The Fountainhead Character Analysis

Howard Roark

Howard Roark, the protagonist of The Fountainhead, is a talented young architect and a self-sufficient individualist. In his work, he breaks away from traditional ideas of architecture and design, and in the way he lives… read analysis of Howard Roark

Ellsworth Toohey

Ellsworth Toohey is the villain of The Fountainhead. He is extremely intelligent and has a deep understanding of human nature, and he uses this to exploit people and gain power over them. While Toohey is… read analysis of Ellsworth Toohey

Peter Keating

Peter Keating is the antithesis of Howard Roark, and his life demonstrates the dangers of basing one’s identity and happiness on societal approval. Roark and Keating begin their journeys in the novel at the… read analysis of Peter Keating

Dominique Francon

Dominique Francon is Howard Roark’s soulmate. The two feel an instant connection when they first see each other at Dominique’s father’s granite quarry, where Roark is a laborer. Her demeanor is often described as… read analysis of Dominique Francon

Gail Wynand

Gail Wynand is the owner of the Banner, a newspaper that is much-reviled by Roark and Cameron for pandering to its readers’ base desire for sensationalism. Before Roark meets Wynand, he is determined to dislike… read analysis of Gail Wynand

Catherine Halsey

Catherine Halsey is Peter Keating’s longtime girlfriend. Though she is not as good-looking or popular as the girls he is used to dating, Keating feels a connection with her that is deep and genuine… read analysis of Catherine Halsey

Guy Francon

Guy Francon is a partner at Francon & Heyer, the most prominent architecture firm in New York City. Like Keating and Roark, he graduated from the Stanton Institute of Technology, and he is its… read analysis of Guy Francon

Steven Mallory

A talented young sculptor, Mallory gains infamy when he tries to shoot Toohey and then refuses to divulge to anyone why exactly he did it. Toohey pleads for clemency on Mallory’s behalf, stating that he… read analysis of Steven Mallory

Henry Cameron

Roark’s mentor, Henry Cameron used to be one of the most admired architects in New York City. He built the highest skyscrapers as well as several other buildings with strong engineering and a focus… read analysis of Henry Cameron

Lucius Heyer

Lucius Heyer is Guy Francon’s partner at Francon & Heyer. Francon chose him as a partner only because he came from a distinguished family and had social connections. Heyer does not do much work… read analysis of Lucius Heyer

Mrs. Keating

Peter Keating’s mother, Mrs. Keating is a poor widow who runs a boardinghouse in Stanton to make money for Keating’s education. She relishes the idea that she has sacrificed so much for her son… read analysis of Mrs. Keating

Austen Heller

The first project that Howard Roark works on as an independent architect is a house for Austen Heller, a wealthy activist. Heller, like Roark, values independence, and he also shares Roark’s design aesthetics. After the… read analysis of Austen Heller

Roger Enright

Roger Enright starts off as a coal miner but ends up making millions in the oil industry. He wants to build some apartments, and looks for months without finding the right architect for the job… read analysis of Roger Enright

Gordon L. Prescott

An architect who professes to be nontraditional in his approach, Gordon L. Prescott belongs to the new wave of young architects in New York who lack originality and talent and are incorporated by Ellsworth Toohey… read analysis of Gordon L. Prescott

Gus Webb

Toohey picks Gus Webb to work with a group of established architects to remodel the Stoddard Temple into a “home for subnormal children.” Toohey appreciates Webb’s crass honesty, and slowly shifts from championing Keating for… read analysis of Gus Webb

Lois Cook

Lois Cook is the author of the novels Clouds and Shrouds and The Gallant Gallstone. Her writing is incomprehensible nonsense, but Toohey gets his lackeys to write excellent reviews of her work and she is… read analysis of Lois Cook

Pat Mulligan

When Wynand is embarking on his journalistic career, the case of Pat Mulligan influences him deeply. Mulligan is an honest cop who is being framed, and Wynand wants to defend him. For support, Wynand goes… read analysis of Pat Mulligan

Ralston Holcombe

Ralston Holcombe, a huge fan of the Renaissance style of architecture, considers himself a genius and is the president of the Architects’ Guild of America. He insists that one should never put “originality over Beauty.”… read analysis of Ralston Holcombe

The Dean

The Dean of Stanton blindly believes in the virtues of tradition and is convinced that other people’s laudatory opinions of a building make it great. He never thinks through the reasons for why an old… read analysis of The Dean

Johnny Stokes

Johnny Stokes is a poor but intelligent, good-looking boy whom Ellsworth Toohey sprays with a hose when they are both young boys. Toohey dislikes the fact that Stokes doesn’t need to work as hard as… read analysis of Johnny Stokes

Dwight Carson

Wynand believes that people, as a rule, lack integrity and sets out to prove this by “breaking” supposedly honorable people. Dwight Carson is Wynand’s first victim. He is a respected young intellectual who preaches individualism… read analysis of Dwight Carson

Ike

A member of the Council of American Writers, Ike writes a play that all his fellow writers agree is terrible. Titled No Skin Off Your Nose, the play nevertheless becomes a huge hit because it… read analysis of Ike

Jules Fougler

Jules Fougler is the drama critic for the Banner, whom Toohey appoints. Fougler decides to praise Ike’s terrible play because a critic has no power over his readers if he praises only meritorious… read analysis of Jules Fougler

Sally Brent

Sally Brent is a journalist at the Banner who goes against Wynand’s order that his wife Dominique be kept out of the paper. Brent interviews Dominique and publishes it, and Wynand immediately fires her… read analysis of Sally Brent

