Fountainhead

A detailed Summary of Fountainhead

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand is an attack on conservative norms and structure. Ayn Rand expresses her views by creating a corrupt society where conformity and imitation surpasses creativity and innovation. Rand feels that one shouldn't compromise to society and let money and success be his driving force. The protagonist, Howard Roark, however rejects this society and is Ayn Rand's ideal being. She believes conformity to be what deteriorates humankind and that human progress would cease to exist without the Howard Roark's of the world. In the midst of the novel, Ayn Rand compares Roark with each and every other character, magnifying their flaws, which she believes to be the chief cause of decay. The main comparison lies between Roark and Keating. She supports her philosophy by creating Roark and Keating to act as foils who display her ideal values (which are surprising selfish) versus the norm, or what is selfless.

Rand parallels and contrasts every aspect of the two characters. Keating and Roark have similarities in interests and background. They go to the same college, pursue the same field, even live in the same house. Their differences are in their values and personas. Keating sacrifices his self-respect for fame and needs

Keating, on the other hand is altruistic, but left unfulfilled. His mother has manipulated him his entire life to achieving all of her goals. At his downfall, she feels that she has failed as an individual as well. Time after time, his mother influences Keating. His career choice was altered from the visual arts to architecture. He ends up doing most of the work for his company because he sees the rest of the employees and incompetent and that his duty is to make up for their lack of skill. He even marries one other than his love so that he would achieve his mother's goal. He isn't living his own life, but that of his mothers. His selflessness leads to his downfall, all he needed was to pursue his own goals and he wouldn't have been wallowing in self-pity. This selflessness even drives him to crime, promoting the death of Heyer and accrediting himself with all of Roark's plans.

Roark is headstrong and a fierce advocate of individualism. Expulsion from college doesn't even sway his ideologies, let alone the numerous job opportunities left behind. He feels traditional artwork doesn't have a soul and that any architecture with traditional or historical style is mediocre or done poorly, without thought. He

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Approximate Word count = 817
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous

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Fountainhead

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