The courtroom verdict at the Courtlandt trial had a huge impact on the lives of every main character in Fountainhead. It was here that the revolutionary, Roark, is acquitted of the felony of destroying a public building. This verdict shakes the world of the evil Toohey, ultimately destroying him. It means the psychological destruction of Gail Wynand, a hard working businessman and friend of Roark's. It also brings on the collapse of Peter Keating, a spineless, mama's-boy and fellow architect and it is the last event, the "rape" being the first, that lets Dominique free her self of he negative ways and fully except Roark's philosophy.
Ellsworth Toohey is the embodiment of evil. His ambition is not only to physically own people but also to take possession of their souls by breaking it down and thus in this way he gains power over them. He confesses to Peter that, "If you learn how to rule one single man's soul, you can get the rest of man kind.
Duane Roark
English: English political theorist Harold Laski. ...
Roark Capital logoIt's the soul Peter, not whips or swords or fire or guns"æ. it must be broken"(635). Toohey understand that the world is full of Peter Keatings', the ones that need reassurance and recognition from others. He made it very clear that he wanted "Power. I want my world of the future. Let all sacrifice and none profit. Let all suffer and none enjoy. Let progress stop"(639). And he saw this progress in Roark's eye, in his soul and in his work and he despised him for it. He new very well that " great men can't be ruled"(635), and "Anything that can't be ruled must go"(638). That was why he had to destroy Roark. He believed that by praising the Keating's of the world and laughing at the Roark's, he would...