Caleb Bradley

Caleb Bradley heads the “vast company” that wants to develop Monadnock Valley into a summer resort, and he immediately hires Roark as the architect and gives him complete freedom with regard to design. Bradley doesn’t… read analysis of Caleb Bradley

Claude Stengel

Stengel is the head of design at Francon & Heyer when Keating joins the firm. Keating wants his job, but Stengel is immune to Keating’s attempts at friendship. So Keating arranges for Stengel to get… read analysis of Claude Stengel

John Erik Snyte

Snyte is an architect who hires Roark for his modernist sensibility. He has five designers who design in different styles and vie for their designs to be picked, and Snyte adds a little bit of… read analysis of John Erik Snyte

Mike Donnigan

Mike Donnigan is an electrician whom Roark meets when he is out doing building inspections for Francon & Heyer (when he is briefly employed by that firm). Mike and Roark respect each other because they… read analysis of Mike Donnigan

Alvah Scarret

Alvah Scarret is editor-in-chief of the Banner. Unlike Wynand, who understands that the Banner is a low-quality publication, Scarret thinks that it is a great newspaper and is proud of it. While he defers… read analysis of Alvah Scarret

Jimmy Gowan

Jimmy Gowan works at a garage and hires Roark to build a gas station for him. It is Roark’s second commission, after the Heller house. Gowan is an independent person and knows his own mind… read analysis of Jimmy Gowan

Mrs. Wayne Wilmot

Mrs. Wilmot is a fan of Austen Heller’s writings and wants to hire Roark to build a country house for her only because he is Heller’s architect. She has never seen the Heller house… read analysis of Mrs. Wayne Wilmot

Robert L. Mundy

Mundy has had a hard life, but after many difficult years, he is rich and can afford to build a house for himself. He wants it to look just like a plantation house he used… read analysis of Robert L. Mundy

Nathaniel Janss

Janss owns a real estate company and thinks he might hire Roark to build a small office building. He likes Roark’s argument for utility being the guiding force for a building, but tells him the… read analysis of Nathaniel Janss

John Fargo

Fargo is the owner of a chain of department stores. He used to be a pushcart peddler and slowly made his way up. He hires Roark to build a big department store for him. The… read analysis of John Fargo

Whitford Sanborn

Sanborn is a former client of Henry Cameron’s, and asks Cameron for recommendations when he wants to build a country house. Cameron points him to Roark. While Sanborn likes Roark’s work, the situation… read analysis of Whitford Sanborn

Joel Sutton

Joel Sutton is a successful businessman who wants to construct an office building and considers Roark for the job because he thinks Roger Enright’s architect must be good. Sutton relies heavily on public opinion… read analysis of Joel Sutton

Minor Characters

Kiki Holcombe

– Ralston Holcombe’s wife, Kiki Holcombe holds an architectural salon every Sunday that every famous architect in the city attends.

Hopton Stoddard

Hopton Stoddard is a wealthy man who atones for his unethical behavior by turning to religion. On Toohey’s advice, he gives Roark the commission to build the Stoddard Temple, but he is very displeased with the final product and sues Roark for damages.

Athelstan Beasely

Athelstan Beasely is the “court jester of the A.G.A.” (the Architects’ Guild of America), who writes articles mocking Roark’s work.

Helen

Helen is Ellsworth Toohey’s older sister and Catherine Halsey’s mother.

Aunt Adeline

Aunt Adeline is Ellsworth Toohey’s maiden aunt who comes to live with the family after his mother dies.

Kent Lansing

Kent Lansing is a man of integrity who persuades a corporation to award Howard Roark the contract to build the Aquitania luxury hotel.

Lancelot Clokey

The Banner’s foreign correspondent, Clokey writes a terrible book about his travels and Toohey ensures that it becomes a bestseller.

Mitchell Layton

Mitchell Layton is a billionaire and communist sympathizer. Toohey gets Layton to become a shareholder of the Banner by buying the shares through proxies, thus guaranteeing that Layton will be a member of the Banner’s board and that Toohey can exercise his influence on Wynand through Layton.

Eve Layton

Eve is Mitchell Layton’s wife.

Homer Slottern

Slottern is a rich businessman who wants to pull his ads out of the Banner because he dislikes Wynand’s support of Roark and worries that it is endangering the popularity of the Banner.

Renée Slottern

– Renée is Homer Slottern’s wife.

Professor Peterkin

Peterkin is the professor of design at the Stanton Institute of Technology who campaigns for Roark’s expulsion.

Shlinker

Shlinker is Keating’s academic rival at the Stanton Institute of Technology.

Tim Davis

Tim Davis is the most favored draftsman at Francon & Heyer when Keating joins the firm. Keating befriends him and offers to do most of his work, and then has him fired for being redundant.

Mrs. Dunlop

Mrs. Dunlop is a wealthy woman who is a potential client for Francon & Heyer. Keating secretly convinces her to hire Stengel for the job so Stengel will quit the firm to start his own, leaving his job open for Keating to take.

Mrs. Sanborn

Mrs. Sanborn is Whitford Sanborn’s wife, who is not pleased with his decision to choose Roark as their architect since she wants their house to look like a French chateau and Roark refuses to do this.

Weidler

Weidler is a member of the board of directors at the Manhattan Bank Company.

Slotnick

Slotnick is one of the owners of the Cosmo-Slotnick Building.

Neil Dumont

Dumont is Keating’s new partner at the firm after Francon retires. Though Dumont has no talent as a designer, Keating picks him because he comes from a distinguished family.