the longer I went without writing, the more convinced I became of its inevitable superiority. By now I was reading The Fountainhead for the fourth time, my confidence at a boil as I fell behind in my assignments and picked up demerits for missing chapel and chores. Bill had to prod me to keep my side of the room halfway neat, and one afternoon he confiscated the novel and wouldn't give it back until I'd picked up the mess around my bed. Man, you're really hot on this stuff, aren't you?”(Wolff, 71).

- What this quote is describing is the time before author Ayn Rand visits the school. The narrator should be spending his time preparing a story for Rand to judge, but instead he does things like missing class, getting in trouble, and being messy in his room. This is a big change for the narrator, as before this, he was on time and did his work and seldom get on trouble. This change might end up hurting the narrator and he may not get a good article in for Rand. 


“As the submission deadline approached I entered a fever of elation as if Ayn Rand had already chosen my story. I literally had chills, my brow was hot and clammy. I began to hear the bases of my characters and see their faces. It was all coming together: a great story, a masterpiece!” (Wolff, 73). 

- What this quote is describing is how things have changed once again for the narrator. The narrator has gained some motivation, especially from Bill. He decides to begin to write his story, and has hopes of beating the rest of the students, and hopes Rand likes his story. 

school motto- Give All- and urged everyone to ignore such drivel and live for themselves alone. Then she rebuked Hiram Dufresne for calling her a conservative in his introduction” (Wolff, 79). 

- What this quote is describing is the conversation Bill had with the narrator about the visit of Ayn Rand. During the meeting, she talked pretty down about the school, even going as far as to talk down about the school motto. This would upset both Bill and the narrator, and changed their view on Rand as a person and author.  

Too much truth. But we are trying to do something here. We are trying to become something different and even admirable, and for this effort we need all the loyalty we can draw on. More than loyalty. Love.” (144)
- This quote shows the headmaster urging the narrator to keep doing what he is doing to make the school look good as they are facing a lot of criticism. Also, we can see that schools are not always perfect in their teachings.