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Character Role Analysis

Peter Keating/Howard Roark

Howard Roark and Peter Keating are portrayed as opposites. Initially, Keating is successful when Roark is a failure, wealthy when Roark is poor, socially adept when Roark is terse and jerky. But by the end of the novel we see that Roark is principled and Keating is spineless. Roark has vision and Keating is a mimic. Roark is true to himself and Keating ends up caving.

Their differences are underlined by the fact that they're both architects. By having the exact same education and career, Rand is highlighting their personality differences with the prose equivalent of a blindingly neon yellow marker.