The Fountainhead
by Ayn Rand, Leonard Peikoff
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Book Reviews of The Fountainhead
Book Review: This is a spoof, really
Summary: 4 Stars
Ayn Rand has been an interesting influence on me throughout. While I have never subscribed to her objectivist phiolosophy outright, I value her opinions about individualism and share her passion against anything remotely to do with Communism.
The following is, however, a spoof on her first major success: Fountainhead. Hoard Roark is the protaganist of this fictitious venture and epitomizes individualism. However, since I feel it's neither possible nor practical to live like him, I have come up with this little take-off on one of the meetings Hoard Roark has with his friend Peter Keating.
Hoard Roark was sitting at his desk in his office. He was looking at the designplans for the new building he would be working on. "Would" is the operative word here because nobody has offered Hoard Roark any work in the last 3 months. He had to pay his landlord. He had to pay the Electric and Gas services. He had to pay and he had nothing to pay with.
Peter Keating made a sudden entrance into his office. Keating was famous for his sudden entrances. It gave him that extra power, that extra hold over his audiences. However, he realized that Hoard was never in awe of him. He would look at him with the same impassioned gaze he would employ when he watched grass grow. Peter Keating felt uncomfortable in Roark's presence. Roark seemed to look through him and Keating didn't like it at all. Who would?
"What do you think of," Keating blurted out. Before he could complete his sentence, Roark cut him off mid-way. "If you are talking about anything that interests you, then I don't think of it. I only think of my work and myself all the time. By the way, I don't think of you either," Roark said with that same impassioned gaze of his.
"I was going to say, `What do you think of the weather today.' But you cut me off," Keating angrily said. "Oh, that! I don't care much about the weather," replied Roark. Keating didn't know what else to say. Roark always did that to him.
"What about other people? Don't you think of any one?" Keating asked Roark. He had to continue this conversation. He wanted to run away from there screaming, tearing his hair, back to his $300,000 dollar per year job, but he felt a strange urge to continue.
"I don't think of other people too. In fact, when I am walking on a street, I don't notice them," Roark proclaimed. He wasn't sounding obnoxious. He was stating a mere fact. The conviction clearly shone through his eyes.
"Well, wouldn't that cause you to bump into them sometimes?" Keating asked incredulously. He could never understand Roark.
"It does," admitted Roark. "But it's a small price to pay for preserving your individualism."
Peter Keating changed the topic. "There is this girl I am in love with. I don't know how to say it to her," he said.
"Peter, you must solve your own problems. If you don't know how to profess your love, then you're not fit to love," said Roark amicably. Then he continued. "I will tell you what to do this time though. Find out when she sleeps. Find out if there is a window through which you can enter her bedroom. And then, get in and make love to her, forcibly if necessary."
Keating was aghast. "But if she doesn't like me doing that, it would amount to rape. I would be arrested. Worse, I would lose my job." The mere thought turned his stomach."There is only one way to find out, Peter," calmly said Hoard Roark. (Since this essay needs to end with the words "Hoard Roark.")
Book Review: "Just for fun"
Summary: 4 Stars
Rand's novel The Fountainhead is a philosophical work. In her philosophical novel, Rand uses Howard Roark, an architect, in order to advance her plot. However, it is important not to get caught up in the architecture because it is a story depicting a philosophy, more than just conflict between characters. Given the book is a philosophical work, the criterion by which it should be judged, differ from the criterion when reading a book "just for fun". Most importantly, the ideas presented in a philosophical work must stay consistent and must be easily understood. This novel should also give a convincing case through the means of its story. It should also be noted that the reader's personal beliefs will not matter when reading a book of philosophical orientation.
Rand's philosophy is presented in a clear manner throughout the novel. From the first chapter, Roark's unwillingness to compromise is presented. The philosophy however is more than simply do not compromise, but rather includes the reasoning and motives behind those thoughts. Roark refuses to compromise with the dean at the beginning of the novel because it would mean living for another person. Behind the motives we have the deeper meaning behind Rand's novel, and that is to say that each individual is most beneficial to society if and only if he lives solely for himself. This philosophy is clear for the whole of the story, assuming a general outcome is understood. Roark is presented as the hero and so long as he ends up on top, the philosophy is consistent. Naturally, at the end of the book, Roark stands symbolically atop the world, thus completing the uniformity of ideas presented in Rand's The Fountainhead.
