"The Fountainhead"

Book Review # 100573

English > Analysis
Literature > American

"The Fountainhead"

A discussion of theme of the individual vs. society in "The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand.

844 words () | 0 sources | MLA | 2006 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how through comparison and indirect analogy, "The Fountainhead" portrays the struggle to maintain individual integrity and absolute freedom and oppose mainstream societal values. It looks at how Howard Roark's actions throughout the novel illustrate the struggle between the individual and corrupt society.

From the Paper:

"The novel dramatizes the conflict between independence and integrity versus conformist society by showing Roark's integrity, tested but never conquered. When Roark's funds have dwindled to next to noting, he is offered a contract to build a bank if he will alter the facade; and the reader sees how crucial it is for him that he maintain his absolute integrity. Roark's options are clearly laid out before him: he can compromise his art, and indeed, his wholeness, or he can close his office, which labels him in society's mind as a failure. When he refuses the commission, the conventional principals of the audience oppose the principals laid out by the novel."