During the construction union strike, Ellsworth Toohey declared in his speech to the strikers: "We will unite or we will be defeated." Our will – the will of the disinherited, the forgotten, the oppressed – will weld us into a solid rampart” (103). Toohey's statement sets the stage for the prodigious irony of his character. The self-appointed humanitarian defines the strikers, and by extension the working class, as weak and powerless, needing their masses to rise up against their powerful oppressors, the privileged contractors and architects needing their labor and skills, but few willing to share in the wealth generated by collective creation. The irony of Toohey's words is that by freeing man from his oppressors, Toohey becomes his beloved controller. Toohey's success as a columnist and speaker lies in his perceived virtue and wisdom, through which followers can absolve themselves of selfish sin and ego, uniting instead for the collective "good" and advancement of all people towards a kinder, more loving and more inclusive future. . Religions and sociopolitical movements have used the same tactics to gain momentum for thousands of years. From the Crusades to Mao to Ryan Murphy's Glee, there have been people like Toohey who rose to power by offering redemption to humanity in exchange for their service or support. Toohey, as he asked the Bible teacher at fifteen, achieves his wealth through soul collecting (306). In The Fountainhead, Toohey brings souls together by using his influence to support those who are not exceptional. Toohey, a genius in his own right, takes over the larger mechanism that is New York City; Toohey also hinders and destroys the careers of geniuses like him: Roark, Mallory and Dominique Fra... middle of paper ... he can control the ignorant society in which they must exist. In order to control this society, Toohey gains the support of both the masses and influential people, demonstrating sympathy for the common man and the plight of the outcasts, but offering absolution from the sin of decadence and privilege for the wealthy . Toohey also indebted those he made key players in the complex mechanism that is society, giving Keating and Cook success they could not have enjoyed without his help, all to strengthen his social empire and sphere of influence. 'influence. In all these actions, Toohey brings together the souls, the spirit of man, to unite him with his brothers against his oppressors and shepherd him into a new world, fairer and kinder than the one he suffers. Works Cited Anderson, Hans Christian. "The Emperor's New Clothes." The emperor's new clothes. Np, and Web. April 25. 2014. .