The Journals of Ayn Rand (41 page)

I show this by (?):

Attitude toward Howard Roark. (“The Enright House is almost as good as the Cosmo-Slotnick Building.” “He will be another Peter Keating.”) They know nothing about his work and are nothing. They are interested in: the cost of the Enright House, how did he get the commission from Enright, is he related to the Roarks of Schetwick? Don’t give a person reality by inquiring into his ideas, i.e., into what
he is.
Detract from his importance by confining your interest to other people around him: tie him to family, acquaintances, bosses.

The conversations are about facts, not thoughts or opinions. Thoughts and opinions give personality to the one expressing them and
require personality
to be expressed. Facts are impersonal. They want it kept impersonal, because personality is dangerous. Or—they express opinions that are so bromidic as to be public property and safe. Resentment if anyone takes it out of that class. (On the one hand, things must be impersonal. On the other—utterly personal, that is, they want everybody to agree with them, because what is personal to them is tied irrevocably to others. They have no personality apart from others—so others must not have it either.)

Toohey’s social technique: he insults the person, but includes himself in being insulted, points out a real weakness, but excuses it.

 

 

1940

[With one third of the manuscript completed, AR began to submit
The Fountainhead
to prospective publishers. She wrote a synopsis, apparently intended to be sent with the manuscript, which contains a surprising idea for the climax. There is no evidence that this synopsis was ever sent to a publisher, and no other mention of the idea in AR’s notes. Many years later, she remembered hesitating over her original idea for the climax (the dynamiting of Cortlandt Homes). She was concerned that it might be difficult to make it “plausible objectively” why Roark would be justified in such dynamiting. It
may
have been this doubt that prompted her to consider
—
perhaps only for a single day
—
an alternative climax.]

Toohey has risen to a position of great power in society. He is the undeclared dictator of the intellectual and cultural life of the country. He has “collectivized” all the arts with his various “organizations,” and he allows no prominence to anyone save to mediocrities of his choice, such as Keating, Lois Cook, and others of the same quality. He has to stop Roark. And when events come to a point where he can destroy Roark’s career once more, it is Dominique who comes to Roark’s assistance. She has learned a great deal from her strange marriage to Wynand. Dominique kills Toohey. It is more than a murder—it is the destruction of everything Toohey stood for. Roark takes the murder upon himself—the circumstances are such that either one of them can be accused and Roark forces her to remain silent; she agrees, but only until the outcome of the trial—she will speak if he is convicted.

This, then, is the sensational trial—Roark against society. There is a great deal of public indignation at the murder of a “humanitarian” and a “saint” such as Toohey. Wynand alone tries to stand by Roark—but public clamor forces him to betray Roark, to reverse the policy of his papers and demand Roark’s conviction (see character outline). During the trial, the affair between Roark and Dominique is made public (though not her part in the murder).

Roark is acquitted—through the efforts of Austen Heller and his other loyal followers. Wynand is forced to divorce Dominique—his prestige with his respectable “Ladies’ Club-home-church-family” audience demands it. He betrays and loses the only two human beings who had ever meant anything to him.

All his life, Wynand has dreamed of erecting a “Wynand Building” to house his newspapers, a monument to his achievement. Now, left alone and broken in spirit, his journalistic empire tottering, knowing that this empire will not survive him, Wynand makes one last gesture. He decides to erect the Wynand Building as his swan song. And he gives the commission to Roark. He barely speaks to Roark now, he wants no personal contact, no feeling between them; he gives the assignment to Roark in a short, blunt, business-like interview, in cold, impersonal words. And only when Roark accepts and turns to leave the office, does Wynand add: “Build it as a monument to that spirit which is yours—and could have been mine.”

When Dominique is freed of all ties to Wynand and comes back to Roark, never to leave him again, she finds him at the construction site of the Wynand Building, where the skeleton of Roark’s greatest achievement is beginning to rise into the sky.

 

 

For Toohey-Dominique:
“Don’t fool yourself. You’re not a bitch—you’re a saint, which is much worse.” A saint can’t help but turn into a destructive, vicious monster like Dominique in the world as it is-consequently down with the saints, they make the world much too uncomfortable by seeing it too clearly.

For
Roark-Dominique:
His love for her declared for the first time when she leaves him—after she tells him that she’s married. “I won’t tell you that it’s unselfish love—it’s much greater because it’s selfish, because it’s my need.” Power over another person is clean only when you can be proud of the person that you have in your power—perhaps love is the only place to know and exercise power. “You have much to learn—yourself—I can’t help you.” “Not until you come back, of your own will, completely, forever, and on your knees.”

 

 

[On this date, AR made her final chapter outline for the second half of Part II (she seems to have written up to Chapter VIII). She had recently contracted with Bobbs-Merrill to complete the novel by January 1, 1943
.]

 

 

For Roark: “The first man entering a fresh, clean world for the first time.”

1942

 

[The following notes pertain to the description of Gail Wynand’s background in Chapter
I,
Part
III.
]

Gun—indifference.

His day. (Incident with Toohey and housing development.) Incident to show Wynand’s powers, luxury, arbitrariness and his particular methods of pleasure.

Back to gun—thinks of his life.

First scene—tight figure against wall—fight—show his will to rule—his parents—relationship with father. Left alone at twelve.

1. Incidents to show: will to dominate, impatience with stupidity and being forced to obey stupidity, knowing that he knows best—and showing that he does. Ferocious independence.

2. Incidents to show: disappointment in human integrity and desire “not to be a sucker.” Idealism turned to utter cynicism.

3. Forces his way into a newspaper. His rise. Unscrupulous incident of getting money to buy the newspaper.

4. Development of newspaper empire, stock market speculations, real estate speculations.

5. Wynand at the top—his public reputation, his private life. Incidents to show the constant use of his power. (The secret art gallery.) Back to gun—drops it. Finds [Toohey’s gift]—scene with Toohey.

Incidents:

Gun—indifference.

The bedroom and the apartment and his appearance. (Cynicism.)

His day: breakfast, arrival at office, scene with his type operator, crossed-out copy, talk to coast editor, phone call to Senator, board meeting, housing project, Alvah Scarret about Toohey, lunch at Women’s Club, editorial on prohibition, talk with Toohey—about [gift]. Dinner with mistress.

Back to gun—decides to think of his past.

Fist fight—over looting and gang leadership.

His father and mother.

Delivers newspapers—incident of advice to employer—“You don’t run things around here.”

Bootblack on ferry boat—dreams of future New York—“You don’t run this place.”

Incident in school—“You’re not the only one here.”

Walks through fallen parts of city—stolen book—looting of bookstore.

Scene with beating by longshoreman. (Only time he asks for help.)

Goes to work for
Banner
—incident of dime.

The woman. (He never needs a lesson twice.)

The idealistic editor (only time he thanks anyone).

Put in charge of paper by political gang—owns paper and destroys gang.

Success through sensationalism. (“It is not my function to help people preserve a self-respect they haven’t got.”)

Newspaper war—incident of ruthlessness.

Rise: real estate, chain of papers, magazines.

(People who want to use him.)

At his height—power. Private art gallery.

After forty-five-fight against integrity. (Power for power’s sake.)

Back to gun, drops it, goes for drink, sees statue, calls Toohey, agrees to meet Dominique.

[AR wrote her final chapter outline for Part IV on this date.
]

 

 

[It seems that AR once considered prefacing each part of The Fountain
head
with a quotation from Friedrich Nietzsche. The first two quotations below were copied into her journal and may have been intended for Parts
I
and II; the last was placed after the title page to Part IV
.]