Ayn Rand and Esther: Soulmates: How The Fountainhead Can Illuminate Our Understanding of Esther and the Jews

Ayn Rand and Esther: Soulmates: How The Fountainhead Can Illuminate Our Understanding of Esther and the Jews

Soulmates: How the Fountainhead Can Illuminate Our Understanding of Esther and the Jews

by Orit Arfa

186 pages· 2015· ISBN 9781518836121
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What could the biblical tale of The Book of Esther about a young Jewess who becomes a Persian queen possibly have in common with Ayn Rand's bestseller The Fountainhead? It seems outlandish from the outset, given Ayn Rand's philosophical distaste for anything that smacks of religion or faith.
But The Book of Esther is arguably the most secular book of the Hebrew Bible, calling forth a worldview that, while not entirely reconcilable with Ayn Rand's philosophy of rational self-interest, promotes egoism and a rational quest for self-preservation. The characterization, plot, and themes of both works are so strikingly similar, that Ayn Rand might have even been surprised. 
In this groundbreaking book, you'll learn: 
* What do Howard Roark and Mordecai the Jew have in common?
* How could the character of Gail Wynand help us understand the motives of the glamorous, wealthy King Ahasuerus?
* Was the ingenue Queen Esther more like the self-denying Peter Keating or the rebellious Domonique Francon? 
 * What drives the villains, Haman and Ellsworth Toohey?
* How could a story concerned with Jewish interests be reconciled with Ayn Rand's individualism?
* How could The Fountainhead help us understand the modern-day struggles of the Jewish people today, particularly as they relate to Israel? 
Fans of either The Fountainhead or The Book of Esther are in for a real eye-opener!

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