Editing The Fountainhead (section)

==Major characters==

===Howard Roark===
[[File:Frank Lloyd Wright LC-USZ62-36384.jpg|thumb|right|upright|alt=Portrait photo of Frank Lloyd Wright|In writing the character of Howard Roark, Rand was inspired by the architect [[Frank Lloyd Wright]].]]
Rand's stated goal in writing fiction was to portray her vision of an ideal man.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|p=8}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|p=97}}</ref> The character of Howard Roark, the [[protagonist]] of ''The Fountainhead'', was the first instance where she believed she had achieved this.<ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|p=106}}</ref> Roark embodies Rand's [[Ethical egoism|egoistic]] moral ideals,<ref>{{harvnb|Den Uyl|1999|p=60}}</ref> especially the virtues of independence<ref>Smith, Tara. "Unborrowed Vision: Independence and Egoism in ''The Fountainhead''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2006|pp=287–289}}</ref> and integrity.<ref>Schein, Dina. "Roark's Integrity". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2006|p=305}}</ref>

The character of Roark was at least partly inspired by American architect [[Frank Lloyd Wright]]. Rand described the inspiration as limited to specific ideas he had about architecture and "the pattern of his career".<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|2005b|p=190}}</ref> She denied that Wright had anything to do with the philosophy expressed by Roark or the events of the plot.<ref>Berliner, Michael S. "Howard Roark and Frank Lloyd Wright". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2006|pp=48–50}}</ref><ref name="wright">{{harvnb|Reidy|2010}}</ref> Rand's denials have not stopped commentators from claiming stronger connections between Wright and Roark.<ref name="wright"/><ref>Berliner, Michael S. "Howard Roark and Frank Lloyd Wright". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2006|pp=42–44}}</ref> Wright equivocated about whether he thought Roark was based on him, sometimes implying that he did, at other times denying it.<ref>Berliner, Michael S. "Howard Roark and Frank Lloyd Wright". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2006|pp=47–48}}</ref> Wright biographer [[Ada Louise Huxtable]] described significant differences between Wright's philosophy and Rand's and quoted him, declaring, "I deny the paternity and refuse to marry the mother."<ref>{{harvnb|Huxtable|2008|p=226}}</ref> Architecture critic [[Martin Filler]] said that Roark resembles the Swiss-French modernist architect [[Le Corbusier]] more closely than Wright.<ref>{{harvnb|Filler|2009|p=33}}</ref>

===Peter Keating===
In contrast to the individualistic Roark, Peter Keating is a [[Conformity|conformist]] who bases his choices on what others want. Introduced to the reader as Roark's classmate in architecture school, two years ahead of him, Keating does not really want to be an architect. He loves painting, but his mother steers him toward architecture instead.<ref name="Smith290">Smith, Tara. "Unborrowed Vision: Independence and Egoism in ''The Fountainhead''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2006|p=290}}</ref> In this, as in all his decisions, Keating does what others expect rather than follow his personal interests. He becomes a [[social climber]], focused on improving his career and social standing using a combination of personal manipulation and conformity to popular styles.<ref name="Smith290"/><ref name = "Sciabarra">{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|pp=107, 109}}</ref><ref name="Gladstein41">{{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|p=41}}</ref> He follows a similar path in his private life: he chooses a loveless marriage to Dominique instead of marrying the woman he loves{{mdash}}who lacks Dominique's beauty and social connections. By middle age, Keating's career is in decline and he is unhappy with his path, but it is too late for him to change.<ref name="Gladstein62">{{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|p=62}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Den Uyl|1999|p=50}}</ref>

Rand did not use a specific architect as a model for Keating.<ref>Berliner, Michael S. "Howard Roark and Frank Lloyd Wright". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2006|p=56}}</ref> Her inspiration for the character came from a neighbor she knew while working in Hollywood in the early 1930s. Rand asked this young woman to explain her goals in life. The woman's response was focused on social comparisons: The neighbor wanted her material possessions and social standing to equal or exceed those of other people. Rand created Keating as an archetype of this motivation, which she saw as the opposite of self-interest.<ref>{{harvnb|Heller|2009|p=109}}</ref>

