Book Report for the Fountainhead by Ayn Rand – Term Paper

The book brings out Roark as a character who in the real world tries to live an honest life creating these great architectural plans and models as he pursues success. He has this creative mind and initiates creation of great architectural schemes nevertheless he gets no credit for what he does. He has a close friend, Keating, whom he helps a lot in their architectural sector but gets no credit for it. Certainly, this shows the unfairness that has considerably gained roots in this world; people manipulate and exploit others occasionally for selfish gains.

An altruistic approach to life is the major approach that Howard Roark is used to depicting in Rand’s book. It is the ideal moral way that human beings live and should live. To bring out this theme, Rand uses the major antagonist of altruistic moral Toohey. In this case, Toohey upholds objectivism as their approach to making it in life. The author wants to show that the ideal moral for human beings to live is through honesty and integrity. Roark eventually wins the battle of life and attains success even though it takes time for him to do so, not forgetting the struggles he gets to go through as he pursues success in his career and life at large.

Roark depicts a lot of moral traits which can be and should be emulated by anyone pursuing success. One of the moral traits that people can borrow from Roark’s life is the enthusiasm he has to accomplish. However, he has to design  his own ideas in school (as opposed to what was required by the lecturer)  although he appears to be insubordination. The ‘insubordination’ in this case is a source of his motivation towards success and originality in his field of profession.

Also, Roark is very innovative and visionary and is thus able to internalize what his first employer, Cameron, had envisioned as the future of architecture. Even though the public is not ready to accept such innovations, Roark is enthusiastic that one day his ideas will be embraced. Even when he is schemed against by selfish people as Toohey, he still hangs on to his visions. He has the independence of spirit which even love will not trap. He refuses to leave architecture for marrying Dominique. He does not under any circumstances settle for less but always pursues what he believes in. Rather he inspires more people, like Mallory, to being independent in their way of thinking and in pursuing their dreams no matter the hindrances. In a nutshell, Roark is a man of virtue who believes in keeping dignity and integrity in all his architectural designs and deals. No opposing force bows him. Instead, he fights for what he wants and what he believes is just and fair.

To sum it all up, the author of The Fountainhead has used Roark as a perfect illustration of an ideal moral life of human beings portraying that it should be based on honesty and perseverance. Roark’s life has been modeled to be that of a perfect human being who is governed only by virtues. His whole life and the way he carries himself on a moral basis is all worth emulating. No aspect of his life is unworthy of emulation. He illustrates the real way to success. The sweetest success, in this case, is the one that takes long to hatch and also is and should be built on altruistic motives. It should be a life shaped by virtues.