Thoughts on Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead: Part 3

• May 25, 2009
• James Skemp
• philosophy, review

Having finished Part 3 of The Fountainhead in less than a day, the whole should be fairly fresh in my memory. Yet, I have a hard time putting a second name to this part, to go along with Gail Wynand's, and as I did for my thoughts on part 2.

To some extent we could put Dominque's again. After all, next to Wynand she is covered the most in this part, from her marriage to Keating to her marriage to Wynand, which continues the trend from the beginning of part 2. Ellsworth might belong as well, since he becomes a bit more clearer in this part, yet is it as clear as Dominque has become? Or have we instead seen her weakness exploited by someone who may not have even wanted to, and has certainly not completely realized that he has?

Unlike the previous parts, it seems that Wynand is still an enigma. This could certainly be due to the fact that he's played such a minor role up to now. Looking at the four parts, and their respective names, one almost thinks that Dominque should have been named here, as Keating, Roark, Dominque, and Ellsworth are the four characters one would think of first.

Yet perhaps that he remains an enigma is why he belongs here. To some extent, continuing the idea in my last article that Keating and Roark are on two ends of a (vertical) line, Wynand seems to belong in the middle of that line. He does what the masses want, because he doesn't want them to spoil that which is truly beautiful. Take for instance the subtle point of his gallery, and his obvious remarks about the play.

Part four, having the name of Roark associated to it, suggests that we will move once again into the life of Roark. Armed with the full knowledge of what has happened to Keating, and a glimpse at Wynand, where will Roark take us? As we might expect, or in another direction?

• ayn rand
• literature