Ellsworth Toohey And The Role Of Individualism In Randy's

Prominent from the very beginning of the novel, Roark’s relationships with others and his own obstinate conduct in individualism, make him easily identifiable as Rand’s depiction of a perfect man. In his interactions, he impeccably balances between Rand’s ideals of not being concerned with man in any primary manner, and still keeping the value of human life by loving only those with self sufficient egos (636). With Steve Mallory, Roark chose Mallory to be his sculptor for no other reason than liking his work (338); when Roark first confessed his love to Dominique, he let her go because taking her at that moment would make Dominique lose herself (388); and Roark even encouraged Wynand to not sell himself or the Banner over. Roark’s unique form

In his job as an art critic, Toohey advocates for the importance of the collective and the evil of the individual. By posing as a mentor, he destroys individuals’ self worth, and manipulates those like Peter Keating into giving up their ego and following the accepted standards of the masses- the standards that he, himself, is directly determining. Despite Toohey being the ruler over the second-handers, his actions are, arguably, the most reliant upon others than anyone else in the novel. Notably, in his unusually authentic speech to Keating, Toohey’s scheme of killing aspiration, integrity, and the core values of man is for the sake of collectivism. But in doing so, he creates a circumstance where he cannot function or achieve any purpose without others.

As the antagonist of The Fountainhead, Toohey plays the opposing role against Roark. For everything Roark symbolizes and stands for, Toohey embodies the exact opposite. While Roark is independent, individualistic, self sufficient, and values the greatness of man, Toohey is dependent, selfless, a parasite, and enshires the mediocre. To maintain his control and power, Toohey tries to