Just like Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities, Ayn Rand begins The Fountainhead with one of the most popular lines in
all of
literature: “Howard Roark laughed.” The reader thus embarks on a journey through what is arguably one of the most explosive novels of the twentieth century. It chronicles the struggles of a young architect, whose approach to life and his work are unparalleled, and therefore despised, by those people around him. In spite of society’s attempts to destroy Roark and his vision, he perseveres. In Roark, Ayn Rand has created what she perceives as the perfect human being. Everything from his physical appearance to his devotion and talent reflect this perfection. Roark is slim and cleanly built, and he does not allow himself to be affected by the way others see him or his work. Rather, he continues to build according to his own belief system, enduring criticism, lawsuits, and poverty. Along the way, Roark befriends a contractor and a sculptor, and he falls in love with the beautiful Dominique Francon, who is a columnist out to destroy his career. They are among a small handful of people who understand Roark’s work and his ideals. Roark’s foils include Ellsworth Toohey and Peter Keating, both men who have the potential to achieve
greatness, but fail due to what Rand considers a flawed approach to life. The genius in this novel lies in that Roark has few, if any, imperfections. Unlike Hamlet, he does not possess a fatal flaw, and this approach to characterization is unfounded in virtually any other work of literature. The controversy of this novel lies in Rand’s philosophical message: the idea that man achieves greatness through selfish acts, and that altruism can only be detrimental. The beauty of this work lies in Rand’s own writing style: detailed, flowing, and daring.