The Fountainhead, part 1, chapter 8
Jobless again, Roark goes back to pounding the pavement. He makes a list of architects the ones whose work he resented least and methodically works his way through it, applying to one firm after another. But at each one, he meets with rejection (not surprising considering his interview technique):
It was not a judgment passed upon his merit. They did not think he was worthless. They simply did not care to find out whether he was good. Sometimes, he was asked to show his sketches; he extended them across a desk, feeling a contraction of shame in the muscles of his hand; it was like having the clothes torn off his body, and the shame was not, that his body was exposed, but that it was exposed to indifferent eyes.
Not to be pedantic, but if these architects asked to see his sketches, they did pass judgment on his merit, didnt they?
As the unsuccessful days run together into weeks and then months, Roark sits at his window and smokes. He feels a sense of threat in the air all around him, a nameless sense of hostility rising from the city below, as if each window, each strip of pavement, had set itself closed grimly, in wordless resistance. The text asserts that this doesnt bother him, because hes implacable and emotionless like all Randian protagonists. Nevertheless, it seems the constant rejection takes a toll:
As the summer months passed, as his list was exhausted and he returned again to the places that had refused him once, Roark found that a few things were known about him and he heard the same words spoken bluntly or timidly or angrily or apologetically You were kicked out of Stanton. You were kicked out of Francons office. All the different voices saying it had one note in common: a note of relief in the certainty that the decision had been made for them.
As always, Rands villains know theyre the villains, whether they admit it or not. She writes as if all the other architects are afraid to acknowledge Roarks secret greatness and need a plausible excuse not to hire him.
But these arent excuses! They say something about his basic fitness to be an employee. Roark was expelled from school for refusing assignments and fired from his last job for insubordination. His bad behavior isnt an isolated incident, but a pattern. Thats the best possible reason not to hire someone: because they wont do the job youre paying them for.
If I were the interviewer, to give him even a chance, Id want a very good explanation of what lessons hes learned and what hes going to do differently in the future. But Roark hasnt learned any lessons and wont behave differently in the future, as Im sure he would confirm if anyone asked him.
The only respite Roark has from the long string of rejections is when he visits Henry Cameron, whos convalescing at his retirement home in New Jersey. Cameron again offers to write him a recommendation Want me to give you a letter to one of the bastards? but Roark refuses. Instead, they pass the time sitting on the porch and gazing at the distant skyline of New York:
When Roark came to him, Cameron spoke of architecture with the simple confidence of a private possession. They sat together, looking at the city in the distance, on the edge of the sky, beyond the river. The sky was growing dark and luminous as blue-green glass; the buildings looked like clouds condensed on the glass, gray-blue clouds frozen for an instant in straight angles and vertical shafts, with the sunset caught in the spires
We saw this in Atlas Shrugged as well, this idolizing New York City as a sacred temple of human industry. Its not surprising that Ayn Rand loved the New York skyline; its probably the first sight she ever had of America.
But while she habitually gave her protagonists the same opinions as herself, in this case it doesnt make sense. Why does Roark feel that New York City is deserving of his admiration?
After all, isnt this the city that was built by evil classical architects? Isnt it the city that spurned his mentor Henry Cameron and consigned him to a miserable retirement? Isnt it the city, we were just told, that emanates a sense of implacable hostility toward him and all his works?
Remember, in The Fountainhead, Guy Francons absurdly ornate Frink Building in lower Manhattan is famous and beloved. Its widely considered the best building of the city. Meanwhile, Henry Camerons crowning achievement, the Dana Building, is half-empty and largely ignored (New Yorkers seldom looked at the Dana Building), if not outright hated. And while Francon is the worst of the lot, we just saw that there are no architects still working in New York whom Roark likes or respects. Every last one of them is hopelessly corrupted by classicism.
By their standards, Roark and Cameron should consider New York City a monument to conformity and philistinism. Rather than something to admire while they smoke and reminisce, the sight of its twinkling skyline from Camerons porch should feel like further mockery. Its one more symbol of how the world has rejected them, and like John Galt in Atlas Shrugged, the only pleasure they should derive from it is the thought of how theyll one day erase it from the earth.
