Part 4: Summary
Part four focuses on the life of Roark and his point of view towards his buildings and people. However, part four does touch on the supporting characters of Keating, Wynand, Dominique, and Toohey.
Rand explains that Keating in slowly fading into the darkness of Roark’s shadow, making Keating upset and desperate for approval, in opposition to Roark and Wynand’s relationship. The presentation of the unlikely fellowship starts as an aggressive approach on Wynand’s part to break Roark. Scrappy and hostile, his series of corruption inducing tests turn out to be in vain when Roark presses through. However, he finds Roark is too “selfish” to bend in favor of these tests of Wynand. This determination on Roark’s part inspires Wynand to change his point of view of
man.
His entire life, Wynand thought that man could not be as dedicated to himself as Roark was; he finds Roark as an idol in this sense. However, he discovers that the life transition is a hard decision to cope with. Through the constant companionship of Roark, the transition is easier to cope with.
Through Roark’s efforts, the reader concludes that originality is the best and only way to triumph over the bleak character of all other architects. His efforts outreach Toohey, to the national scale. One of the many examples of his sustaining talent is the building of the Manadock resort. The building was placed into Roarks control in order to sabatauge his reputation further. Backfiring Toohey’s plans, this was Roark’s first societal accomplishment. The building reaches out to a doubting young man directly and becomes this man’s muse for life.
A series of these deceitful actions of Toohey causes the supporting characters, Keating and Wynand, to question their role in life. Keating represents the society and their fight against originality and eventual loss. While Wynand embraces the new theory with an open heart it opens the door for him to control the world of originality.
This captures the eye of Wynand creating an arrangement between Roark and him on Wynand’s yacht. During the collaboration, Wynand explains his confusion with Roark’s selfishness and devotion. Enlightened by Roark’s ideals Wynand explained what would have happened to Roark if he followed Toohey’s idea and example. He believes the result would have been Keating,” who lives second hand”
(Rand p. 605).
One of the sadistic schemes of Toohey was the Cortlandt homes. Keating was the mastermind behind these buildings who appointed Roark as an assistant constucture. He later found Roark’s convient absence on the yacht with Wynand
the ideal time for sabotage. Infuriated by the altered result Roark makes plan to destroy what he considers an insult of a building. His accomplice, Dominique, distracts the guard of the homes by faking a car accident. To support the lie she cuts herself as if cut by glass. With all actions, come consequences; in her case the cuts were too deep and she nearly bleeds to death, this successful distraction leads to Roark’s indictment from the explosion of Cortlandt Homes. Wynand notices her devotion to the task and praises her saying,” why did you have to do such a good job of it?” (Rand p.617). After the imprisonment of Roark, due to his previous actions of blowing up the Cortlandt homes, he refuses the offered lawyer, Wynand.
Throughout this part of the novel, Toohey grows jealous of Roark’s skill and is aggressively setting Roark up for failure. Taking advantage of Roark’s stubbornness, Toohey turns the world against Roark and his ideas. At the same time, The Banner stands up for Roark causing anger in public opinion of the idea of originality. Enraged at Toohey, Wynand fires him, but Toohey is confident that he will be back and will run the paper. To add onto the mess, some people on The Banner go on strike against Wynand and the paper due to the support of Roark. As a result, Toohey begins running the paper and attacks Roark, cementing his doom. Superseding these events, Wynand finds himself at yet another crossroad. He must either follow his conscience and defend Roark or give in to his prior ways of bending to social pressures.
Later, at the trial, anger grew between Wynand and Roark when Roark discovers the intimate relationship between Wynand and Dominique has grown to marriage. Wynand finds that Dominique’s heart is still in Roark’s command. With anger in his heart Wynand allows Dominique and Roark to return to their former state of bliss. Alvah Scarret writes,” He is a reprehensible character, a dangerous, unprincipled, antisocial type of man…” (Rand p 661), he then signs it as Gail Wynand
Realizing his eminent ending, Roark finds that the only defense case he has is his testimony of his work and values which is selfishness, the matter of independence and originality. He shows this in this section of his speech:
“The creators were not selfless. It is the whole secret of their power-that was self-sufficient, self-motivated, self- generated. A first cause, a fount of energy, a life force, a Prime Mover. The creator served nothing and no
one. He had lived for himself. (Rand p.678)
He later explains that originality is the key and when people mess with originality, it is no longer the master’s work, and he had a right to destroy the Cortlandt buildings.
With these moving statements as well as his release, Roark is asked to use these original ideas to rebuild the homes. All ends well in the novel with Wynand’s running his newspaper, The Banner. As a mending gift for Roark and Wynand’s relationship, Wynand asks Roark to be the architect for his new office, and then kindly asks Roark to never speak to him again. Once Roark accomplishes this, Roark spends his life with his two loves, architecture and Dominique.
