Dominique Francon is the human personification of inner turmoil and complexity. He is a character who seeks to destroy the only person he has allowed himself to love. She is presented as a character who lets people walk all over her and control her destiny. Her father, Guy Francon, describes her as not having even the ability to "behave like a human being" (122). Dominique lives her life freely, without worrying about reputation or money. His life sometimes seems transparent, almost as if he isn't living at all. He pretends to work for a newspaper he despises, writing about a topic he considers despicable. He even states that he does this job to "have something to do, something more disgusting than many other things I could do. And more fun" (118). However, his personality changes completely when he meets Howard Roark. Roark is a man who represents everything Dominique values in life: heroism, nobility, creativity and individualism, which is why she seeks to destroy him. He wishes to preserve it, along with its values. In a world where she herself can barely survive, Dominique seeks to destroy the only thing she loves to save him. Dominique is a complex character who represents a mix of idealism and pessimism. He appreciates humans at their best, and Roark embodies all the ideals he admires. However, he also hates the world and its lack of appreciation for individualism. Dominique believes that the world does not deserve to witness the beauty of a Greek statue, just as she prefers Keating's copied drawings to Roark's unique buildings. Society has the power to control a person's beliefs and Dominique believes that people have been forced to abandon their beliefs to keep them hidden. She destroyed the statue she loved to mold herself into the shape society wants her to take, but she keeps herself distant from society. Dominique plans to do the same to Roark.
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