One of the scarce exchanges between Toohey and Roark highlights the complex motif of having a central purposed of self by contrasting their ideals. In The Fountainhead Ellsworth Toohey, a power hungry second-hander seeks to feed off the emotion exerted from the blunt Mr. Roark. The idea of having a central purpose is the underlying force, and is reinforced by a multitude of virtues.
The famously influential writer of One Small Voice Ellsworth Toohey, himself has been influenced by observing the worshipping masses and a strong desire for power. First interested in religion, Toohey quickly discovered that propping peoples self-esteem earned him friends far faster, than displaying their sins. In the relationship between our protagonist and antagonist,…show more content… “What do you think of me?” Toohey in an attempt to gain an upper hand over Roark has studied his actions very carefully, and after the wrongs he has committed against him, expects Roark to dislike him or perhaps admire his intellect. Since Howard is such an individual, Ellsworth has missed his mark completely. “But I don’t think of you,” Howard simply has no time for Ellsworth’s games, and does not care about Toohey’s emotions about him. Ellsworth, while initially seeing Howard as a threat, has come to hate everything Howard has done. Howard by the end of The Fountainhead has been molded into a religious figure, who is actively persecuted and has been martyred. Ayn Rand has used Howard to represent her Ideal man, all while illustrating the (then) current failure of society. The idea repeatedly appearing throughout the plays is illustrated in the fact that Howard does not need competition to be spurred into any action. Whereas Toohey is anxiously awaiting the high from Roark’s emotions to push him to new heights. At the end of the Novel, at Roark’s second trial, he selects a jury of hard people. However he knows that these intellectual people have solid reasoning skills, and are most likely striving to break the bonds of society and reach into individualism. It is at this point where the carefully crafted pressure of