Playing With Ironies

Power. Throughout the ages, man has been driven by a desire for power that has governed his actions and shaped the face of social and governmental institutions. Whether mankind is harnessing the untamed elements of nature or establishing civilizations, history has been characterized by men of great power, the Caesars, the Napoleons, and the Attilas, whose quests for sovereignty have been responsible for countless wars but also have yielded great cultural and political achievements. In her acclaimed novel, The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand explores the ramifications of an insidious philosophy of power that utilizes psychological and spiritual manipulation of the populace, rather than the mastery of society through brute military force. Rand juxtaposes the personal quest for power sought by two of her main characters, Ellsworth Toohey and Gail Wynand, with the character of Howard Roark, whose quest for power is to realize his true creative potential. Although Toohey and Wynand both exhibit man’s desire to exert power over others, their methodologies for attaining that power vastly differ, resulting in contradistinctive outcomes, which attest to the characters’ immensely differing philosophical ideologies and worldviews.
As a “philosopher,” author, and architectural critic for Wynand’s newspaper, The Banner, Ellsworth Toohey possesses perceptive insight into the workings of the human mind and soul. He utilizes his column at The Banner as a platform to indoctrinate his readers with an ideology that elevates altruism, a virtue he touts as the pinnacle of human righteousness. Toohey states that only “when you have lost your identity and forgotten the name of your soul—only then […] the gates of spiritual grandeur will fall open before you” (365). However, Toohey’s altruistic efforts are actually a carefully conceived plan for dominion over others by subjugating their souls for the sake of the “the common good.” However, as Rand expresses, “the idea that public interest supercedes private interests and rights can have but one meaning: that the interests and rights of some individuals take precedence over the interests and rights of others.” Toohey espouses selflessness, an essential component of totalitarian collectivism, claiming once you have immolated your soul and identity to mankind, only then can you find true fulfillment. Toohey realizes that once the general populace is convinced their souls are morally corrupt and selfish, the individual spirit is broken and thereby controllable. Further, by praising mediocrity and conformity of the masses, man’s impetus for great achievement is effectively extinguished. Toohey fears the innovative individualist whose capacity for independent creative thought is a threat to the conformity necessary for a totalitarian regime. To gain power, Toohey reveals one must “learn to rule one single man’s soul, [and then] you can get the rest of mankind. […] Kill man’s sense of values. Kill his capacity to recognize greatness or to achieve it. […] Kill by laughter. […] Happy men are free, so kill their joy in living. […] Empty a man’s soul and the space is yours to fill” (635-636). Rand doesn’t clearly delineate Toohey’s drive for power, but she suggests that as a sickly child, Toohey realized his ability to manipulate those he deemed contemptible mental inferiors through his unabashed altruism. Ultimately, like all dictatorial rulers, Toohey’s desire for power is not a decided interest in the common good, but a means to realizing his own personal vision of a totalitarian utopia.
In contrast to Toohey’s rise to power through the destruction of man’s soul, Gail Wynand, the founder of the newspaper The Banner, originally sought power in response to the reproach, “You don’t run things around here.” Wynand climbed out of Hell’s Kitchen to forge a thriving successful enterprise. However, to gain the power he commands Wynand compromised his ideals and integrity. Believing that honest men “don’t exist,” Wynand is disgusted with man’s depravity and corruption and his rise to power is motivated by his desire to overcome that corruption (415). However, Wynand chooses to confront it by consciously seeking power over promising and idealistic men and subsequently destroying them. Wynand tells his wife, “Power Dominique. The only thing I ever wanted. To know that there’s not a man living whom I can’t force to do—anything. Anything I choose. The man I couldn’t break would destroy me” (497). While Wynand himself does not preach the philosophy of altruism to achieve power, he gains power by pandering to what he thinks The Banner’s readers desire: crime, scandal and sentiment (408-409). Wynand mistakenly believes his power lies in forcing the public to believe what he wants them to believe. However, Wynand discovers during his editorial crusade to protect architect Howard Roark, Rand’s hero accused of dynamiting “public” property, that his power has rested solely on volatile public opinion. He never controlled or has “never run things anywhere […he’s] only added [himself] to things as they ran” and tapped into the stream of public consciousness (662). While Wynand believed he held the leash of the masses by forcibly imposing opinions upon them as he desired, this leash was in reality “only a rope with a noose at both ends” (660).
