The Fountainhead: Ellsworth M. Toohey: 6

This chapter begins with a paean to Roger Enright, Self-Made Man, and pardon me while I fwow up. There are certainly men and women of great accomplishment, but the myth of the person who succeeds without anyone's help is a bit of self-deceiving claptrap. Dream on, ye high priests of individualism.

Roark reopens his office to work on the Enright Building. Mostly he focuses on the construction, but occasionally he thinks of Dominique, knowing it must be driving her crazy not knowing who or where he is. This amuses him.

Joel Sutton is a successful businessman who met Roark through Enright. Sutton has trouble reading people, so he loves everyone without discrimination. He is planning to put up a big office building, and if a smart guy like Enright would hire Roark, maybe Sutton will too. He meets with Roark and likes him; after much thought, he just might award Roark the commission, some time down the road.

In December Austen Heller visits Roark and urges him to attend a formal dinner put on by Kiki Holcombe. Sutton will be there; it will be Roark's chance to make a favorable impression. After some argument, Heller convinces Roark to attend. Gosh, I hope Heller's assistance doesn't cut into Roark's credentials as a self-made man, although I guess it could be argued that Roark's inherent excellence, which he self-made to spray all over everyone he meets, provided the motivation for Heller to try to assist Roark in the first place. Does that theory work?

At the dinner, Toohey is demonstrating to all the guests how courageous and clever he is by telling them things they don't want to hear in ways they want to hear them. Or something. Keating is there too, still enjoying the celebrity of the Cosmo-Slotnick commission, although he would be happier if Dominique would pay attention to him.

Then Roark arrives, orange hair and all dressed up. He is introduced to Dominique, and no one knows her brain is exploding except the two of them. They converse politely.

There is much mingling and conversation. Roark talks to Sutton, who invites him to play badminton. Roark: I don't play badminton. Later Keating tells Roark he should have sucked up to Sutton and pretended he played badminton.

Toohey also sees Roark for the first time, and he watches him obsessively. Toohey and Dominique have special powers and can see that Roark is very handsome and that Roark's soul blazes forth with great style like a million suns. No one else sees this.

Yes, it's all about the really special people. The rest of us don't really count, do we?