character analysis: Peter Keating

Peter Keating is one of the few aspiring architects in Ayn Rand’s novel, The Fountainhead. Peter is almost the exact opposite of Roark in almost every way. He lives for fame and wealth and could care less of how poor his work actually is as long as he got money. His original goal was to become an artist however; his mother told him that an architect would be a better line of work with better pay.  Keating is mildly successful which is mostly because of Howard Roark. Keating was unable to create designs so he had Roark help him with his less inspired designs. In fact, all of Keating’s good ideas are stolen from Roark. Keating steals all of the credit while Roark is left almost completely broke. At one time in part one, Keating offers five hundred dollars to Roark for his help in the designs which Roark refuses. To Roark, his creations are not about the money but rather about the art he created. This is a mindset that Keating does not have. Keating is willing to do anything to become successful. He lies, steals, and flatters his way to the top while creating a bad name for himself. However, his mother is partly responsible for his lust for material things. His mother pushed him to become an architect in pursuit of material things rather than artistic creation. Had his mother not planted the idea that money is everything into his brain, Keating might have pursued his artistic career and gone much further in life. In Ayn Rand’s novel, Keating is described as a man with a warm smile and a strange voice. He also seems fairly unconfident towards his colleague Howard. He also seems very dependent on others, especially Howard which results in Keating’s current attitude towards Howard.