Although Toohey and Wynand both strive for power, there is a defining distinction that underlies each man’s motivations. In The Fountainhead, Rand discusses the “second-hander,” which, according to her philosophy of Objectivism, is an individual who is the paramount embodiment the hypocritical parasite. He is the “man who cheats and lies, but preserves a respectable front. He knows himself to be dishonest, but others think he’s honest and he derives his self-respect from that, second-hand [… he] professes love for the inferior and clings to those less endowed, in order to establish his own superiority by comparison” (605). Although “second-handers” are often distinguished by their dependence upon the directives of others, Toohey remains a type of “second-hander” because he compromises his own soul to procure reverence from his devoted, yet purblind followers. He scorns creativity and embraces mediocrity and the destruction of innovative thought. For Wynand, the masses are also a part of his identity. However, Wynand has compromised himself differently than Toohey. In his search for power, Wynand sacrifices his personal values, integrity and creativity in order to cater to the base desires of his readers. Wynand tells Roark, “Selflessness in the absolute sense? Why, that’s what I’ve been […] I made myself into a barometer subject to the pressure of the whole world” (603). Regardless of Wynand’s dependence upon the fickle sentiments of his readership, Roark reminds Wynand, “you weren’t born to be a second-hander” (608). This is what ultimately separates Toohey’s quest for power from Wynand’s: reliance upon other men to create a sense of worth, rather than the assurance of that worth intrinsically. Toohey relies upon the devotion of other “second-handers” in order to feel great, but Wynand understands, only too late, that true worth must be found independently through honesty to oneself, self-reliance and creativity.
Howard Roark, Ayn Rand’s protagonist, is the antithesis of the “second-hander.” Roark possesses an intrinsic spirit of creativity and sense of self-respect that needs no further affirmation from extraneous sources. He refuses to compromise himself for another man, and he does not expect anyone to make compromises for him. The self-reliant Roark does not desire to rule other men or to be ruled by them. Seneca, a Roman philosopher, best defines the individualist’s quest for power when he states: “Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.” Roark seeks only to be master of himself and master of the natural elements he molds from lifeless forms into revolutionary expressions architecture. Roark realizes Shakespeare’s iconic saying, “to thine ownself be true / And it must follow, as the night the day, / Thou canst not then be false to any man” (Hamlet, Act I, Scene III, lines 78-80). Roark does not sacrifice his integrity, but boldly declares his individual voice and fulfills his destiny despite the onslaught of public defiance. Ellsworth Toohey perceives this individual independence as a dangerous threat to his well conceived plans for domination. He recognizes that great men like Roark “can’t be ruled. We don’t want any great men” (635). He seeks to destroy Roark by slowly eroding his reputation and praising unskilled craftsmen rather than flatly denying Roark’s genius. Because of Roark’s refusal to compromise, he ultimately prevails. Wynand also acknowledges Roark’s virtuosity, and although Wynand initially attempts to suppress Howard’s autonomous nature, he soon realizes that he longs to possess Roark’s visionary individualism. Wynand had the potential to enjoy the same spirit of integrity that Roark embodies, but sold out long ago to sovereignty’s siren song.
In conclusion, although Toohey and Wynand both vie for absolute power, each man’s desire for dominion ultimately differs in accordance with his philosophies and ideologies. Toohey see no merit in the individual human soul and consequently sacrifices himself to achieve his vision of a totalitarian collective. Wynand, however, sees worth and achievement within himself and others, but his eventual self-immolation prevents him from attaining his true potential. Rand ultimately intimates that the fundamental struggle mankind faces is against men like Ellsworth Toohey; men who seek to manipulate and enslave mankind in order to create a world that conforms to their collectivist philosophy. The only means of combating this insidious ideology is through the spirit of individualism. According to Rand, Howard Roark is the ideal man because he neither seeks power over men, nor longs to be controlled, but simply discovers that the fountainhead of thought, creativity, and worth is found within himself.