Journey on a Paperboat

This is my book report of The Fountainhead for our Theory of Architecture. I just wanted to share this because I wanted to show how much I love this book, and will be such a waste of efforts not letting it be shared. You will meet me and so are the characters seen through my perspective. I wasn't able to finish reading the whole story earlier though, it was due 1:30 and I stopped at page 523 after unloading from the bus by 11:20am. I haven't done my book report then and I have to submit a something of 3000 words or else I'll be doomed. I wanted my book report to be the treasure and testimony of my love for this book but I wasn't able to show it through what I have passed - because I lacked time and I just hustled. But all I've written were from my heart, I will finish reading the book and I will read it over and over again, with utmost care to the book (I am very sensitive with my books, I don't want to fold it or let it have wrinkles whatsoever)

So with my no-format paper, no references, no footnotes paper all because of I isolated myself from the internet in order to try finish reading from page 100-the end (which is more than 600) in one day, I had 75/100 grade. Others who used the internet, read other people's testimonies, influenced, and copied the works, had higher grade. I'm not upset or anything, I am just stating the fact. If it did not mean anything to me, I would do the same. But I love this book so I wrote will all my heart. This is MY book report, I'm not advertising the book whatsoever. I reported what I felt, what I reacted, and how it influenced me.

And so here it is: Of course, this is a hustled composition, I wanted to do better, but this is what I have done from 12-1:30 pm earlier (4/5ths of it. 20% of it I started this morning, but then I realized I cannot make it and that I'm not yet finished reading. So I continued reading at the bus and did the composition the moment I arrived in my dormitory. It's not something admirable. It shouldn't be done.

Photo not mine. I grabbed it from the internet.

I read the book from the author’s “Introduction to the Twenty-Fifth anniversary edition”. From the start, I’ve found her interesting; I felt like I was able to have the privilege to see her intellectual capacity, and it’s something I admire, something I appreciate to have known. And there started my journey to enter the realms of The Fountainhead.

I must admit I never read novels like Harry Potter, The Hunger Games, etc. It’s not that I don’t want to; I just never had a chance to. I didn’t realize until this moment that I’m typing this paragraph that The Fountainhead is actually my first time to ever read such thick book of pure story – what I mean is that the books w/c I have touched that are thicker than The Fountainhead’s are my textbooks, most notably the History of Architecture by Sir Banister Fletcher. I read the book naturally, as if I have been doing this for a very long time already. Maybe because when I was a kid I have been reading fairy tales, every night, every free time I’ve got and whenever I’m in the mood for reading. But I consider The Fountainhead such a book different from those fairy tales; it’s a book in line with Harry Potter/ The Hunger Games: such books I don’t really know what to call them but I think I should just classify them as “novels”? I’m not really sure about such classification, as I have told earlier, I wasn’t able to read such books. And in terms of “such books” of which I call novels, The Fountainhead is the third in my possession of such. Quite significant to know, right? The number 3 is quite a significant number. The reason I’m telling this is because I would want to share how significant this book is to me, and that I am very thankful to have a chance to read this.

I first noticed Rand’s way of delivering the story. It is very detailed. I can imagine watching what she is saying to be a scene in a movie as I am reading the book. I’m not sure though, maybe that’s what you’ll read in any novels, and since I don’t read often, I appreciated her way of writing more than anyone who have the hobby of reading.

I must admit I have a crush on Howard Roark from the moment he was first introduced, and I’ve felt the most excitement and happiness during the cute moments he have with Henry Cameron when he was still working for the old man. I felt sad to the old man’s ending though. While I was reading the part when Henry admitted Roark, I imagined that in the ending they would be successful, as I had seen Frank Lloyd Wright, Frank Gehri and other successful architects of the era; but he had hope. He saw the light in Howard Roark. I do, too. I am just irritated with Roark’s dismissal of initiative, as he wasted too much time being nothing as he waited for the clients to come to him. Sometimes I agree with Peter’s sermons to Roark. Because it is true. It truly could’ve helped Roark to be vocal, to be eager to meet other people so that he can have connections. “His talent is nothing if it wouldn’t be of any use”, I said to myself. I was inspired by his love for what he’s doing. Whenever Roark gets a commission and takes a tour to his sites, I get excited. I’m happy for him, and I’m excited to think of my future as an architect; to be doing the things he is doing.

