Book Review: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Though I usually wait until after our meeting to review a book club read, I have such a backlog of reviews to get through and I must begin with this one as it shapes some of my thoughts on subsequent reads (and subsequent life, for that matter). Not to mention, as you will see, waiting to gather thoughts from my fellow readers before truly forming my opinion would be oh so Peter Keating of me!

The Fountainhead, written in 1943, was Ayn Rand's first major literary work and was followed by the more famous Atlas Shrugged (her self-proclaimed masterpiece expressing her philosophy of objectivism). I'll keep the plot summary short: Howard Roark, the protagonist, is an individualistic young architect whose life almost parallels that of Peter Keating, his superstar schoolmate. Roark consistently chooses to struggle in obscurity rather than compromise his artistic and personal vision, which always reflects his devotion to purist modern architecture. Keating is everything that Roark is not: he is obsessed with wealth, public approval and constantly subservient to the will of others (best exemplified in his satisfaction with classical forms of architecture). Throughout the book, the reader spectates the interactions these two have with each other and others, creating a 700-page web of complex characters and relationships. (MAJOR oversimplification alert)

[On a side note, it is widely speculated that Roark's character is loosely modeled after Frank Lloyd Wright. Although my obsession with FLW's personal life predates this blog, please do catch up to speed by enjoying Nancy Horan's "Loving Frank," which is a tremendous read detailing his juicy relationship and life with Mamah Cheney. Afterwards go and see his home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois. Then resume reading this book review.]

Rand herself asserts that Roark is the embodiment of the human spirit and his struggle represents the triumph of individualism over collectivism. Rand later writes in Atlas Shrugged, "My philosophy, in essence, is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only substitute." Roark never compromises his principals, never seeks outside approval (personally or professionally), and never finds his vision "second-hand." He is a purely productive human ego: he does exactly what he wants, and is always fruitful while doing it. No laziness, no philanthropy (indeed, serving others is really a form of serving yourself and seeking societal approval...Franny and Zooey corroboration), no welfare state, and above all, no crowd-pleasing.

It is hard to articulate how deeply these characters develop, and how profound Rand's philosophy, which is expressed scrupulously in this lifetime plot. I'm afraid it's one you have to read to understand, but please see my earlier post on the empowerment possibilities. You are solely responsible for meeting your full potential, and, unlike seemingly most opportunities in DC these days, it isn't lurking around the corner at a cocktail party or networking event.

I don't have many problems with anything between the covers of this book, save one: there is no room for God in Ayn Rand's objectivism. Roark is an atheist and expressly states that his religion is himself: his vision, his productivity, his pure self. There is no higher power- you are at the helm of your own destiny. In order to reconcile this with my own views and still label myself a Rand follower, my first thought was to categorize Rand's philosophy into the "almost there but not quite complete" category. But that goes against Roark's fundamental purist values. So this is still an unresolved matter between Rand and myself and I'm very much hammering it out internally (my boyfriend I'm sure appreciates my dabbles into personal philosophy wile he's trying to enjoy himself on our road trips).

That being said, there are small details you can embellish and still stay true to Rand: like having a sense of humor. I'm not sure that the characters in the book lack one, it just probably wasn't an important element; neither here nor there really. And hobbies- maybe instead of doing absolutely NOTHING (which is ironically how Roark winds down- didn't make a ton of sense given his uber-productivity, but hell, I'm not the philosopher here), one could take French classes or join book club(ssss) or travel. As long as it is something you're doing for your own pleasure, not for the acceptance of anyone else (phew).

Rest assured that other characters seek to reconcile their lives with Rand's philosophy, and come close, which may be my consolation prize after I hash it all out: "No, he thought, I regret nothing. There have been things I missed, but I ask no questions, because I have loved it, such as it has been, even the moments of emptiness, even the unanswered- and that I loved it, that is the unanswered in my life. But I loved it."