| | Hello all,
I just joined this community after reading many of the articles and posts in the Forums. I read one particular thread dealing with a disturbing passage in The Fountainhead. If you've read the book, that sentence alone is probably enough of a clue as to what passage I am referring to. The "rape" scene in The Fountainhead is definitely one that stands out from the book. In the previous thread on this topic (which I had a hard time finding and, besides, had not been replied to in quite some time, hence a fresh look at the issue), many people put forth their own ideas on why this passage was written as it was, and the motivations of both the characters and the author.
When I read the book for the first time, I was aware of the scene before getting to it. I was still somewhat taken aback by the scene, but I reserved judgement on it until I had finished the book. I am glad that I did, for, lo and behold, later on in the novel, Ms. Rand puts forth a good explanation for why Dominique would allow such a defilement of herself to occur without much of a struggle. (You will remember in this scene, that Dominique is described as hitting Howard, but she does not utter a word of protest. Her physical protests are, according to the narrator, only symbolic in nature) A clue into Dominique's character comes with a discussion on what people search for. Ms. Rand says that a person searches for that which is missing in their lives. As far as personal characteristics are concerned, a shy person will search for confidence in themselves. A person who does not value themselves will search for self-respect. And, in the case of Dominique, a person who has nothing but complete self-respect will search for a lack of self-respect.
This idea can seem as paradoxical and disturbing as the inclusion of the rape, but it does make sense if you use your "little grey cells" (I've been watching to many Poirot mysteries lately). If Dominique has complete respect for herself and her ideals, then she has nothing to search for within herself but a lack of self-respect. She puts herself through intolerable situations to see if she can find a shred of disrespect for herself. Oddly enough, marrying a man she does not truly love, and allowing herself to be assaulted by a dominating man, are tests to see if she can hate herself. Alas, she cannot.
Now, I grant you that searching for a negative aspect of oneself is a bit odd, and the extremes that Dominique goes to proving her absence of self-loathing are very grand, but I believe that the ultimate purpose for her actions as a character in the novel are to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that her self-respect is so all-encompassing that she can edure the harshest of treatments from the world and still maintain her own self-love.
I'd like to hear other people's opinions on this.
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