, Dominique's husband. He seems to think that she is not showing his career enough attention as of late and she needs to act like a concerned wife...which she isn't. One detail that Toohey failed to link between Dominique and Wynand, however, is how much they think in the same manner. This detail later brings a downfall to his scheme, as Wynand actually falls in love, for the second time ever, with Dominique.
I'm can't really put into words exactly why Toohey wanted Wynand's attention away from The Banner, but it seems relevant that he would be trying to do so in order to have more freedom in his column and the subjects that he writes about. The more freedom he achieves, the higher change he has of possibly taking over the paper. Although he wants this to occur, he doesn't want to actually earn it, as he is trying to be manipulative over Wynand to keep him from really discovering his intentions.
I think another overall purpose of Toohey's plan was to bring power onto himself. He already has power and respect from the mass majority of the society, but he sees that he could control even more, were he in Wynand's position. In a sense, he is also trying to make EVERYONE happy, including himself. I don't think he really sees the link between why Dominique would marry Keeting and why she actually ended up with Wynand, but who says he might not one day realize and claim that as a reason, as well?
3.) What is Toohey's overall purpose on The New York Banner? What is his overall purpose in regard to society in general? Dominique warns Wynand against Toohey, but he is too contemptuous of Toohey to heed her. Is Dominique correct in her assessment of Toohey's actual motives?
Toohey's overall purpose for writing his column is to control the people that can't grasp the negative aspects of being sheeple. He talks about how charity and pitying the poor are very important and noble acts in order to gain respect and force/power/persuasive rule. In society, his overall purpose is very much like his purpose in the paper. Toohey wants to control people and have a fighting force behind him. He wants everyone to think the same way and follow him around as if they were ducklings.
I think that Dominique has everything pretty much figured out, as she is one of the smartest characters. She might see things that others do not, including Wynand, but she might not understand that she is the only one that actually knows. Toohey told Dominique and Peter that he only wanted her to meet with Wynand in order to get the contract, but there is no way, even before they meet, that she believed that was the only reason.
5.) Why does Wynand fall deeply in love with Dominique? Do they share noble qualities in common? Have they made a similar mistake? Because of Wynand's undeniable virtues, do Dominique's feelings for him change?
Wynand falls for Dominique, in a sense, for the same reasons she fell for Roark. She is pure and clean, doing things for reasons that make sense to her, even if she can't explain why. They do indeed share some qualities in common, but not too many. They have both made mistakes, but Dominique had no choice about hers and Wynand doesn't see his as mistakes. I think that eventually, she starts to care about him, but she is not in love and the battle over her true love, Roark, is still in her mind.
6.) On her way to Reno to secure a divorce from Keating, Dominique stops in Clayton, Ohio to visit Roark. Why is Dominique willing to marry Roark only if he renounces architecture? What is the meaning of Roark's response that if he wanted to be cruel, he would accept her proposal? Aside from the obvious fact that she loves Roark, what does this visit show the reader about Dominique?
Dominique is only willing to marry her true love if he gives up architecture because she couldn't live to see him torn down with failure. She wants him to stop so people can't use him any longer. Roark told her that if he wanted to be cruel then he would accept because he knows everything that she is feeling, that she is thinking, that she is desiring, that she is battling with in her mind. He understands everything! Roark knows that she would do anything for him, that she...loves him. He understands that she is fighting herself to keep away from his perfection, because she would feel like she was corrupting him. He knows that she might be more miserable with him giving up his passion (because she actually started caring for him and his ambitions when she fell in love with him) than she would be with distracting herself from the pain of denying the urges to hunt him down and be with him forever.
This simply shows most readers that they were wrong while assuming that she forgot about Roark, but if you put me in the place of the reader, it shows that I understand everything she feels, including her battle and why she gets so lost in the moment when she thinks of Roark. To others, it would bring sense to many things, such as how she is destructing herself by being with Keeting, and now, Wynand. Her actions while she was visiting him reinforced everything that she ever felt for him, and it might have surprised some of the readers that didn't realize why and what exactly she had been trying to do.
