The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand - Literature review Example

In the novel The Fountainhead, by Ayn Rand, Howard Roark commits a crime when he dynamites Cortlandt Homes, after finding out that his original design has been changed. Despite this, Roark is found not guilty by the jury because he is able to morally and philosophically justify his actions with his “private, personal, selfish, egotistical motivation“ (Rand 580) for committing this act. Roark accomplishes this by appealing to the desires of the individual, rather than the uniformity that is often times present in society. He believes that individuals must stay true to themselves, no matter what the rest of society believes. This shows that he is a man who will stand up for what he believes in, which “involves a moral issue much beyond its legal aspects” (Rand 350). Roark believed that he was doing what was right in this situation and even though it was against the law, it was viewed by the jury as being justified because Roark did not allow himself to be swayed into following the conventions of society and becoming someone other than himself. One of the reasons why the reader is able to forgive Roark for his actions is because he does not change over the course of the novel in his wish to “take no part in a slave society” (Rand 685). He stands behind his convictions throughout the novel and is a very convincing character because of this. He has very specific principles and he will not compromise these principles for anyone. He questions the “working classes which support all of society; that the rows of identical windows offering their panes to the sun are the souls of the common people” (Rand 224). Roark is an architect who could have made a great deal of money by creating designs that other people wanted to see, but he refused to compromise his own integrity in order to do so. He would rather be poor and keep his integrity than be rich without his integrity because of the “effort and of obedience, which a society extorts from its every member” (Rand 108). This makes Roark a Christ-like figure, as he will stand by his beliefs regardless of the persecution that he will face because of these beliefs. The argument that can be made in favor of Roark’s actions continues this idea, as he is remaining true to his own personal beliefs, no matter what the rest of society expected of him. He also believes that “moral law is never to place his prime goal with the persons of others” (Rand 682), which means that nobody else should be able to tell him what is right or wrong for himself. Roark knows that he is a talented individual and he also knows that the buildings that he is designing will not be accepted by most people in society. The reader of this novel, therefore, is naturally drawn to admire Roark for the courage that he exhibits, as the attempts to reject the standards of society in the same manner that they reject him, even though he believes that “people would be much happier in a regulated society that had a definite pattern and a unified form - like a folk dance” (Rand 554). Roark wishes to keep his individuality, even when it causes him to lose all of his money, essentially abandoning his dreams. Roark philosophical argument during his second trial centers around his idea that history is driven by individuality, not society as a whole. This is why we remember famous individuals like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, as they were not afraid to do things that the rest of society did not necessarily agree with at times because “the mind is an attribute of the individual. There is no such thing as a collective brain” (Rand 679). This story is all about Roark’s quest to maintain his individuality in a world where collectivism and uniformity seem to dominate. He struggled to break free from the constraints that have been placed on him and his profession in order to truly express himself in a manner of which he can be proud. He believes that his most important character trait is his ability to assert himself in a manner that is independent of the rest of society, no matter what the consequences hold. He believes that this is human nature, however, as he says, “Tell man that he must live for others. ... Not a single one of them has ever achieved it and not a single one ever will. His every living impulse screams against it” (Rand 635). Therefore, Roark was able to justify dynamiting the housing complex because the changes to his plan violated his individuality and that he must act selfish in order to be free from these restraints. Roark comes to his philosophical conclusions on life based on his belief that individuals should base their decisions on logic and reason, rather than on pure emotion. Whenever Roark makes an individual decision, he bases it on what he feels is the most logical choice for him to make with “selfish reason - the same reason that makes a man choose the cleanest food he can find” (Rand 328). If he were to rely on emotion, he could possibly make choices based on the fear of being persecuted or the believe that money will bring him happiness, but Roark is too strong of a character to fall into this trap. This also promotes the belief that when human beings eliminate emotion from their decision making, that they will act in a more selfish manner because “a truly selfish man cannot be affected by the approval of others” (Rand 606). This would draw the conclusion that logic and reason will always influence an individual to do the best thing or him or her at that time, while emotion can cloud this process and cause for individuals to make bad decisions. Following the norms in society is judged as being illogical because it allows for the heart to be led in a direction that the mind would not normally take it into. The argument is also made that even when an emotional response to a problem has the best on intensions, logic and reason are the only ways that an individual can be free. Therefore, by dynamiting the Cortlandt Homes, Roark may have been breaking the law, but he also acted in what he felt was a reasonable and logical manner, which means that he did what he felt was right, regardless of the consequences, since “the question of punishment became an ethical problem” (Rand 294). The novel The Fountainhead says a great deal about human morality through the argument that is made over the course of this novel about it. Howard Roark is a man who acts with logic and reason, rather than emotion, which causes him to act in a selfish manner. This selfish manner, however, is viewed as the only way for one to keep his or her individuality in our society, since society has become a melting pot where uniformity is deemed normal. By standing by his own beliefs, Roark is able to philosophically shape himself into the ultimate in morality. While the courts in real life probably would not agree with the actions of Roark, the jury in this novel is swayed by his speech and acquits him of his crime because of the individuality that he represents. Howard Roark holds onto his belief that individuals must act in a selfish manner in order to truly be free. Works Cited Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. New York: New American Library. 1952. Read More