READER+RESPONSE

[|Marriage Is A Private Affair]

THE FOUNTAINHEAD RESPONSE

I admire Howard Roark. He is a man of his own. It i had the opportunity to meet him I would ask him many things. Although he seems intimidating, I would want my answers anyway that he would give them. The first question that I would ask is, why does he think that he is the way he is? Meaning, why does he do the things that he do, not caring what others think? Why does he make people feel uncomfortable in his presence? I wonder these things because it is a big issue throughout the story. He made Mrs. Keating a little uncomfortable in the beginning of the story when they were speaking of his expulsion. When he shows no emotion, for some reason, it startles people. I wonder if he even notices. You would think that when a person gets expelled, that they would be upset and would eagerly want to stay in school, he didn't. When Roark was meeting with the Dean and they were having a conversation, he said "But the best is a manner of standards- and I set my own standards. I inherit nothing. I stand a the end of no tradition. I may perhaps, stand at the beginning of one." I would ask if he really believes that he will start his own tradition if he is not willing to take in old ones? He is a very interesting man, just hard to figure out. When the Dean offered him to return back to the Stanton Institute of Technology when he "matures" he turned down the offer. He told the dean that he was going to work for Henry Cameron. Henry Cameron is an old architect who has made great buildings in the past, but he barely works now. Society does not accept him. Knowing that he barley even works anymore, I would ask, why does he choose to work for Cameron out of all people? I think that he has his life planned out. I just don't know what that plan is. When he got the chance to work for Cameron, he took his job really serious and he did everything that he was told to do. He worked under pressure and all and he did not quit. His co- workers did not like him either, but being the way he was, he did not care. When Henry Cameron was telling Roark that he was fired and that he did not want him to waste his talent working for him, I wonder if Roark really understood why her was telling him this. I think that if it was any other person that he was working for, he would not have a discussion, he would just simply leave. I would ask him if he had not had been expelled, would he still have wanted to go to New York to work for Henry Cameron? Why didn't he just want to be his own boss? I thin k that would be great for him. After Cameron got sick and Peter Keating offered Roark to come work at Guy Francon's firm. Roark accepted this offer but he said that he did not want to draft. I would ask him what was his reason for not wanting to draft? Was it because he knew that Francon would not approve them like many other people? I don't think that Roark does not mean any trouble, he just is passionate about architecture and a lot of people don't understand that. When he draws his buildings and talks about them, he knows just what he is talking about. When Franon wanted him to design a building that resembled something else, he did not want to it. He is indeed a modernist and he wanted to do things in a more modern way, and Francon took it the wrong way. I don't think that he should have been fired, but he was simply misunderstood. Roark continues to work though. John Erik Snyte hires him because he appreciates his work. He was hired as a modern drafter. I would love to believe that Roark has many opportunities. At the beginning of the book, the narrator explains that Roark has no family. He began working as young as the age of ten. They also explain that he always chose the field of architect. I would ask him does he ever wish they he did have family? Would he be the way he is if he had, had a family? Maybe if he had a family, he would have better people skills. I would then ask him, what made him choose architect out of all careers? He was working and making decisions on his own at a very young age. Does he think that he has made any wrong decisions, and if so what were they? Roark does not say much if it is not necessary. When he got fired from working with Snyte, he said nothing. Things were going great while he was workin with them though. Snyte chose Roark's sketch for the Allen Heller house. Snyte changed his picture and was sure that Heller would love it, but he didn't. As Heller was looking at Roark's other sketch, he was amazed and Snyte fired him. He left without a word. Snyte gave Roark a chance to be on his own and on top of that, to build his house. That was a great shot! Roark Built the house and it was brilliant, it was great. But of course, people did not appreciate it. He was being criticized, and someone always had something bad to say.He was not given the credit that he deserved. I would ask him if he even cares about not being given the credit that his work deserves? He seems as if he doesn't and that's good because it's not always about what other people think or say, his mind is strictly on his job.