The Struggle Between Individualism and Collectivism

Because he has no ideas of his own, Keating turns to Roark for helper in creating the architectural designs that he passes off as his own. even up Keating's most famous break away, the Cosmo-Slotnick Building, is secretly designed by Roark. In the course of the novel, it becomes increasingly app atomic number 18nt that Keating is a collectivist who follows the innovations which are created by others.

In his newspaper column, Toohey wantons a number of humane claims about the collectivity of mankind. However, despite his attacks on "selfishness," it is apparent that Toohey secretly desires tycoon over others. It is noted that his columns "merely preached sentiments with which most people matte up in agreement: unselfishness, brotherhood, equality" (305). However, in an important scene, Toohey openly admits to Keating that what he is truly seeking is power (635). The words in Toohey's reviews are obviously intended to encourage "the great stack" to keep in their place.

For example, angiotensin converting enzyme of Toohey's columns praises the horizontal lines of one building because "they seem to tell us that none may rise too high to a higher place the restraint of the common human level" (51). Of course, Toohey sees himself as existence above this common level.

His desire for collectivism is to make legitimate he has a chance to control the lives of other people. Because of his perspective, Toohey becomes a direct enemy of the individualism of Roark. Throughout the novel, Toohey uses his position to make every possible effort to destroy Roark's career.

Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. new-fangled York: Signet/New American Library, 1943.

Roark contrasts both Keating and Toohey in that he is a strong, self-assured individualist who knows himself and what he wants. Unlike the others, Roark refuses to ever compromise his work or his personal values. In fact, he would rather not work at all than compromise. This can be seen, for example, in the scene in which Roark is fired from the Francon fir
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