I like the characters in this story. I personally hate their character (their personality), but the roles they play and their significance to the story is what I like. Look at the irony with Dominique, she started as a person who only embraced freedom but because of her love for Roark, everything turned upside down, to the extent of her being imprisoned to another man whom hated her lover so much. I love her intellectual capacity, too. So as Ellworth Toohey’s, Gail Wynand’s, Steve Mallory’s and Kent Lansing’s. I hated Peter Keating so much more than anyone as the story progresses. At first, I somehow see myself partly in him; that sense of wanting to fit in onto anywhere, wanting to please anyone – but he is a hideous user, with no sense of gratitude towards those anyone even if they are of use to him. He will use them to any extent, as if holding onto them until he reaches his desired height, then breaking loose, either like a glass scattering them to pieces or a rug, lying on the floor, dirty and used. I hate him so much for he killed a man who did nothing but be gentle to him, that adored him even to the extent of sharing his fortune to him; it’s sickening. The worst of all kind. Not to mention that he’s not that talented – except in acting. He should’ve just chosen a career in acting. Okay, I’m being harsh to him already. I kind of like it because he deserves such cruelty. We all know that his rotten heart would eat him up, the rottenness of guilt would devour and he will never be satisfied with all the “success” he had made, because it’s all false success. He did nothing but halfway and miracles just came in his way, or should I say connections. What I hate about his mother was that she was the reason he was what he became. She was too pushy, too someone who gets in the way or so. I could not explain any further, there are really times that I’m annoyed by her.

In contrast to Gail Wynand, whom at the early parts of the story sounded antagonistic, even though he did not appeared in any scene but his name a gossip from everyone’s mouth, it was a surprise for me to see him as a very important character as the story progressed. I like him so much. He has his ideals; of the same intellectual capacity as that of Roark, Dominique and Toohey. I like such people who think of mankind, at the same time despises those who are living, because they are beings who lift their head up high proclaiming their humans, but do inhumane things that one can remember the Filipino quote: “Madaling maging tao, mahirap magpakatao”. For me, Gail is a hero pretending to be a villain, he who gives all the dirt needed and wanted by the public, but then gives admiration to the higher intellects of mankind. In his time (the story is set by the earlier half of the 20^th century), Neil Armstrong might not yet been conceived or that he must be a little kid frolicking by the sidewalk somewhere. I want to imagine Gail’s joy and sense of triumph when Armstrong gets to land on the moon, it would’ve been very delightful to him, and his joy and pride would spread to me like a communicable disease.

About Catherine, I just pity the poor girl. I doubt Keating’s sincerity to her, and yet she keeps on letting him in her abode. She’s the representation of all the good and innocent; ready to be infected, ready to be harmed by the world. I really wonder what happened to her after their supposed-to-be marriage. That hollow Keating, accepting Dominique’s request for marriage just after he went to Catherine saying that she should quit her job the next day and run away with him. I’m really wondering what she had felt. What she had reacted about the sudden turn of events.

Guy Francon was someone I really don’t care about in the story. Or do I, that made me write about him in my book report? For me he was just a socialite, a social butterfly who does nothing but socialize. I don’t even see him as an architect. But he represents the irresponsible, incapable parents of our society. He was the one who had stated that he did not became much of a father figure to his daughter; he’s just lucky enough to have a very brilliant daughter who is capable of living without her father’s supervision. At least she is not a spoil brat or a snob rich daughter who believed too much that she had it all.

Dominique is truly Howard Roark’s other half. When she was first seen by Keating, his impression of her, reminded me of Howard. I already believed by then that they would be the couple of this story, I was just surprised of the irony of their meeting, it was unexpected! Whenever I get a hold of storylines, I always expect or depict what comes next, but I would love to say: “I LOVE YOU AYN RAND!!! You made me surprised and happy at the same time ♥ ”. I love being surprised; I love the unexpected, just like Dominique. I really expected Roark to be disinterested to such topic as romance. But what just happened in the story? ? ? I really went blank about what happened between the two. I was somehow disappointed at Roark. I really did not thought he would give in like that. But let’s get back to Dominique, shall we? In her, I find another part of me. She is too sentimental about such thing, or rather, too possessive. I, too, don’t read the book I had read and it satisfied me. There are stuffs I have but I don’t use, because I don’t want them to fade their beauty, to be lost, to have any scratch. But I don’t go to the extent of breaking them because I don’t want others to see them because it’s mine. Haha, NO. But there are stuffs I would like to keep off other’s knowledge. Something that’s very mine and I’m not fond of sharing it to anyone. She was too possessive though! As in I was like asking her “Are you out of your mind?” whenever she hinders Roark’s commissions and giving it to the incompetent Peter. But then she stated her reason. She knew the world, the feeble minded, would definitely harm Howard Roark, that is why she’s doing it. I felt pity towards Roark that time though! Because that’s how makes a living and then his “lover” would get on its way? How can he live? Eat? Without money?

