The Fountainhead

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The Fountainhead

• Background
• Story
• Philosophy
• Themes

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Background Ayn Rand

• Born in Russia1905
• Graduated from University of Petrograd in 1924
• Moved to United States in 1926
• Began writing The Fountainhead in 1935 (published
  in 1943)
• Died in 1982 in NYC (heart failure)

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Characters

• Howard Roark
• Protagonist
• Individualist
• In architecture rebellious
• Peter Keating
• Antagonist
• Conformist
• In architecture traditionalist

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Characters Cont.

• Ellsworth Toohey
• Antagonist
• Self-declared Expert in architecture
• Roarks antithesis
• Gail Wynand
• Antagonist
• More later ?

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The Fountainhead

• Philosophy/Themes

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The Fountainhead Theme

• According to Rand
• individualism vs. collectivism, not in politics
  but in mens souls.

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Important Terms

• Independence
• Dependence
• Conformity
• Individualism
• Collectivism

• First Handers
• Second Handers

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Independence

• Reliance on ones own thinking and effort
• Willingness to think, not ability to do so
• Does not preclude cooperation with others
• Examples great minds/new truths
• Marie Curie (radioactivity)
• Frank Lloyd Wright (architecture)

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Dependence

• Others to dominate ones thinking
• Refusal to think (either by blind following or
  blind rebellion)
• Applies to both conformists and nonconformists

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Conformity

• Peter Keating
• Living in unthinking adherence to judgment,
  standards, values of others

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Individualism

• Howard Roark
• Real, autonomous thinkers (opposed to molded
  playthings of social conditioning)
• Emphasizes effectiveness of the individual

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Collectivism

• Ellsworth Toohey
• Opposed to individualism
• Emphasizes effectiveness of society as a whole
• Individual is a fragmented part of the whole

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First Handers

• Independent thinkers
• Survive first hand without dependence on
  others.
• Use their own minds to learn from inventions and
  live productively
• Selfish (focus on the self)

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Second Handers

• Dependent people
• Survive second hand by taking from others
  rather than means of their own mind or effort
• Selfless (absence of a self)

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Key Points Opening Chapters

• Setting Stanton, graduation day, 1922
• Roark expelled
• Insight into independence
• Other characters reactions to his apathy
• Paul?
• Wants to work for Henry Cameron

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Key Points Opening Chapters Cont.

• Keating decides to work for Guy Francon in New
  York (opposed to Paris)
• Insight into decision making skills
• Dependence on others
• Introduces girlfriend Katie

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Key Points Opening Chapters Cont.

• Guy Francon
• Frink National Bank Building
• Camerons Antithesis
• Conformist
• Henry Cameron
• Dana Building
• Individualist
• Both men are older versions of Keating and
  Roark