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Lisa Houseman begins to read The Fountainhead. The novel, first published in 1943, begins in the year 1922. The Stanton Institute of Technology, near Boston, is celebrating its graduation day.
One of the graduating students is Peter Keating, who has majored in architecture. He has two career options:
1) to accept a scholarship to study at the prestigious Ecole des Beaux-Arts in ParisPeter asks his friend and classmate, Howard Roark, which option to select. Peter respects Howard as being a more talented architect. Howard says Peter must make up his own mind. Peter's mother intervenes, saying that Paris is too far away from her. Therefore, Peter decides to accept the New York job.
2) to accept a position in the successful architecture company Francon and Heyer in New York City.
Although Howard has completed all his studies at the Stanton Institute of Technology, he has been expelled right before the graduation ceremony. Howard has offended the faculty by rejecting their teaching of classical architectural design. Howard insists instead on modern design.
As the novel develops, Peter's successful career is contrasted with Howard's struggling career. Peter swiftly occupies higher and higher positions at Francon and Heyer, because he goes along with classical design and also because he deceives and manipulates other employees. Meanwhile, Howard is stuck in an architecture company that is going bankrupt. Peter and Howard stay friends and stay in touch, and Peter occasionally helps Howard by offering some money and work.
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Although Peter easily attracts women and has enjoyed sexual relations with many of them, he has fallen in love only with a young woman named Catherine "Katie" Halsey. Peter and Katie became acquainted while he was studying at Stanton, and they have spent much time talking with each other. They have kissed, but sexually have done nothing more.
While Peter still was studying at Stanton, Katie moved to New York to live with her uncle. Peter has kept in touch with Katie, but he does not visit her in New York until he has worked at Francon and Heyer for a couple years. After his first visit, he visits her only occasionally.
Peter's mother moves from Stanton to New York City and lives with him in his apartment. His mother always has disapproved of his relationship with Katie. His mother advises him to find and marry a woman who is more sophisticated and high-class.
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As Lisa reads the novel, she understands that Howard Roark is the idealistic, inspiring hero and that Peter Keating is a scoundrel foil. Howard struggles to promote modern design, which Lisa herself loves. In contrast, Peter advances his own career by promoting classical design, which Lisa detests.
However, Lisa likes many features of Peter's romantic relationship with Katie. Their relationship is mutually respectful. Katie is extraordinarily patient and adoring toward Peter. Although Peter deceives and manipulates other people at work, he relaxes sincerely with Katie. He does not pressure her for sex, and she does not pressure him for marriage. However, they both seem to be advancing naturally toward an engagement and marriage with each other.
As Lisa reads the novel, she perceives Robbie Gould's disapproval of the Peter-Katie relationship. Robbie repeatedly has underlined the name Katie in the text and has written the words altruistic or altruism in the margins. In Lisa's conversations his Robbie, she has understood that Robbie disapproves of altruism. Indeed, Robbie says he loves the novel because its ending convincingly criticizes altruism.
Still reading the novel's Part 1 -- titled "Peter Keating", the first 201 pages -- Lisa still has not comprehended the anti-altruism lesson that the novel is supposed to teach. Katie's altruism seems to be winning Peter's love. If they do marry, then Katie's kindness surely will exert a life-long good influence on Peter.
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Soon, however, Lisa changes her mind, hoping now that Peter will marry another woman. Into the novel comes a new character, Dominique Francon, the daughter of Guy Francon, the co-owner of the Francon and Heyer architecture company.
Like Katie, Dominique is about 20 years old, but Dominique has attended college, majoring in art. (Katie has not attended college.) Now Dominique has graduated and has been hired by The New York Banner newspaper to write a column about home decorating.
Lisa identifies herself strongly with this character Dominique. Lisa herself would love to get hired to write such a newspaper column after she graduates from college. Identifying thus with the character Dominique, Lisa now hopes that the successful architect Peter Keating will fall in love and marry with Dominique Francon. Lisa's hope is encouraged as she reads that Peter's mother advises him to court Dominique. After all, Dominique is the daughter of the architecture company's co-owner, and his marriage with her would help him to take over the company eventually.
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Lisa is captivated by this novel. She is interested in the novel's depiction of the architecture business, and she is intrigued also by Peter's apparent dilemma in choosing either Katie or Dominique to become his romantic partner and then his wife.
Because Lisa perceives that Robbie disapproves of Katie for being altruistic, Lisa foresees that Dominique will be portrayed as being an anti-altruistic foil in the novel. Katie will symbolize altruism, and Dominique will symbolize anti-altruism. Peter will have to chose between those two qualities, and this suspense captivates Lisa as she continues to read the novel.
However, Lisa wonders what "anti-altruism" is. Lisa understands that the opposite of altruism is selfishness. Will Dominique be portrayed as selfish, and will her winning of Peter's love be a triumph for selfishness?
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This series will be continued in Part 11.
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