Furthermore, the destiny of the other character's of The Fountainhead help deliver a convincing argument for Rand's philosophy. Ellsworth Toohey loses his job at the Banner. Peter Keating loses all of his once potent fame and money. And even Gail Wynand loses the battle he had to win: against the strike. All three of these men represented something different and impure in the way man should live life according to Rand. Toohey was "selfless", Keating wanted fame, and Wynand desired power. All three are wrong and lead one into a life of a "second-hander". A "second-hander" can most easily be described as a person living through the approval of others. According to Roark, the worst second-hander of all, is the one who seeks power.
When taking into account that the book was written fifty years ago, the philosophy of the book should not play a role in choosing whether or not to read it. If your are a selfish egotist, great; or a selfless individual, fantastic. From either perspective, new knowledge can be gained. The Fountainhead can help solidify a belief system already in place, or it can provide a gained perspective angle into life. Or, the book may be studied historically and understand that this is Rand's response to communism and collective thinking. Overall, the audience's personal beliefs will not factor into the importance and significance of reading such a book.
Ultimately, Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead was a well developed philosophical novel. For the reasons that it is well written, focused, and powerful, The Fountainhead should be read by everyone. On a personal note, I enjoyed reading not only the philosophy intertwined in the plot, but the plot itself as well. For anyone considering picking up this book, I would recommend it "just for fun" and as a knowledgeable piece of literature.
Book Review: Howard Roark!
Summary: 5 Stars
I cannot stress how much this novel, reading it 10 years ago has changed my life. I cannot by any means explain how Howard Roark is my ultimate idol for achieving my dreams, keeping my integrity, and have a better understanding about us humans.
By far, no one needs to praise this masterpiece more. It's a classic with words, pages, and sentences that will definatly rattlesnake forever in one's mind. What is a man's purpose? What's the difference between selfishness and will? What is objectivism or universalism? Why would you stay original in your endeavors and believe in them no matter what?
My favorite part is when Roark brings down the designs that they have changed. Call me idialistic but what if Howard Roark would emmerge from each one of us? What if we never supplicate to a social programming of what should and what shouldn't be? Believe this is a charchter that if you always remember, it coudl change a couple of decisions in your life for the better.
I know it's a ficticious charcter, but it jumps out of the pages.
Imaginary, intellectual, and so fabulously written it makes me think it is a spell book of magic hymn to a better mankind. This is a long book, that usually most writers don't know how to make it interesting and keep it in tempo. But Ayn Rand writes so beautifully with a consistency you can't deny that at the end you still want to read more.
Also every chracter is drawn perfectly. Every Charachter even Peter Keating, Elsworth Toothy, is just so believable and with reasonning logic and motive of their own.
Also I really like the strange love relationship between Roark and Dominique. To many this relationship, or affair, whatever you want to call it, is out of the ordinary and not believable and sometimes unethical to some people. But this a side love story with reality biting at it.
That's Ayn Rand's magic!
The philosophy she imposes might seem radical and counter-intuitive in the beginning. If you don't read carefully you might get confused of why the charcters act this way. It needs time to shift your thinking to one of the greatest philosophies of history.
Ayn Rand is a great and detailed obsever of the human beahviour, analyser at best, on-purpose, and accepts it that we are paradoxically a conflict-based bein. We swim betwen between our real needs and wants and those social ideas bestowed on us.
I don't want to sound poetic or as if i try to be writer ... read this book and buy some other copies for your grand children ...
Awsome!
Atlas Shrugged Atlas Shruged is as good and at moments even better.
The Human Effect is also a novel intensivley interested in human paradoxical behaviour explained chracters who are architechts as well. Only beware it is a phsycological hunting horror in genre with a mystery plotline.
Catch-22 is my ultimate human condition book that on contrary of Rand, this one makes me laugh at the ideas imposed on our lives as individuals. One great book! A classic of course. A catch will alwys remain with you for life.
Reviewed by PJ
Book Review: The Fountain Head Spouts Bilge
Summary: 1 Stars
As a Brit, I'd never even heard of Aryan Rant until I moved to the USA a couple of years ago. Once here, her name cropped up many times, especially when Alan Greenspan (a former disciple of hers) was mentioned, or I talked to some of my young American colleagues. They seemed to idolize Aryan Rant, and speak of her and her works with great reverence.
So, with much anticipation I bought this monster of a book, fully prepared to read and enjoy a cult piece that had escaped my attention, or failing that, get a view of Architecture during the peak of the Modern Movement - the people responsible for all those huge concrete cubes in every city in the Western World.
Months later, its sad to realise that at the age of 35, I came to this book at least 20 years too late. Its an immature, second rate novel, challenging only because of its great length and turgid writing style (forgivable perhaps, since English was Rant's second language).
