The Fountainhead – Ayn Rand’s gift of Objectivism to the World

In a literary classic that can influence you in a way few others can, The Fountainhead introduces the world to Ayn Rand’s philosophy of ‘Objectivism’. Delivered through a work of fiction so engaging and thought-provoking that it almost forces you to look at yourself in a way you had never imagined.

First, a word on Objectivism

In simple terms, it is a man’s right to his own happiness. A belief in pursuing your own desires, with ‘reason’ or ‘logic’ at the core of his actions. It is a school of thought that suggests that giving up your own happiness for the sake of others is perhaps one of the biggest moral injustices you can do to yourself.

As Ayn Rand says “the individual must exist for his own sake. Neither sacrificing himself to others, nor sacrificing others to himself.”

While controversial to say the least, her ideas at many levels resonate with individuals even today. The struggle between choosing to do something for yourself vs sacrificing yourself for those around you. The hesitation in simply saying ‘No’ to unreasonable demands. Or the social guilt you’re almost compelled to endure for putting your priorities in front of others’. All doubts that creep into our minds conditioned to selflessly put the needs of others before our own. Because that is what an ‘ideal individual’ does. Without realising that this conditioning can also make you lose all meaning of the ‘individual’. A word more powerful than we realise. Her ideas on Objectivism and Individualism have formed the core of a large part of her works, including Atlas Shrugged, Anthem, The Virtue of Selfishness, and of course, The Fountainhead.

Back to the Fountainhead

This is a story of an individual vs the collective. A man fighting to save his talents at any costs, against a world intent on destroying him for his talents.

First, we have Howard Roark, an architect of principles and standards that cannot be bought or bargained with. At any price. A man understood by very few. And liked by even fewer. An egotist who does what he does for one simple reason – because he likes to.

On the other end, we have the cunning and devious Ellsworth Toohey, a powerful critic intent on destroying men of genius to uplift talentless individuals. A man determined on destroying men of principles to empower men who lack them. A man who isn’t afraid of anyone, except the one he aims to destroy. Howard Roark.

Then, we have the brilliant, intelligent, beautiful, and influential Dominique Francon. A woman who can have any man, except the one she wants. And we have Gail Wynand, a man who can buy anything and indeed anyone he comes across, except the one man who becomes his friend. The one man. Our protagonist, Howard Roark.

The philosophy at the heart of the drama

One of the many aspects that make The Fountainhead a book in its own league is its central theme. While most works of fiction do carry a central theme, very few have breakthrough philosophical ideas at its core. Which is what the Fountainhead has. The ideas of Objectivism and Individualism.

It is a story about the strength of the individual and the value of his morals. Portrayed in the form of a hero like no other. A man who has no intention of serving anyone but himself. A man who is struggling to survive in a society that does not accept him. And worse, does not and cannot understand him. A man fighting to protect his individual self, his talent, his art. And above all, to protect his soul.

It also introduces the idea of ‘Second handers’ who she describes as individuals who are more concerned by how they are valued by others, even if it means sacrificing their own view of themselves. In other words, a man who allows values himself only as others value him. Quite a familiar idea today, even if we don’t realise it.

A lesson in every page

Even though The Fountainhead is, strictly speaking, a work on fiction, it does a tremendous job of outlining the philosophy that guides the story. With something new to ponder on in each chapter, thoughts that can almost make you ask existential questions of yourself, here are five key takeaways of the many it served me.

1. Loving your skill, and mastering it
   We’ve all heard the saying – ‘Do what you love. And you’ll never work a day in your life.’ But is ‘doing what you love’ enough? In romanticizing this phrase, it’s easy to forget the importance of ‘mastering’ what you do. And there’s a big gap between doing something you love, and doing it well. A gap that needs filling more than ever today.
   
2. Identify your purpose
   This is a key difference between the hero of our story and the others around him. Why do you do what you do. What is the purpose behind your decisions. True, the answers might differ for different individuals. It might be chasing a life-long dream for one. And chasing wealth for another. What you need to ask yourself though, is ‘Are you chasing your own purpose, or someone else’s? Or are your driven by the world you grew up in a third direction entirely?
   
3. The morality of self-serving actions
   Do you have the right to pursue your happiness before society’s? In reality, that turns is a tricky question for so many of us busy wondering what the world would think of us if we put our needs before theirs. One choice brands you as ‘selfish’. The other, as the ideal in the eyes of the world. But what do you brand yourself as? If your actions for the benefit of others keep you from your own goals, isn’t that a grave moral injustice to yourself?
   
4. The value of pride and self-respect
   When we speak of pride, we inadvertently think of its negatives. Of the harm it can do. The Fountainhead goes in a different direction, showing the importance of your pride and self-respect. The importance of standing up for yourself. For what you believe in. Saying no. The importance of taking pride in what you do and who you are. Of refusing to compromise on your standards just to meet those of the world.

Self-sacrifice? But it is precisely the self that cannot and must not be sacrificed.

Ayn Rand, The Fountainhead

Every diamond has a flaw. Even the Fountainhead.

1. A long, intense read
   On a whole, it was very difficult to fault this book. At least for me. But what puts off many readers is the sheer length of the book. Especially for a book that is so consistently intense and makes you think of your decisions and actions at a moral level. It demands time, patience and a lot of willpower from its readers. But, once you commit yourself to it and turn over the last page, you realise that it’s a book that demands so much more. Your respect. Your thoughts. And for me personally, it was also the expression, “WOW!”
   
2. From a perspective of today’s world
   Are the thoughts in this book logical? Yes. Are its ideas sound? Do they make sense across levels? Definitely. But it may not be very pragmatic to live by these ideas today.
   Not because Individualism has lost its place over the decades since the book came out. But because we live in an age where our principles and morals aren’t absolute. But subjective to an individual’s personal code of ethics. And more importantly, the competitive world we live in today is one where both extremes, the individualist and the second hander would struggle. Ideally, we would want to strike the right balance, without compromising on our own morals or code of personal ethics.

The Last Word

In a word. Brilliant!

The Fountainhead makes you question many of our existing notions. Like presenting an ‘egotist’ in a light we had never seen. A hero fighting a lone battle against the world. Presenting selfishness as a virtue to be upheld rather than a evil to be fought. And the idea of altruism being a detrimental act against society by lesser men. Above all, Ayn Rand introduces the world to Objectivism – a concept that proposes that a man’s pursuit of his own happiness is what carries the highest form of morality. It reassures you that living for yourself, for your own needs and goals isn’t something to be ashamed of. It is in fact something to aspire to. It’s amazing to think how Ayn Rand understood this in the 1940s when so many of us fail to see it even today.