Fountainhead Questions

[Capitalism Forever]

Well, I meant "good businessman" in the sense of being able to make a profit.

Which brings us to the definition of profit. Is it a surplus of cash, or a surplus of value ?

But where was he more likely to meet men whom he could interest in his designs? In a rock quarry or an architectural firm?

If people saw the kinds of buildings "he" designed at those architectural firms, that would have been a negative advertisement for Roark.

[Gary Brenner]

Picking a point in time and judging a businessman by the number of clients and revenue he has at that point in time is a ludicrous way to evaluate a businessman. Business failure and times of business start-up are common occurences, and are common even for the greatest businessmen. Failure is part of learning, and the ability to learn and adapt is a key aspect of business. Roark and your friend are very different because of how they ended their careers, not because of their situation at any point in time.

Who knows? Felt hats may come back. But as long as they are not in style, does it make good business sense to have an inventory of only felt hats? Does it make sense to hang on, one losing quarter after another, hoping that the public will come to its senses and start buying fedoras again? Does it make sense to to that with any other product, including functionalist architecture?

Yes, Roark and Leonard both adapted well to the conditions of the times: they closed their doors when they ran out of money.

[D'kian]

Let's go to another scene. When Austen Heller arrives to see the house Snyde has to offer, the one that was mostly Roark's with touches of conventional styles, he says "This is the closest anyone's come to it." Then disappoints Snyde by saying even then he doesn't like it.

Ok. Suppose Roark were to compromise on the bank comission. Then any prospective Heller-like clients out there might react as Heller did "It's close to good, but i don't like it." Suppose further he were to design the Tudor house a client asked for (Heller's fan, I think), and the mansion with electric lights disguised as torches and car garages disguissed as stables. What would the kind fo client Roark was looking for think of Roark as a builder? Why, that he's a Snyde clone, eclectic and unable to do something right.

He wouldn't have landed the Enright House, or the summer resort, or Wynand's house, let alone the Wynand Building. With all that talent Roark would have been at best a prepetually small architect, and at worst a Keating-type "success" putting up buildings he hated, for people he didn't repsect, for the money they pay him.

So he makes the right desicion both regarding his artistic integrity and his business potential.

One more thing. At some point during the vacation he takes with Wynand, Roark talks about money. I forget exactly the point he makes, but in connection with this argument it would be a good idea to re-read that portion. It's the scene where he explains second-handers to Wynand.