As for its philosophy; "fascism with an adolescent face" might summarise it in five words. The main character, Howard Roark clearly believes himself above all other men (and especially women). He never feels doubt or uncertainty, and acts towards everyone with humorless contempt. Amazingly we observe that he's bitter, isolated, and can't relate to anyone. He also feels desperately misunderstood and undervalued by an ignorant and cruel conformist society. Boo hoo! How cruel the world is to unrecognized genius!
Which I suppose, explains this novel's enduring popularity among bright (mainly male) adolescents - this is a character they can REALLY relate too, although unlike Salinger's Holden Caulfield, he shares his creator's complete lack of wit and humour.
Seldom have I struggled so hard to finish a novel, Moby Dick was a breeze compared to this weighty turgid lump. Occasionally there's an illuminating thought to be extracted like a piece of soap trapped deep in a sodden sponge. But mainly I felt disbelief; amazed at the extraordinary naiveté of the author, did she imagine any business, let alone architecture, functions in this way? I was stunned that someone held to be master philosopher and Literary (note the capital L) author could create so many two dimensional forgettable characters, and so many forgettable scenes, each to be dissected and explained for us idiots in the next 30+ pages, just in case we missed the point the 4th time it was made.
In desperation, I read around the book a little and started making excuses; Rant's sole exposure to architecture was a six month stint (working for free mainly as an observer) in Frank Lloyd Wright's office. This is a philosophical novel, bravely expounding a fascist viewpoint when America (and the rest of the free world) was busy fighting Nazi Germany and its ally Japan. Rant, openly admitted (years later) that she knew nothing of psychology (quite an admission for a novelist, you might think).
Eventually, I emerged from finishing "The Fountain Head" as bewildered as I had been by page 30. This is an adolescent book, written by an intelligent but deeply flawed author, who creates deeply flawed cardboard characters and overtly manipulates them to explain, at great length, a philosophy so unrealistic that it cannot apply to a world any of us recognises.
The truth is The Fountain Head spouts bilge. Gallons and gallons of toxic bilge. Pity the poor adolescents who lap it up - sooner or later it will do them terrible harm.
Book Review: Philosophy Well-Woven in Fiction
Summary: 4 Stars
Ayn Rand weaves her philosophy of objectivism into this novel. The philosophy rejects (as being incompatible with man's greatness) mercy, altruism, charity, sacrifice, and service. These proclaimed virtues are portrayed as either weaknesses or as tools of subjugation. Consequently, objectivism must likewise reject all of the world's religions, as well as the possibility of the existence of a God.
Altruism, Rand argues, forces men to keep others subservient, so that they may make themselves feel righteous; it has been the root of the greatest evils in the world (Communism, Nazism, etc.); but egoism has resulted in creations which have alleviated the sufferings of man for generations to come. Her philosophy is most succinctly expressed by her architect hero Howard Roark, who says, "All that which proceeds from man's independent ego is good. All that which proceeds form man's dependence upon men is evil." He argues that "only by living for himself" is man "able to achieve the things which are the glory of mankind" and that "no man can live for another . . . The man who attempts to live for others is a dependent. He is a parasite in motive and makes parasites of those he serves."
And yet Roark is himself the quintessential intellectual, who shares the same failing of the intellectuals who created Communism, Nazism, and the other "altruistic evils"; that is, he is capable of loving man in the abstract but incapable of loving him in the particular: "One can't love man without hating most of the creatures who pretend to bear his name."
"The Fountainhead" expresses an individualism that is uniquely American, and it is therefore surprising that it, as far as I know, has never been in the running for the title of "The Great American Novel." Of course, although it emphasizes that individualism has made our nation great (and it has), it must of necessity ignore and dismiss another progressive force in our nation's history-American Christianity. Rand's philosophy stands in stark contrast to the collectivism which was then sweeping the world in an ocean of blood. "It has reached," says Roark, "a scale of horror without precedent. It has poisoned every mind. It has swallowed most of Europe. It is engulfing our country."
So what about the story? Despite the copious philosophical dialogue, the story is not sacrificed to create an ethical treatise. The characters are fascinating, very well-developed, and the story is at times gripping. However, the relationship between our hero and heroine is never fully convincing to me, and I find it highly disturbing that Rand felt it necessary to make rape an essential and positive element of their union. The story drew me in at first, and then began to lose me for several chapters, as Rand breaks one of the rules of good structure and does not begin developing a main character until over half way through the novel. By then, I did not feel invested enough in the character of Gail Wynand to learn in detail about his past life...but as Wynand was more fully developed and his life tied into that of the hero's, he became to me the most interesting character.
"The Fountainhead" is a tale of both defeat and triumph. It is depressing and exalting, inviting and repugnant. And its philosophy, like all great lies, contains an enormous amount of truth.