The Fountainhead Questions and Answers
The Fountainhead
In "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand, why does Ellsworth Toohey want Roark to fail?
The main problem that the scheming Ellsworth Toohey has with Howard Roarke is that Roark doesn't care one wit about what other people think about him. Roark believes in himself, he knows himself...
The Fountainhead
In The Fountainhead, what is Howard Roark's defense for breaking the law and dynamiting Cortlandt Homes?
Howard Roark never attempts to argue the law, or to argue that he was legally justified in destroying Cortlandt Homes, the model housing project meant to provide cheap and durable housing for...
The Fountainhead
In The Fountainhead, why does Dominique Francon marry Peter Keating?
Dominique's marriage to Peter Keating is one of deliberate self-torture. She has been shown by the public time and time again that they will reject Roark, her ideal man, and embrace Keating, a man...
The Fountainhead
In The Fountainhead, why does Howard Roark consider pity to be a "monstrous feeling [that] is called a virtue"?
Howard Roark, the hero of this novel, reflects Rand's belief in objectivism, individualism, and the virtue of selfishness. As the novel says, “Every major horror of history was committed in the...
The Fountainhead
Is the painting of Peter Keating which he showed to Howard Roark in "The Fountainhead" any good?
In part 4 of Rand's "The Fountainhead," Peter's career is in decline. He is desperate for a big project. He decides he wants to tackle the design for Cortlandt Homes, a project for...
The Fountainhead
In "The Fountainhead," Cameron, though a genius, is a commercial failure. Why has society rejected his work?
Both Roark and Cameron are visionary architects whose style is new and different. Society always regards anything new or different with wariness and suspicion; typically, society is made up of...
The Fountainhead
In The Fountainhead, why do many people call Howard Roark selfless?
To begin let me say that your question is somewhat misleading. I don't believe "many people" called Howard Roark selfless. Most of the conflict in the book is brought about by people who believe...
The Fountainhead
Why has society rejected Henry Cameron?
Henry Cameron was Howard Roark’s teacher/mentor, a creative architect who felt a real love for his “creations” and put their “integrity, their function and beauty, before their economic value. In...
The Fountainhead
Who is the Dean in the larger context of The Fountainhead?
The Dean of the Stanton Institute of Technology, where Roark studied architecture, is forced to expel him after he deliberately turns in a modern-style plan instead of a Renaissance plan. In their...
The Fountainhead
In "The Fountainhead," what does Ayn Rand show regarding society's ultimate response to the great work of a creative...
Ayn Rand placed extreme importance on the power of man's mind, on the genius of the logical mind and self as the main source of fulfillment, success, progress and comfort that exists in enlightened...
The Fountainhead
How does the character Howard Roark's life and character illustrate Ayn Rand's theory of rational egoism in the...
Rand believed that man's ability to reason can be the only judge of his values and the only proper guide to what he does. Roark exhibits reason as he determines what feeds his ego and sustains his...
The Fountainhead
How does the following quote relate to the major themes in The Fountainhead? (the quote follows) Peter Keating...
I believe this paragraph illustrates Rand's view of the uniqueness of the individual and how it is that uniqueness that is immortal. Roark represents individualism in the novel and Rand views this...
The Fountainhead
What point does the author Ayn Rand make when speaking about the boy that got inspiration at Roark's resort in The...
A college student is riding his bicycle in the countryside and comes upon the resort designed by Howard Roark (later called Monadnock Valley). The boy was having worried thoughts about his future,...
The Fountainhead
Why do the faculty members on each side evaluate Roark and his work so differently?
Howard Roark is dismissed from the institute of technology because he is an individual who loves his work and will not compromise when genius and the integrity of his work is questioned. The...
The Fountainhead
How does the character Howard Roark show self-confidence, his self-esteem, and how he lives second-handedly?
A fascinating question, taken all together. He shows self-confidence and self-esteem in just about all that he does. He is self-sufficient, following his vision of architecture even when it...
The Fountainhead
Why is Peter Keating's subservience to public demand then considered selfless when, indeed, public recognition is...
Your question is a logical one that if analyzed is in truth pretty simple to answer. Peter Keating is a leech. He is a parasite that needs others to live from. He is neither talented, smart, or...
The Fountainhead
In The Fountainhead, what is the meaning of Toohey's footnote about Henry Cameron?
Ellsworth Toohey's book on architecture does not name architects in the text, claiming that to single them out would be dishonest and immoral. Instead, they are named in footnotes. One of these...
The Fountainhead
In The Fountainhead, is Howard Roark selfish or selfless when he refuses a major contract when he needs it most?
Howard Roark is a static character in that he never "develops" by learning more about himself or conquering his inner obstacles to self realization or fulfillment. His overriding character traits...
The Fountainhead
How are ancient Greek themes reflected in The Fountainhead?
Clearly the character to start with in responding to this question is Ran, who is defined by her philosophical stance in life. Note the way that she believes "reason is man's only proper judge of...
The Fountainhead
What does Henry Cameron's ideology, that the "form of the building must follow its function" mean? This is...
"The form of a building must follow its function" means that the beauty of the building, the cost of the building, the local trends in architecture should not matter when building. The...
The Fountainhead
What theme does this quote relate to in the fountainhead and how does it relate? He was not the corrupt publisher...
Dominique Francon has married Gail Wynand as a form of masochistic punishment; she thinks he is a horrible corrupt man but thinks she deserves to be unhappy with him because she does not deserve...
The Fountainhead
How does this novel apply to United States and global interaction?
"The Fountainhead," by Ayn Rand is a novel that basically compares the ideals of Free market Capitalism and Communism. Rand had escaped Communist Russia and was a big supporter of the Capitalist...
The Fountainhead
Based on paragraph 9 of The Fountainhead, a "crusader" is someone who does what?
I believe that you asking about this line of text: Your professor of structural engineering acted quite the crusader on your behalf. It's not paragraph 9, nor is it page 9 of my text, but it is...
The Fountainhead
What do chapters 16-20 of "The Fountainhead" have to do with Objectivism? How would I be able to show a visual aid...
In this section of the novel Roark has destroyed a low-cost multi-unit housing project because the “group of architects have destroyed his original design. With the help of Dominique Wynand, Roark...