Ayn Rand produces a novel that indiscreetly portrays the laws and personalities of an imperfectly
perfect society through her characters who each possess a different facet of the society in
which she presents. Her protagonist, a man by the name of Howard Roark who in the beginning
of the novel, is an unsuccessful architect who refuses to objectify his creativity to conform to the
means of a society that continuously rejects his uniqueness because it is viewed by many as
“untraditional”. No matter how many times the world rejects his ideas, he still remains true to
himself and what he believes in which is the whole meaning behind his character which
ultimately is meant to represent the ideal man. Roark never conforms to society, and he doesn’t
change
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his mind no matter what the cost. His integrity to his craft shows the meaning of objectivism because he prevails through any circumstance to stay true to himself and dedicating all his time and focus into his skill no matter what the world tosses his way.
Ellsworth Toohey and Gail Wynand are the exact opposites of Howard Roark but are very similar
to each other in their need to obtain power over the people around them in the sense that they
are able to manipulate the minds of those who appear inferior to them and by ruthlessly finding
ways to alter reality to benefit them. Both Toohey and Wynand sought out to exploit Roark.
Ellsworth for starters, vowed to himself that he would do anything in his power to corrupt the
minds of those around him. Rand discreetly creates Toohey to represent the side of mankind
that is all about power, corruption and manipulation by giving him characteristics that paint him to
be the antagonist; an anti-social, malevolent being who seeks to control the system of normality
in his society which Roark fails to conform to deeming him as a social reject.
Toohey is Roark’s polar opposite for he believed in a world that possessed no originality, where
"[...] the thought of each man will not be his own, but an attempt to guess the thought of the brain
of his neighbor who'll have no thought of his own [...]" which was exactly what Roark wanted
to escape. Roark was determined to put his unique work out into a world which rejected anything that wasn’t traditional or followed the rules of the system which he lived in. Roark’s power for his passion drove him to extreme measures that surpassed any recognition or notability that Toohey could ever scrape together. Wynand on the other hand, is a sad figure. He seems to lack the integrity that Roark possesses. His newspaper is his object of power. Wynand uses his newspaper to criticize the works of Roark and turn everyone against what Roark stands for. Wynand does any and everything in his power to build the contents of his newspaper business, even going to extremes like firing his workers who don’t comply to the extent that he is looking for. Wynand’s quest for power is similar to Toohey’s in each of them trying to corrupt the world, and find power in an already corrupt world. Each of them seek to control others, not letting anyone stand in the way even if it means exploiting the ones who trusted them. Roark remains strong throughout the entire novel. He pushes himself driven by his own dignity even when the entire world seems to be against him.
For example, he gains knowledge that a neighbour took from the churches strong box. He went to the family and slyly said he will keep their secret and will be ready to deal with some timber with them. Meaning he expects a good deal or he will exploit their secret. He also controls his wife, Amelia and their marriage to the point that Amelia is so fearful that she is willing to sacrifice her other children to protect her secret. He keeps her secret as a threat to exploit it when needed or to be offered for something that benefit his manipulating, blackmailing
By the end of the story he moves back to the farm and goes back to be a normal person once again. He no longer feels the need of acceptance from everyone because he doesn’t need to change who is in order to fit in.
Doodle is definitely in a Man vs. Society situation as he is constantly at odds with the society around him.
his character? Is he not as smart as he thinks he is? Is he a fool,
Berliner, Michael S., ed. Letters of Ayn Rand. By Ayn Rand. New York: Dutton, 1995.
He has the opportunity to get a formal education and see the difference between both societies so that he may learn what each society's weaknesses are, no one society is perfect. Instead, he chooses to make it an uphill battle, taking on White society as a whole and never seeing the good in it because he is too busy looking for the differences. He speaks of an Indian man at the reservation, Alex Bodidash who tries to have it both ways. ." . . and tries to keep his home to white standards. Funny that my people should be falling ever behind."
...ewarding a good architect like it could be expected from a critic, rather Toohey cared only about changing the direction of the unstoppable force that was Howard Roark. Toohey understood in the fullest that Roark would prove to be incontrovertible, and also understood that the only way to stop him from attaining universal acclaim in the world of architecture would be by filling the space before Roark could reach it.
The novel is a constant war between altruism and egotism. Howard Roark is a true egoist, he has no desire to be involved in others business, he just wants to live up to his ideals and morals for architecture. On the other hand there is Toohey, who is what we would describe as a second-hander. He uses altruism to make men believe they need to live for others and put others before themselves. Peter was already an altruist before he met Toohey, but he still fell victim to his beliefs making the reader see that he is supposed to be selfless only it seems selfish.
When a person is in power, situations arouse where they can acquire anything by lying, bribing, conning, or stealing. With these in mind anybody in power could easily become a powerful foe.
We are not only given the thoughts of the character but are also provided with a
Power is both a mental and physical characteristic that people define through knowledge, strength, and money. People who embody these traits are exceedingly hard to come by and almost cease to exist. In today’s age it is a demanding task to find a person who has absolutely mastered a specific trade. For an individual to become powerful they must acquire a vast amount of knowledge in that subject area to convince others and prove their arguments factual. A knowledgeable being will have a sharp edge over competitors allowing them to rise to the top, leaving opponents in the dust. People who have obtained a substantial amount of strength are more likely to be successful when attempting tasks and missions. An individual who has strength has more stability, courage, and fortitude. A person who displays these attributes has what it takes to control large amounts of people as well as face those people in a devastating situation. In this society it is impossible to gain access to power without one very valuable resource. Most people spend a rather large portion of their day either carrying, counting, or spending this power-granting asset. With money an individual can purchase anything they desire and prove status to other lowlife humans. The more money a person has, the more materialistic goods they can possess. Many people who have very large quantities of...
have power are imposing their will on those with less power. The fact that at some point in the
Not only does his ignorance create the flawed character inside himself, but it also causes him to run from his fate. The significance
"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it" [Lord Acton, British Historian]. It is human nature that the more power one desires, the more corrupt actions they have to commit to attain power. Power is the ability to have control over people and/or things. People who are powerful can, and in most cases will, create an illusion of anything they want you to see about them. This illusion can make people blind to their true intentions.
For decades, literary works have been identified by certain themes that affect the protagonist of the novel. One of the major themes that has been countlessly discussed is “The Individual versus Society”. In this situation, the protagonist has conflicting interests, or is being antagonized by the society he lives within. Over this past summer, I have read through two novels that have both explored this common theme. As I saw the struggles that the protagonists had to traverse each day of their lives, I saw a similarity between my daily experiences and theirs.