Summary: Chapter 11
Tell man that he must live for others.
. . . Not a single one of them has ever achieved it and not a single one ever
will. . . . But don’t you see what you accomplish? . . . He’ll obey.
(See Important Quotations Explained)
When most of the work on the Cortlandt project is done,
Roark agrees to go on a long yacht voyage with Wynand. As Roark
and Wynand sail, they talk about the true definition of selflessness. Roark
defines selfless people as “second-handers” who live their lives
through others. Roark says the greatest enemy of the second-hander
is an independent spirit.
Summary: Chapter 12
When Roark returns to New York, he visits the
Cortlandt construction site and finds that his plans have been altered.
His substructure remains unchanged, but new features cover the building’s
façade. Toohey’s protégées secretly made these additions. Keating
fought desperately to uphold the integrity of the building, but
the interlopers overwhelmed him. Roark goes to see Dominique and
asks her to drive past Cortlandt Homes the following Monday. She
must stop in front of Cortlandt to pretend she is out of gas and
send the night watchman to a gas station over a mile away. Dominique
agrees, knowing that Roark only includes her so that she will not
suffer later.
Dominique follows Roark’s instructions. She parks in
front of the Cortlandt building and asks the night watchman to help
her get gas. When he leaves, Dominique steps outside and
sees the Cortlandt building explode in a brilliant ball of fire.
Dominique returns to her car, part of which has been crushed under
a piece of machinery. She crawls into the front seat and tries to
make it look like she never left the car by slashing her neck, legs,
and arms with a splinter of glass. When the police arrive, Dominique
is unconscious and nearly dead.
Summary: Chapter 13
Dominique wakes up in Wynand’s penthouse, where Wynand scolds
her, even though he approves of destroying the building. Wynand
has not yet guessed the nature of Dominique’s relationship with
Roark, and she feels sad when she thinks of the pain this will cause
Wynand. Roark has been arrested for destroying the building. After
Wynand pays Roark’s bail, Roark comes to visit Dominique. Roark
says if he is convicted, he wants Dominique to stay with Wynand,
but if he is acquitted, he wants her to leave Wynand for him. The
public denounces Roark as the enemy of the poor. Some people speculate
that Roark was bitter because Keating and Webb borrowed his ideas.
Wynand orders all of his papers to defend Roark, but the support
of the Wynand press hurts Roark more than it helps him. Wynand begins
to realize how thoroughly Toohey has corrupted his organization.
Summary: Chapter 14
Toohey goes to see Keating, who is hiding from the media.
Toohey asks Keating to admit that Roark designed the Cortlandt home because
he thinks this fact will hurt Roark. Keating has become so dependent
on Toohey that he cannot bear to think about Toohey’s true nature,
but Toohey forces Keating to understand his evil, explaining that
he gains power over men by forcing them to join the cult of selflessness.
Toohey’s speech devastates Keating. He begs Toohey not to leave
him alone. Toohey laughs.
Summary: Chapter 15
Toohey publishes a column criticizing Roark, and Wynand
has Toohey and the editors who approved the column fired. Toohey
promises Wynand that when he returns, he will own the paper. The
Union of Wynand Employees, which is made up of dedicated Toohey
followers, goes on strike to demand the reinstatement of Toohey
and the other editors. They also demand a complete reversal of the paper’s
pro-Roark policy. Wynand runs the paper with a skeleton crew. The
picket lines outside become violent, and a few of the remaining
employees are injured when they enter the building in the morning.
Wynand works fiercely and Dominique moves into the Banner building
to help him in any way she can. Every day, however, they print fewer
copies of the Banner, and even those copies go unsold.
