Study Questions &
Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. What purpose
does the encounter between Roark and
the Dean serve? What concepts and beliefs does the
Dean represent?
2. Why does
the novel sanction Roark's egoism but not Toohey's? Since the novel
encourages the single-minded realization of one's goals, why does
Rand disapprove of Toohey's quest for domination?
3. How does
Rand justify the use of violence?
Specifically, how does she justify Roark's bombing of
the Cortlandt Complex?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. Does Peter Keating genuinely
love Dominique Francon?
Why or why not?
2. What similarities do Keating
and Roark share? Why does Rand make them somewhat similar?
3. Why does Gail Wynand take
so much comfort in the knowledge that both he and Roark “came from
nothing”?
4. Dominique admits that she
and Wynand are very similar people. How is this true? How are they
different?
5. The Fountainhead was
written during the rise of totalitarian states in Europe and Russia.
How might the events of this period have affected Rand's novel?
6. How does The Fountainhead portray
women? How do Dominique and Catherine measure up to the male characters?