Other posts in this series:
Go here to read the rest:
The Fountainhead: New York, New York - Patheos (blog)
- Atlas Shrugged - cliffsnotes.com - December 12th, 2016 [December 12th, 2016]
- Atlas Shrugged Quotes by Ayn Rand - goodreads.com - December 25th, 2016 [December 25th, 2016]
- The reverse Atlas Shrugged scenario - The Washington Post - January 5th, 2017 [January 5th, 2017]
- About Atlas Shrugged - cliffsnotes.com - January 5th, 2017 [January 5th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged Quotes by Ayn Rand - January 20th, 2017 [January 20th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged - January 24th, 2017 [January 24th, 2017]
- Humor: School book club loses funding after asking Ayn Rand to come speak - The Aggie - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- What does Paul Ryan stand for? - The Week - The Week Magazine - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Trump's cabinet: No fear of the best | Valdosta Today - ValdostaToday.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- 5 Reasons Kevin Sorbo Should Play John Galt - Huffington Post - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Making Ayn Rand Relevant in the Era of President Trump - Huffington Post - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged | Ayn Rand | Conservative Book Club - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Apply Today for Maryland Taxpayers Scholarship - Bay Net - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Go Ahead, Women's Marchers, Strike. Nobody Will Miss You - The Federalist - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- The Narrative Gap - Huffington Post - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Why Ayn Rand Would Have Opposed Donald Trump - PanAm Post - PanAm Post - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged Audiobook | Ayn Rand | Audible.com - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Right Turn: Q&A with gay Republican Anthony Rek LeCounte - Metro Weekly - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Jim Brown, new Ayn Rand Institute CEO: 'Culture and society out there can look pretty irrational. Just look at the ... - Los Angeles Times - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Uber Is Doomed - Jalopnik - February 24th, 2017 [February 24th, 2017]
- Whittaker Chambers: Crusading Journalist | The Liberty Conservative - The Liberty Conservative - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- Strikes, Capitalism and Trump: A Review of Atlas Shrugged - The Boar - February 27th, 2017 [February 27th, 2017]
- ALFA BOOK STORE NEWS FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 7 THRU MARCH 11 - Alpine Sun - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Superman v Objectivism: Forget Lex Luthor and Brainiac; Could Ayn Rand Be Superman's Biggest Enemy? - Bright Lights Film Journal (blog) - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- Ayn Rand is dead. Liberals are going to miss her. - Washington Post - March 3rd, 2017 [March 3rd, 2017]
- A wry squint into our grim future - MyDaytonDailyNews.com - MyDaytonDailyNews - March 4th, 2017 [March 4th, 2017]
- Washington Post Op-ed: Ayn Rand is dead. Liberals are going to miss her. - Salt Lake Tribune - March 4th, 2017 [March 4th, 2017]
- Jennifer Burns: Randian philosophy losing cachet among modern conservatives - Norwich Bulletin - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- Will: Novel posits scary view of current course - The Columbian - March 6th, 2017 [March 6th, 2017]
- George Will: A wry squint into our grim future - NewsOK.com - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Jennifer Burns: Ayn Rand is dead liberals are going to miss her - WatertownDailyTimes.com - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Is Ayn Rand still relevant 35 years on from her death? - The Adam Smith Institute (blog) - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- George F. Will: Slouching into dystopia - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - March 7th, 2017 [March 7th, 2017]
- Trump's 'libertarianism' endangers the public | GantNews.com - Gant Daily - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- How Conservatives Begat Trump, and What to Do About It - The ... - The Objective Standard - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Meredith Jorgensen - KCCI Des Moines - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Doctor Who: Is Regeneration a Fundamentally Abusive Act by The Doctor? - Houston Press - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- A vision of a grim future - Bluefield Daily Telegraph - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand's Morality of Egoism - The Objective ... - The Objective Standard - March 8th, 2017 [March 8th, 2017]
- Will: A wry squint into our grim future - Daily Commercial - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- What Is Wrong In Washington? - CleanTechnica - March 9th, 2017 [March 9th, 2017]
