It’s a masterpiece. The only problem is, to what extent? No, I do not think that Ayn Rand can justify her actions in the same epitome as Howard Roark. The brief story, of the 700-page novel, is about a young incorruptible deflowering architect. You love and hate him from the first sentence. You want to be him and identify throughout the whole book reasons why you are alike him, even in his worst moments, because above all, he has artistic integrity. However, he has no humility since he finds no need for it. In the first chapter he is kicked out of school (a likely story!) and his classmate Peter Keating is awarded valedictorian. Keating has the attributes of a successful man but belittles his ambitions to titles and recognition – a common problem in the modern world (though the book was written in the early ’40s). I found myself rooting for Peter’s evil at the beginning of the book and empathizing with him when he is left a lifeless corpse, unable to obtain any intimacy for the sacrifices he made to get to a position he doesn’t value.
Peter Keating’s moral is the problem of living for others.
Dominique Francon is hard to avoid being mesmerized by throughout the whole book. She steals the show. Her beliefs, however crazy, are understood through the delicate writing of Rand. I think that Rand envisioned many of the other characters in the book but truly identified with Mrs. Francon. What is brilliant about the book is that although these characters are not necessarily the way we all think, they are the way one wants to think, without emotion, and passes as believable in the backdrop of New York. People I’ve known in my life are just as vicious as all the characters of this book and just as flawed.
Dominque’s moral is a tragic triumph – love at any cost.
The main villain in the story is Ellsworth Toohey, who represents equality, humanitarianism, and even communism. All of these concepts use to bring me joy and a feeling of righteousness to achieve such harmony in society. One of my favorite enemies wrote that she often feels nothing after the conclusion of a movie. That is what makes this book a masterpiece and has stood the test of time. It will make you think differently. It will make you want to fight for your right to pARTy. It will make you want to fight for the inherent good in men and women and no longer be a slave to the acceptance of culture.
Ellsworth Toohey’s moral – the fragile extent of the believability of the masses. A true weakness in society. The concept that we do not think for ourselves, but rather accept what is accepted and condemn what is not and therefore are as controllable as a clockwork orange.
Ego is often considered a bad thing. It should be redefined as the quality of a man. His character rather than his evil. It takes a true man and a hero to justify his destiny regardless of what others say. That no matter what, nothing can stop you. This is Howard Roark. It is the man who knows what he wants. A common idea, but rare in practice. Nothing can stop him, because there is nothing to stop. He is the ends in itself. His moral is that we should never compromise what we believe in.
The weakest (in a literary sense) character is Gail Wynand. He has an overpowerful but insufficient press empire and tries to redeem himself late in the book. His moral is the tragedy that if we do not recognize our own power, our integrity, and let it fester, it will dry up and die with any worthy opinion of ourselves.
96/100
Some of the dialogue is highly intellectual and written for its own sake. Rarely boring, but occasionally. A worthy read, and a brilliant mind. I’m sure we will be hearing more about this Ayn Rand.
Ben Bonkoske 