Quote Originally Posted by stinkyattic
Acouwaila, did you ever read The Fountainhead? There's an interesting commentary on selflessness that runs through the book- that one who is committed to acts of charity may not, in fact, be working primarily for the good of others at all, but in hopes of making themselves feel better, or be admired for their sacrifice, and that true selflessness comes only when one understands that he is simply a part of the greater community and helping others makes his own world a better place.
The character in particular whose story is of a misguided sense of charity is Toohey's niece Catherine, Keating's sometime girlfriend, who appears to be a minor character and doesn't show up in simplified analyses of the novel at all, but she is a very important figure IMHO, a tragic symbol of naivete and a poor understanding of her relationship with the world.


I really must read fountainhead. My friend has been preaching to me about it for weeks now. It sounds great. Maybe once I finish, I'll open a thread for discussion.