I was surprised at Roark. He’s very immuned to pain. He did not bother at what Dominique is doing, he somehow enjoys it. He’s quite a masochist, I assume. How Ayn Rand has written his reactions, that he just don’t mind the failure, he don’t mind the rejection, and he’s not sure whether he’s feeling pain or what – he thinks he feels nothing, he has no reaction to such ---that’s my technique! I thought I’m the only one who does such immunity, such tactic so that I don’t get hurt over the constant failure, but it’s written in this book! Written years before my mom was even born!

Roark was said to be immortal on one of Mallory and Dominique’s chitchat. He never changed, compared to everyone who “developed”, “configured a part of them” by the end of the day. That’s what these two brilliant minds said, but I don’t think so. As a human we change, we change for the better. Even Roark somehow developed, even just a small part of him developed. That moment when he went to Steve’s room and renewed the life of a fallen, helpless man, I believe that it was the first time I saw him like that. When he went back to New York in search for Enright, he struggled to find a way. He struggled to force himself to communicate with the secretary. If he was the Roark we knew the first time he arrived in New York, he wouldn’t chase his clients because he wants such people coming to him voluntarily. He went to his sculptor, he went to his client. He developed to be a better person that he were before. He’s not that of a perfect man unlike what Mallory and Dominique perceives him to be. He can’t oppose the law “No man is an island” because we need each and everyone; though almost everyone abuses this fact for their own selfish benefits, we live with the need of one another.

When Peter Keating and Dominique were talking by the calendar, it made me drift away to the other side of the world; it made me think and compare of what the others are doing while this couple are living their life pleasing unpleasant people, only for the mere intention of using them when they have flattered them. Other people might have been struggling at that moment, might be starving to death. But there are people like Peter and Dominique who choose to flatter, go to gatherings – not bothering about the unrighteousness of the world.  I could not stand that. I’m not really sure of exactly what I would be 10 years from now, but I do not want to be ignorant with the rest of the world. I don’t want to flatter myself and unworthy people just for the sake of business whatsoever.

Another part of The Fountainhead is the effect of media in everyday life of everyone. This story unravels the great manipulators of mankind hidden in the names of Toohey, Dominique, Heller, Wynand, and many other more. They acted as the voice, the truth and the enlightenment of the public and at the same time contributed in the masses’ opinions on stuffs like architecture, who/what to patronize and what to hate. They controlled the feeble minds of the people who used to be not feeble at all, right now they were just injecting/inhaling the information which they believe is a fact, because everybody believe it so. Media controlled these people, that is why they behave like that. The story was made almost half a century ago, but the same problem still instilled in this modern society. It rottens everything. It had made this world very rotten.

I love how Roark is deeply passionate about his work, I am very influenced to be one, too. You see, I cannot do what Roark can – not appear restless over doing my drafting, I have a habit of sleeping so much that I hate myself for it. I wanted to become like Roark with his restless passion. I also idolize Mike, for chosing a very simple life. He loves what he is doing, even if he doesn’t achieve fame with it. As long as he is doing it he’s fine. He would die with dignity as long as he keeps doing this job he truly wanted. Also the fact that Roark remained uncorrupted through the whole story admires me. That fact also gave him the right people, the most loyal people who would stand by with him until the end. When he faced the court, he accepted everything the complainant’s witnesses had stated, even though he was not worthy of their accusations or opinions. The reason why he only presented his work as a defense to himself is that he wanted the judge to SEE, properly, what the building had meant. All of them did not understand. Maybe Dominique is right, the building is not fit for these people. It was the wrong timing, wrong people, who were given the privilege to see his temple. A temple they did not understood because they were drowned with their Classicism, their corrupted Classicism that does not belong to their era.

As for architecture, from the start, I have adored the medieval, classic architecture. I am not against Modern architecture; I’m just against of the mainstream.  In this story I have seen Roark battle to the mainstream and keep his integrity with him. All he wanted is the expression of oneself, his own views in architecture, to build a structure with its integrity. But all these famous architects of his time are all feeble minded people who think they know how to build. They are just people who accessorize a building with nonsense garlands of gargoyles, flowers, topped with pediments. For me, in the middle of reading the story, I found a meaning of architecture of all of my own, with the help of Howard Roark and Henry Cameron of course, that buildings are made for their own purpose. Like a human, they should have a unique character that represents itself, the personality of its owner, blending with the stability of the ground holding it and merge as one: depicting stability and dignity, and personality. In elaboration: Mosques are mosques; churches are churches; temples are temples. They are all religious buildings but they differ greatly with one another. They have different characters.  Even churches differ to another church. The buildings differ based on the place where it was erected and the possible materials which it can use for its construction. Every building is a manifestation of who are the people using it, all of purpose, all of symbolisms. Those “architects”, or builders, who would not build for such reason is committing a crime to his clients, and to Mother Earth.