Criticism on Fountainhead Scene

Megan Nanovic Blog 7

Ayn Rand's portrayal of Dominique in the Fountainhead can be seen as dangerous.  Dominique is meant to represent the ideal woman, but some of her thoughts and actions in the book could cause difficulties in the world.  When a person reads a book or watches a movie, that person takes a portion of the story he/she was exposed to with him/her.  People make connections between their experiences and things they hear or see.  Readers of the Fountainhead are bound to form thoughts based on the book, and these thoughts have the ability to influence a reader's life if given enough weight.  After the rape in this book, it is revealed that Dominique enjoyed it.  This ideal woman wanted a man to overpower her and to violate her.  In this scene, rape is idealized, and this concept is not acceptable.  There are some people that may read this book and take this scene quite seriously.  One rape myth is that women enjoy being raped.  While this myth may not circulate as much as other myths, it still exists, and despite efforts, many people still believe various myths about rape.  These myths are dangerous because they place the blame on women for being raped, they shame women, and may cause rapists to view themselves as justified in their actions.  Some people who read about Dominique's reaction to the rape scene, may believe that some women actually do want to be raped.  If victims believe other people think this along with other rape myths, they are less likely to report any sexual abuse they experience, and both men and women who believe this could spread this idea which could result in any person who is raped to be silenced for fear of being judged because of what they went through.  Having Dominique enjoy being raped can have real world consequences based on the readers' reactions to this scene, and in that way it can be viewed as dangerous to have this type of idea in books and movies.

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