by Ayn Rand
1943, 752 pages, Bobbs Merrill

Every once in a while, you pull a novel from the stacks that unexpectedly delivers a philosophical kick to the head. I didn’t know much about “The Fountainhead,” by Ayn Rand, until my brother, an architecture student, handed it to me. Rand’s philosophy of selfishness as a virtue was familiar, and I knew the book had something to do with architecture, but I had no idea that, in the midst of reading it, I would be forced to question some of my deepest held convictions.

Comfortable Americans are often made to feel guilty because of their positions in life. At times, the guilt is justified—we are a greedy, consumptive lot. This guilt often motivates people to adopt a life of self-sacrifice. They serve others instead of serving themselves. But what is lost in this gesture of altruism? Everything, according to Rand. The practice of self-sacrifice eliminates any chance of individual, creative accomplishment, the kind of accomplishment that pushes human progress forward. It’s a philosophy that shakes human motivation—my own included—down to its foundation.
“The Fountainhead” examines the life of Howard Roark, a young architect, who battles the ineptitude of public opinion as he strives to build structures that he knows are better than the prevailing tastes in building design. Throughout the novel, Roark rides a rollercoaster of wealth, poverty, praise and criticism. However, his creative integrity remains steady. His refusal to compromise is labeled as selfish and egotistical, but in the author’s eyes, these traits are virtues that make Roark an ideal man.

Rand explores the various angels of her philosophy through other important characters in the novel. Peter Keating, Ellsworth Toohey and Gail Wynand are developed to create a contrast with Roark. Keating is an architect, but one who borrows from the creation of others in order to gain wealth and public acceptance. He is “the man who could never be, but doesn’t know it.” Toohey is a newspaper columnist who touts the virtues of the common man as a way of romanticizing his own mediocrity. Rand refers to him as “the man that could never be and knows it.” Wynand is a newspaper mogul who shares some of Roark’s virtues, but eventually bows to public opinion in order to maintain his position.  

The novel is a fictional translation of Rand’s philosophy, called objectivism, which states that the only moral purpose in life should be the pursuit of personal happiness. In her view, people shouldn’t act for the benefit of others. They should follow their own egotistical pursuits. She maintains that all great men throughout history followed their own interests without regard for other people’s opinions. They didn’t rely on anybody for encouragement or aid. Dependency of any kind is abhorrent, in Rand’s opinion. A strong ego manifested through action is how things get done. The title is a reference to Rand’s statement that “man’s ego is the fountainhead of human progress.”

Published in 1943, the novel was Rand’s first literary success and won her fame and fortune. Six years later, it was made into a movie, starring Gary Cooper as Howard Roark. During the filming, the director proposed cutting part of Roark’s final speech, which is basically a summation of Rand’s entire philosophy. Who knows why the director thought he could get Rand to compromise, seeing as doing so would be counter to her core beliefs. She protested and threatened to pull the film’s rights. The director rescinded his request and the result is six uncut minutes of Gary Cooper smearing the myth that self-sacrifice is a virtue.

In some instances, the philosophy Rand espouses in “The Fountainhead” has been used by exploitive capitalists who feel around in the dark for an intellectual justification for their extravagant lifestyles. However, people who exploit others for their own benefit still depend on someone other than themselves and therefore do not merit respect under Rand’s standards. It is the creators pushing human progress forward who are justified in their egotistical pursuit of happiness. Their happiness brings all of humanity to the next stage of human development.

“The Fountainhead” is one of those books you read too fast because you can’t put it down. When it’s finished, you regret not taking your time and sapping every drop of insight that Rand has to offer.