The Fountainhead

The Fountainhead

by

Ayn Rand

Skyscrapers Symbol Icon

Skyscrapers symbolize heroism in the novel by displaying the highest potential of human achievement. They are a concrete realization of the ambition of people’s ideas and their determination to achieve them. Dominique says the New York skyline is “the will of man made visible,” and that it is worthy of worship. Wynand says that while fools think that a skyscraper dwarfs the man who stands in front of it, it is man who made the skyscraper, so that makes him “greater than the structure,” revealing “the heroic in man.” Toohey sees the New York skyline as proof of the heroic too, but he says that these buildings emphasize that most people cannot equal their architects’ talent and are mediocre in comparison—and so the skyscrapers displease him because he sees them as acts of egotism. Henry Cameron was one of the first architects who understood skyscrapers and designed them in “straight, vertical line[s], flaunting their steel and height,” rather than copying the Greeks like his contemporaries were doing. While working on skyscrapers, Cameron decided that “no building must copy any other,” a principle that Roark values highly. Skyscrapers thus emphasize originality, talent, and strength—all high virtues according to The Fountainhead

Skyscrapers Quotes in The Fountainhead

The The Fountainhead quotes below all refer to the symbol of Skyscrapers. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Individualism Theme Icon
).
Part 3: Chapter 9 Quotes

“I like to see a man standing at the foot of a skyscraper,” he said. “It makes him no bigger than an ant—isn’t that the correct bromide for the occasion? The God-damn fools! It’s man who made it—the whole incredible mass of stone and steel. It doesn’t dwarf him, it makes him greater than the structure. It reveals his true dimensions to the world. What we love about these buildings, Dominique, is the creative faculty, the heroic in man.”

“Do you love the heroic in man, Gail?”

“I love to think of it. I don’t believe it.”

Related Characters: Dominique Francon (speaker), Gail Wynand (speaker)
Related Symbols: Skyscrapers
Page Number: 498
Explanation and Analysis:
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Skyscrapers Symbol Timeline in The Fountainhead

The timeline below shows where the symbol Skyscrapers appears in The Fountainhead. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1: Chapter 3
Individualism Theme Icon
Integrity vs. Conformity Theme Icon
...used to be so popular that his clients didn’t argue with him. He enjoyed designing skyscrapers, celebrating their height. But then there was a revival of Classicism and architects who copied... (full context)
Part 1: Chapter 6
Integrity vs. Conformity Theme Icon
...New Jersey, he tells Roark to burn all his papers except the drawing of the skyscraper which has never been built which hangs in his office—he asks Roark to ship this... (full context)
Part 1: Chapter 15
Religion and Morality Theme Icon
...makes his way to Connecticut, he looks at the New York skyline and admires the skyscrapers that look like they “[hold] up to the sky the statement of what man had... (full context)
Part 2: Chapter 10
Individualism Theme Icon
...a few clients who appreciate his style, including commissions for a house and a 50-story skyscraper. Roark’s staff loves working for him, despite his lack of small talk and genialities. Instead,... (full context)
Part 3: Chapter 4
Individualism Theme Icon
Love and Selfishness Theme Icon
...she never experiences a sense of awe from nature, but feels it when she sees skyscrapers. Wynand agrees, saying he feels religious ecstasy at “the will of man made visible,” and... (full context)
Part 3: Chapter 9
Integrity vs. Conformity Theme Icon
...and Wynand says he likes to “see a man standing at the foot of a skyscraper.” It doesn’t dwarf him but makes him greater than the structure since “it’s man who... (full context)
Part 4: Chapter 19
Individualism Theme Icon
Integrity vs. Conformity Theme Icon
...the Wynand Building for him in Hell’s Kitchen, and that it must be the tallest skyscraper in the city. He says he’d wanted this building to be a monument to his... (full context)
Part 4: Chapter 20
Individualism Theme Icon
Integrity vs. Conformity Theme Icon
...later, Dominique visits Roark at the site of the Wynand Building. She looks at the skyscrapers of the city, which rise in “unexpected spots, out of the low roof lines” and... (full context)
Individualism Theme Icon
Integrity vs. Conformity Theme Icon
Rationality vs. Emotion Theme Icon
...various buildings of the city around her get smaller, and she even leaves the other skyscrapers behind. She sees Roark standing on a platform above, and he waves to her. She... (full context)