<3

Tyler Alexander Harvey
Kacey Riley
AP Comp
28/5/2014
Prompt 3
Dominique Francon lives in a world of mediocrity, characterized by creations not constructed in the name of genuine talent or love of the subject, but for success. While the book centers on how a society like this can be overcome, from a perspective of somebody who was the daughter of this system, those who champion the system’s failure, such as Howard Roark, are portrayed as the enemy. Instead of dealing with this in the way Roark has, by trying to fix society, she crafts an illusion for herself and pretends that the world is decent. When Roark finally shows her that a life outside of this institution is possible, she attempts to destroy him, partly to keep her illusion alive and partly to shelter Roark from being broken by men like his foil, Peter Keating. Conversely, Dominique found cracks in her belief in the system before she met Roark, particularly that because of her privilege she has only had success not because of her talent, but because of her father. Ayn Rand weaves these many layers together to create a complex romance between a woman and the man she both loves and wishes to destroy.
The society itself which has bred generations of success without merit has set the stage for Dominique’s conflict of self. The concept of success just for power and money puts the aspects of earning recognition and actual talent to the way side. Those who are subpar lead society as long as they appeal to the previous powers. The New York Architectural Machine will inevitably lead to the consumption of talents such as Roark. Howard, the man Dominique cannot help but love, will fall at the hands of those below him. With powerful admiration, Dominique sets out to destroy Roark before the talentless pervert and defeat him.
In addition to her love for Roark and what he stands for, her self-hatred projected onto him is a reason why she struggles to be happy. Her success, being given to her, has given her all the more resolve to destroy the system that made her successful for the wrong reasons. An attachment to the life of a younger Dominique and the realization of the atrocities going on put her at odds with herself. The ‘new’ Dominique, having seen the error of her ways in Roark, now wishes to defeat the system, yet also goes through the system to ruin Roark’s life before anyone else can. Such a new form of thought instilled in her by Roark also makes her resent him for changing her so drastically. When she cannot blame herself anymore, she goes to blame the next most important thing in her life: her lover.
“You don’t have to applaud. I don’t expect it” (Rand 146). Dominique says this with the intent of seeming disconnected with the privileged life she grew up in and to further her dissociation with who she was and who she desire to be. By characterizing herself as powerful even in the harshest conditions, she feels an independence from the machine.
Her desires being fulfilled all her life has led to extravagances which also control her decisions. The selfish and irrational nature of Dominique shows her passion toward what she cares for, but also shows that the same passion can be destructive.

You know, I love statues of naked men. Don’t look so silly. I said statues. I had one in particular. It was supposed to be Helios. I got it out of a museum in Europe. I had a terrible time getting it; it wasn’t for sale, of course. I think I was in love with it, Alvah. I brought it home with me.
	She goes on to throw this same statue down the airshaft because it is too perfect for others to see. Something priceless is destroyed because others were not ready for it. Instead of waiting for the day when man can understand its perfection, she must get rid of it. This shows that Dominique doesn’t care for those below her more than she does care for the pursuit of perfection.
Because of these surfacing insecurities cast aside by Dominique, she acts out aggressively against Howard Roark. This is made evident by her destructive tendencies both internally (to scorn) and externally (to destroy).  Such conflict of character leads Dominique to become unable to control herself and her life. What kind of society allows people like Guy Francon and Peter Keeting to be successful while those with raw talent, such as Roark and Cameron, must “only hear your voice begging him [Francon], pleading, your voice licking his knees?” That is what complicates Dominique’s love for Roark and herself.