Howard Roark is the embodiment of the perfect human being, as envisioned by Ayn Rand. Although utterly selfish, he is the only one in The Fountainhead to live his own life. From a young age one is taught that ‘it is better to give than receive’ and that to live a life of altruism is much more ethical than to live a life of selfishness. Roark does not follow these teachings. He denounces altruism - he lives a life of independent thinking which is not tainted by the world. Although his ways of living are questioned and thought to be ridiculous by some, Roark lives the way men should live their lives and this ultimately leads to his great architectural success.
However, Roark’s way of life did not bring immediate success. Staying true to himself brought him many hardships. These hardships began with Roark being expelled from college and then living in New York City with very little to no money. They could have easily been avoided if Roark had succumbed to society’s
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It is not wrong to want to be happy and be an individual rather than follow the thinking of others. In fact, it is more immoral to not live one’s own life. Humans are given one life, and it should be lived in a way which brings one happiness. Yes, helping others is a prodigious act, though, does it count when it is only done as an act for the world? Through Howard Roark Ayn Rand displays a magnificent story of human progress and man’s ego - ego becoming the fountainhead of progress. To survive in this world, not just physically, but through the soul one must think and act individually and freely. One can only protect his or her soul by living without surrender and not conforming to others, but rather through thinking for oneself and respecting one’s freedom. It is possible to learn from others and the past, but impossible be a slave to others and to live the life of another with