The Fountainhead: Gail Wynand: 1

Gail Wynand's backstory: Growing up in Hell's Kitchen, Wynand used his fists of fury to establish himself as a gang leader at age twelve. He was canny and he was clever: Growing up, he came up with all sorts of innovations that were ignored by his superiors. The rough-and-tumble world was his classroom, and he specialized in figuring out how things worked. Once he was severely beaten by a longshoreman, and a saloonkeeper ignored his plea for help. Years later he used his power to drive the saloonkeeper to bankruptcy and suicide, but he took no revenge on the longshoreman.

The world taught him cynicism. He once offered his heart to a woman, and when she revealed herself to be an empty-headed twit, he made sure never to fall in love again. He once clipped an editorial decrying corruption; he thought it was the greatest thing he had ever read. Later he met the author of that editorial, who dismissed his own writing as swill. From then on Wynand had it in for integrity in any manifestation.

He showed up at a newspaper one day and hung around until they gave him a job. He quickly moved up, applying competence, hard work, and guile to build a newspaper empire. Eventually he moved into a glass-enclosed penthouse in mid-Manhattan. On the floor below he kept a private art gallery.


It is October 1932. Wynand has built an empire on yellow journalism, and groups pay him homage even though his editorials oppose their interests. Today Wynand notices references to the "Gallant Gallstone" inserted into various stories in the Banner; he learns it is the title of a novel by the demented Lois Cook—some oddball allegory on free will. Ellsworth Toohey may be behind the insertions.

Wynand has also purchased a large block of land on Long Island, which he wants to develop into Stoneridge, a community of small homes. He has not selected an architect for the development, but late in the day Toohey comes to his office and suggests Peter Keating. Wynand is not convinced, so Toohey suggest he meet with the very persuasive Mrs. Keating. Wynand: Wha? Toohey: Look—I've had a present shipped to your home. If you like the present, please grant Mrs. Keating an interview; if not, we will trouble you no more.

Wynand goes home, where the latest of a long string of mistresses is waiting. He gives her two things: a diamond bracelet, and the heave-ho. She is consoled by the jewelry (because she is no longer the woman of integrity she was when he first met her and decided to corrupt her).

Wynand reads in his library for a while, but is suddenly struck with the lack of desire to do anything. While doing nothing, he rummages through a dresser drawer and finds a gun he keeps there. He idly presses the gun to his temple and thinks of pulling the trigger, because the story has gotten really slow here. Rand: Keep reading or I kill this character!

Wynand puts down the gun and goes to his study, where there is a huge crate—Toohey's present, which no one has noticed. Wynand pries open the crate, and there stands a statue of a naked woman. He calls Toohey on the phone—it's the middle of the night by now—and agrees to meet with Mrs. Keating. He also demands to know the name of the sculptor, because the statue is clearly the work of an artistic genius. Toohey pretends to have trouble remembering the name.

I don't know why Wynand didn't have a conversation with the statue. Maybe that's being held for a later chapter.