By conventional standards, The Fountainhead’s Peter Keating seems to be the archetype of selfishness; he craves wealth, fame and admiration, and will do whatever it takes to get them. But what’s the real nature of his ambition? What does he truly value, of his own accord? What does he actually want in life? In this lesson, you’ll study the character of Peter Keating, exploring the essence of his “self.” Is there something mistaken about our conventional notion of selfishness, if Peter Keating seems to be its paragon?

Spoiler alert: This lesson assumes that students have read The Fountainhead.