Rand explains that Keating in slowly fading into the darkness of Roark’s shadow, making Keating upset and desperate for approval, in opposition to Roark and Wynand’s relationship. The presentation of the unlikely fellowship starts as an aggressive approach on Wynand’s part to break Roark. Scrappy and hostile, his series of corruption inducing tests turn out to be in vain when Roark presses through. However, he finds Roark is too “selfish” to bend in favor of these tests of Wynand. This determination on Roark’s part inspires Wynand to change his point of view of
man.
His entire life, Wynand thought that man could not be as dedicated to himself as Roark was; he finds Roark as an idol in this sense. However, he discovers that the life transition is a hard decision to cope with. Through the constant companionship of Roark, the transition is easier to cope with.
Through Roark’s efforts, the reader concludes that originality is the best and only way to triumph over the bleak character of all other architects. His efforts outreach Toohey, to the national scale. One of the many examples of his sustaining talent is the building of the Manadock resort. The building was placed into Roarks control in order to sabatauge his reputation further. Backfiring Toohey’s plans, this was Roark’s first societal accomplishment. The building reaches out to a doubting young man directly and becomes this man’s muse for life.
A series of these deceitful actions of Toohey causes the supporting characters, Keating and Wynand, to question their role in life. Keating represents the society and their fight against originality and eventual loss. While Wynand embraces the new theory with an open heart it opens the door for him to control the world of originality.
This captures the eye of Wynand creating an arrangement between Roark and him on Wynand’s yacht. During the collaboration, Wynand explains his confusion with Roark’s selfishness and devotion. Enlightened by Roark’s ideals Wynand explained what would have happened to Roark if he followed Toohey’s idea and example. He believes the result would have been Keating,” who lives second hand”
(Rand p. 605).
One of the sadistic schemes of Toohey was the Cortlandt homes. Keating was the mastermind behind these buildings who appointed Roark as an assistant constucture. He later found Roark’s convient absence on the yacht with Wynand
the ideal time for sabotage. Infuriated by the altered result Roark makes plan to destroy what he considers an insult of a building. His accomplice, Dominique, distracts the guard of the homes by faking a car accident. To support the lie she cuts herself as if cut by glass. With all actions, come consequences; in her case the cuts were too deep and she nearly bleeds to death, this successful distraction leads to Roark’s indictment from the explosion of Cortlandt Homes. Wynand notices her devotion to the task and praises her saying,” why did you have to do such a good job of it?” (Rand p.617). After the imprisonment of Roark, due to his previous actions of blowing up the Cortlandt homes, he refuses the offered lawyer, Wynand.
Throughout this part of the novel, Toohey grows jealous of Roark’s skill and is aggressively setting Roark up for failure. Taking advantage of Roark’s stubbornness, Toohey turns the world against Roark and his ideas. At the same time, The Banner stands up for Roark causing anger in public opinion of the idea of originality. Enraged at Toohey, Wynand fires him, but Toohey is confident that he will be back and will run the paper. To add onto the mess, some people on The Banner go on strike against Wynand and the paper due to the support of Roark. As a result, Toohey begins running the paper and attacks Roark, cementing his doom. Superseding these events, Wynand finds himself at yet another crossroad. He must either follow his conscience and defend Roark or give in to his prior ways of bending to social pressures.
Later, at the trial, anger grew between Wynand and Roark when Roark discovers the intimate relationship between Wynand and Dominique has grown to marriage. Wynand finds that Dominique’s heart is still in Roark’s command. With anger in his heart Wynand allows Dominique and Roark to return to their former state of bliss. Alvah Scarret writes,” He is a reprehensible character, a dangerous, unprincipled, antisocial type of man…” (Rand p 661), he then signs it as Gail Wynand
Realizing his eminent ending, Roark finds that the only defense case he has is his testimony of his work and values which is selfishness, the matter of independence and originality. He shows this in this section of his speech:
“The creators were not selfless. It is the whole secret of their power-that was self-sufficient, self-motivated, self- generated. A first cause, a fount of energy, a life force, a Prime Mover. The creator served nothing and no
one. He had lived for himself. (Rand p.678)
He later explains that originality is the key and when people mess with originality, it is no longer the master’s work, and he had a right to destroy the Cortlandt buildings.
With these moving statements as well as his release, Roark is asked to use these original ideas to rebuild the homes. All ends well in the novel with Wynand’s running his newspaper, The Banner. As a mending gift for Roark and Wynand’s relationship, Wynand asks Roark to be the architect for his new office, and then kindly asks Roark to never speak to him again. Once Roark accomplishes this, Roark spends his life with his two loves, architecture and Dominique.