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Selfishness And Objectivism In Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead

1231 Words5 Pages

Ayn Rand, born in Russia during the wave of mass hysteria surrounding the Russian Revolution, became familiar with the political and social unrest caused by the country’s government. As a result of the violence associated with the revolution, Rand developed her ideologies surrounding self-importance and objectivism. In order to actively communicate her philosophies with other Russian citizens as well as the rest of the world, Rand became a writer, with The Fountainhead being her first major novel. Her principles can be identified through the actions of Howard Roark, the protagonist of The Fountainhead, who personifies Ayn Rand’s ethical beliefs.
Howard Roark portrays what can only he described as Ayn Rand’s image of the “ideal man.” Through …show more content…

She credits that man’s highest purpose is to discover and become a beneficiary of whatever makes him/her happiest, but only if the ideal is supported by the use of rational thought. By thinking selfishly, Rand simply means to place one’s own self-interest above all else. As observed in The Fountainhead, Howard Roark employs “selfishness” throughout the entirety of the book anytime questions surrounding his practice arise. Although many instances can be found, one particular occurrence of the notion arises when Roark is offered the Manhattan Bank commission. As soon as his designs are challenged, Roark calmly responds that “an honest building, like an honest man, had to be of one piece and one faith… if one smallest part committed treason to the idea-the thing or the creature was dead” (195). Roark does not care what others think. He refuses to alter the slightest detail of his creation, even when desperately in need of a commission. By selecting self-interest as one of the many unique traits of Roark, the reader is offered a glimpse into Rand’s youth when her family could not live as they wished. On the contrary, in the communist country, they were subjugated to lifestyles manipulated by the government. By giving Roark this approach to life, Ayn Rand can mentally live the life she was denied through The

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