I think that Toohey has multiple reasons for trying to get Dominique and Wynand together. The first and foremost reason is to get the Stoneridge contract for Peter Keeting, Dominique's husband. He seems to think that she is not showing his career enough attention as of late and she needs to act like a concerned wife...which she isn't. One detail that Toohey failed to link between Dominique and Wynand, however, is how much they think in the same manner. This detail later brings a downfall to his scheme, as Wynand actually falls in love, for the second time ever, with Dominique.
I'm can't really put into words exactly why Toohey wanted Wynand's attention away from The Banner, but it seems relevant that he would be trying to do so in order to have more freedom in his column and the subjects that he writes about. The more freedom he achieves, the higher change he has of possibly taking over the paper. Although he wants this to occur, he doesn't want to actually earn it, as he is trying to be manipulative over Wynand to keep him from really discovering his intentions.
I think another overall purpose of Toohey's plan was to bring power onto himself. He already has power and respect from the mass majority of the society, but he sees that he could control even more, were he in Wynand's position. In a sense, he is also trying to make EVERYONE happy, including himself. I don't think he really sees the link between why Dominique would marry Keeting and why she actually ended up with Wynand, but who says he might not one day realize and claim that as a reason, as well?
3.) What is Toohey's overall purpose on The New York Banner? What is his overall purpose in regard to society in general? Dominique warns Wynand against Toohey, but he is too contemptuous of Toohey to heed her. Is Dominique correct in her assessment of Toohey's actual motives?
Toohey's overall purpose for writing his column is to control the people that can't grasp the negative aspects of being sheeple. He talks about how charity and pitying the poor are very important and noble acts in order to gain respect and force/power/persuasive rule. In society, his overall purpose is very much like his purpose in the paper. Toohey wants to control people and have a fighting force behind him. He wants everyone to think the same way and follow him around as if they were ducklings.
I think that Dominique has everything pretty much figured out, as she is one of the smartest characters. She might see things that others do not, including Wynand, but she might not understand that she is the only one that actually knows. Toohey told Dominique and Peter that he only wanted her to meet with Wynand in order to get the contract, but there is no way, even before they meet, that she believed that was the only reason.
5.) Why does Wynand fall deeply in love with Dominique? Do they share noble qualities in common? Have they made a similar mistake? Because of Wynand's undeniable virtues, do Dominique's feelings for him change?
Wynand falls for Dominique, in a sense, for the same reasons she fell for Roark. She is pure and clean, doing things for reasons that make sense to her, even if she can't explain why. They do indeed share some qualities in common, but not too many. They have both made mistakes, but Dominique had no choice about hers and Wynand doesn't see his as mistakes. I think that eventually, she starts to care about him, but she is not in love and the battle over her true love, Roark, is still in her mind.
6.) On her way to Reno to secure a divorce from Keating, Dominique stops in Clayton, Ohio to visit Roark. Why is Dominique willing to marry Roark only if he renounces architecture? What is the meaning of Roark's response that if he wanted to be cruel, he would accept her proposal? Aside from the obvious fact that she loves Roark, what does this visit show the reader about Dominique?
Dominique is only willing to marry her true love if he gives up architecture because she couldn't live to see him torn down with failure. She wants him to stop so people can't use him any longer. Roark told her that if he wanted to be cruel then he would accept because he knows everything that she is feeling, that she is thinking, that she is desiring, that she is battling with in her mind. He understands everything! Roark knows that she would do anything for him, that she...loves him. He understands that she is fighting herself to keep away from his perfection, because she would feel like she was corrupting him. He knows that she might be more miserable with him giving up his passion (because she actually started caring for him and his ambitions when she fell in love with him) than she would be with distracting herself from the pain of denying the urges to hunt him down and be with him forever.
This simply shows most readers that they were wrong while assuming that she forgot about Roark, but if you put me in the place of the reader, it shows that I understand everything she feels, including her battle and why she gets so lost in the moment when she thinks of Roark. To others, it would bring sense to many things, such as how she is destructing herself by being with Keeting, and now, Wynand. Her actions while she was visiting him reinforced everything that she ever felt for him, and it might have surprised some of the readers that didn't realize why and what exactly she had been trying to do.
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