I finally finished The Fountainhead the other day. I really enjoyed this book.
The Fountainhead is the story of Howard Roark, one of the world’s only truly rational men. It’s a very interesting story, set in the 1920’s and describes how Roark manages to live in a world filled with irrational people.
Ayn Rand does a wonderful job of giving life to the characters, and the contrast between Roark and Peter Keating, who is everything that Roark isn’t, is executed superbly.
Rand also highlights “Objectivism” which I suppose is the opposite of Collectivism. Every man for himself rather than everyman for everyone but himself. The story holds the belief that society’s concepts of selfishness and selflessness are backwards. Roark states that “Men have been taught that the ego is the synonym of evil, and selflessness the ideal of virtue.”
He goes on to say that “Egotism was held to mean the sacrifice of others to self. Altruism– the sacrifice of self to others.”
Roark’s main principle is that he does not do things for others, nor does he live through others, or ever attempt to see himself through others eyes. People who live their lives living off the work of others, judging themselves based on the thoughts of others, he refers to these people as “second-handers”, which is a very apt name for them.
Throughout the course of the novel, many things occur to challenge Roark’s rational, egotist personality. He commonly refers to himself as a egotist, not in the sense that he sacrifices others for himself but that he relies on and lives for himself and no one else — taking nothing and expecting nothing from others. At one point, he tells Gail, a friend, that he would die right then and there for Gail, but that he would never live for him.
To me, these are all very insightful things. Think of a world where everyone strived to do their best, to work for themselves. No using others, no getting ahead and enjoying the fruits of someone else’s hardwork.
Living for oneself, living to please yourself and not everyone else… being happy with yourself and liking yourself for who you are, not who everyone sees you as, I think that’s a wise idea.
I recommend this book strongly, but it is long and many prove challenging to some. =)