===Dominique Francon===
[[File:Patricia Neal in The Fountainhead trailer.JPG|thumb|right|alt=Portrait photo of Patricia Neal|[[Patricia Neal]] played Dominique Francon in the film adaptation.]]
Dominique Francon is the heroine of ''The Fountainhead'', described by Rand as "the woman for a man like Howard Roark".<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1997|p=89}}</ref> Rand described Dominique as similar to herself "in a bad mood".<ref name="Gladstein52">{{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|p=52}}</ref> For most of the novel, the character operates from a mistaken belief that a corrupt world will destroy the things she values.<ref>Boeckmann, Tore. "What Might Be and Ought to Be: Aristotle's ''Poetics'' and ''The Fountainhead''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2006|pp=158–159}}</ref> Believing that the values she admires cannot survive in the real world, she chooses to turn away from them so that the world cannot harm her. Only at the end of the novel does she accept that she can be happy and survive.<ref name="Gladstein52"/><ref>{{harvnb|Branden|1986|p=106}}</ref><ref>Boeckmann, Tore. "Rand's Literary Romanticism". In {{harvnb|Gotthelf|Salmieri|2016|pp=440–441}}</ref>

===Gail Wynand===
Gail Wynand is a wealthy newspaper mogul who rose from a destitute childhood in the [[ghetto]]es of New York ([[Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan|Hell's Kitchen]]) to control much of the city's print media. While Wynand shares many of the character qualities of Roark, his success is dependent upon his ability to pander to public opinion. Rand presents this as a [[tragic flaw]] that eventually leads to his downfall. In her journals Rand described Wynand as "the man who could have been" a heroic individualist, contrasting him to Roark, "the man who can be and is".<ref name="Burns44">{{harvnb|Burns|2009|pp=44–45}}</ref><ref name="Heller117">{{harvnb|Heller|2009|pp=117–118}}</ref> Some elements of Wynand's character were inspired by real-life newspaper tycoon [[William Randolph Hearst]],<ref name="Burns44"/><ref name="Johnson44">{{harvnb|Johnson|2005|pp=44–45}}</ref><ref name="Berliner57">Berliner, Michael S. "Howard Roark and Frank Lloyd Wright". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2006|p=57}}</ref> including Hearst's [[yellow journalism]] and mixed success in attempts to gain political influence.<ref name="Burns44"/> Wynand ultimately fails in his attempts to wield power, losing his newspaper, his wife (Dominique), and his friendship with Roark.<ref>{{harvnb|Gladstein|1999|pp=52–53}}</ref> The character has been interpreted as a representation of the [[master morality]] described by philosopher [[Friedrich Nietzsche]];<ref>{{harvnb|Hicks|2009|p=267}}</ref> his tragic nature illustrates Rand's rejection of [[Philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche|Nietzsche's philosophy]].<ref name="Heller117"/><ref>{{harvnb|Gotthelf|2000|p=14}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Merrill|1991|pp=47–50}}</ref> In Rand's view, a person like Wynand, who seeks power over others, is as much a "second-hander" as a conformist such as Keating.<ref>Smith, Tara. "Unborrowed Vision: Independence and Egoism in ''The Fountainhead''". In {{harvnb|Mayhew|2006|pp=291–293}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Baker|1987|pp=102–103}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Den Uyl|1999|pp=58–59}}</ref>

===Ellsworth Toohey===
[[File:Harold Laski 1936.JPG|thumb|right|upright|alt=Portrait photo of Harold Laski|[[Harold Laski]] was one of Rand's inspirations for the character of Ellsworth Toohey.]]
Ellsworth Monkton Toohey is Roark's antagonist. He is Rand's personification of evil{{mdash}}the most active and self-aware villain in any of her novels.<ref name="Gladstein62"/><ref name="DenUyl54">{{harvnb|Den Uyl|1999|pp=54–55}}</ref><ref>Minsaas, Kirsti. "The Stylization of Mind in Ayn Rand's Fiction". In {{harvnb|Thomas|2005|p=187}}</ref> Toohey is a socialist and represents the spirit of collectivism more generally. He styles himself as representative of the will of the masses but his actual desire is for power over others.<ref name="Gladstein62"/><ref>{{harvnb|Baker|1987|p=52}}</ref> He controls individual victims by destroying their sense of self-worth and seeks broader power (over "the world", as he declares to Keating in a moment of candor) by promoting the ideals of [[ethical altruism]] and a rigorous [[egalitarianism]] that treats all people and achievements as equally valuable.<ref name="DenUyl54"/><ref>{{harvnb|Sciabarra|1995|pp=109–110}}</ref> Rand used her memory of the democratic socialist British [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] chairman [[Harold Laski]] to help her imagine what Toohey would do in a given situation. She attended a New York lecture by Laski as part of gathering material for the novel, following which she changed the physical appearance of the character to be similar to that of Laski.<ref>{{harvnb|Rand|1997|p=113}}</ref> New York intellectuals [[Lewis Mumford]] and [[Clifton Fadiman]] also helped inspire the character.<ref name="Johnson44"/><ref name="Berliner57"/>