- A wry squint into our grim future | Columns | mtstandard.com - Montana Standard - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Getting to know: Bill Robbins, with WealthForge - Richmond.com - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Front seat on a nostalgia trip - The Hindu - March 11th, 2017 [March 11th, 2017]
- Readers Write (March 12): Fishing fees, teacher shortages, urban/rural divide and culture, Uber discounts and ... - Minneapolis Star Tribune - March 12th, 2017 [March 12th, 2017]
- Gilbreth column: Disturbing concerns about artificial intelligence - Charleston Post Courier - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- How Ayn Rand's 'Elitism' Lives on in the Trump Administration - AlterNet - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Prentiss Smith: Paul Ryan ought to be ashamed, should work to fix Affordable Care Act - Shreveport Times - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- The Hidden Link Between Hillary's Emails and Atlas Shrugged - Houston Press - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Trump Administration Embraces Ayn Rand's Disdain for the Masses - Newsweek - April 8th, 2017 [April 8th, 2017]
- Crawford: American politics declining into profiteers vs. moochers - Hattiesburg American - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- American politics declining into profiteers vs. moochers - Meridian Star - June 6th, 2017 [June 6th, 2017]
- Best and Worst Political Cameos in Movies and TV - LifeZette - June 8th, 2017 [June 8th, 2017]
- Pat Grady on Atlas Shrugged, Sleep Deprivation, and Spud Webb - FeedFront Magazine (blog) - June 9th, 2017 [June 9th, 2017]
- BILL CRAWFORD: American politics declining into profiteers vs moochers - Mississippi Business Journal - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Roland Martin Goes Off on White House for Saying Trump Isn't a Liar - Independent Journal Review - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- Climate Characters: Skeptical engineer questions government motives - The Daily Climate - June 10th, 2017 [June 10th, 2017]
- I find Donald Trump contradictory going by his preferred reading list - Daily Nation - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Northern Exposure Cast Could Make Time In Busy Schedules For Revival - Bleeding Cool News - June 11th, 2017 [June 11th, 2017]
- Dynamics 365 A Familiar Minefield - SYS-CON Media (press release) - June 12th, 2017 [June 12th, 2017]
- PBOC Loses Control Of Yuan Peg, Setting The Stage For A Global Currency Catastrophe - SilverSeek.com - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- Interview: David Le'aupepe of Gang of Youths talks his uncompromising devotion to beautiful lyrics - Grimy Goods (blog) - June 13th, 2017 [June 13th, 2017]
- Ayn Rand's Controversial Play Gets a Queer Makeover - ? - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- We Don't Need Uber - Motherboard - June 14th, 2017 [June 14th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged Movie Review & Film Summary (2011 ... - Roger ... - June 16th, 2017 [June 16th, 2017]
- Supreme Court Confirms The Bill Of Rights Is Just About Making ... - Above the Law - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Atlas Shrugged Summary - Shmoop - Shmoop: Homework Help ... - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Paul Ryan's passionate call to cut taxes on the wealthy and corporations - Washington Post (blog) - June 20th, 2017 [June 20th, 2017]
- Thomas Edison inspires Navicure Chief Growth Officer Kermit Randa - Atlanta Business Chronicle - June 21st, 2017 [June 21st, 2017]
- Where's Ayn Rand when you need her? - Spectator.co.uk - June 22nd, 2017 [June 22nd, 2017]
- The Fountainhead: Hooray for Unions - Patheos (blog) - June 23rd, 2017 [June 23rd, 2017]
- Richard Kyte: Institutions can bring people together - La Crosse Tribune - June 26th, 2017 [June 26th, 2017]
- Republicans, inspired by Ayn Rand, and Democrats, sticking up for trees, join forces to kill billboard bill - The Progressive Pulse - June 27th, 2017 [June 27th, 2017]
- Richard Kyte: Institutions can bring people together - Chippewa Herald - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- WATCH: Sam Bee brutalizes Paul Ryan for 'jerking it to poor people ... - Raw Story - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- 'The literal definition of fake news': late-night hosts on Trump's Time cover - The Guardian - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- Love Him Or Hate Him, There's Nobody Making Movies Quite Like The Director Of Netflix's 'Okja' - WBUR - June 30th, 2017 [June 30th, 2017]
- The net neutrality Day of Action counter-protest is a complete joke - Mashable - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- Reflection from Aspen Ideas Fest: Collective Action in the Land of Rugged Individualism - Skoll Foundation - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]
- As a Guru, Ayn Rand May Have Limits. Ask Travis Kalanick. - New York Times - July 14th, 2017 [July 14th, 2017]