Of all the novels I have read, This masterpiece by Ayn Rand is probably the one that has affected me and people the world over the most. This book was written in the year 1943, with the Nazi regime falling in the backdrop. In the year 1917, during the Russian Revolution, it seems like Ayn's mind had fixed on a set of principles as Lenin had assumed power and communism was increasingly becoming the way of Russia. This set would come to define her life and give meaning and inspire so many other lives. The Fountainhead would set the base for Ayn's philosophy, Objectivism, which stresses on how valuing yourself as an individual is much more important than what we think, it is this thought, this audacity, this courage that made Ayn Rand a symbol for personal growth and for maturity.
The Fountainhead tells the tale of Howard Roark, Peter Keating, Ellsworth Toohey and Gail Wynand and how ego, ie, being aware of oneself is the most defining factor of an individual. The four people who embody the different mindsets of almost the entire population of this planet. Howard is the main protagonist. Modeled slightly around possibly the greatest architect of the modern era, Frank Lloyd Wright. Howard is incredibly principled and brutally honest. The only person who seems to understand and appreciate his buildings and his way of life is Dominique Francon, the daughter of Guy Francon, the owner of the Architecture firm that Peater Keating, whose house Howard lived in during his days at Stanton Institute of Technology.
Peter is the perfect student, who listens to everything that was taught to him, respects it and applies it without ever questioning what he is taught, and Howard is the exact opposite, who believes that originality and innovation are far more important. It is this steadfast attitude that alienates Howard from everybody around him.
Ellsworth Toohey is an architecture reviewer and a philosopher, whose intentions cannot be deciphered until it is mentioned later on, the details of which I do not want to reveal. Ellsworth is the man that people seek out for advice and words of courage. He is seemingly very humble and down to earth, Ellsworth believes that Peter is the best architect that the world has to offer and choses to propel him up in society.
Gail Wynand is the power hungry owner of The Banner, the local newspaper company which he owns. He is the only other person who admires Howard openly. Gail had a very difficult life as a child, which led to him being the way he is described in the book.
The sheer bravery and audacity that this book reflects will astound anybody who reads it, and will surely leave the reader refreshed and renewed vigor for life.
The Fountainhead tells the tale of Howard Roark, Peter Keating, Ellsworth Toohey and Gail Wynand and how ego, ie, being aware of oneself is the most defining factor of an individual. The four people who embody the different mindsets of almost the entire population of this planet. Howard is the main protagonist. Modeled slightly around possibly the greatest architect of the modern era, Frank Lloyd Wright. Howard is incredibly principled and brutally honest. The only person who seems to understand and appreciate his buildings and his way of life is Dominique Francon, the daughter of Guy Francon, the owner of the Architecture firm that Peater Keating, whose house Howard lived in during his days at Stanton Institute of Technology.
Peter is the perfect student, who listens to everything that was taught to him, respects it and applies it without ever questioning what he is taught, and Howard is the exact opposite, who believes that originality and innovation are far more important. It is this steadfast attitude that alienates Howard from everybody around him.
Ellsworth Toohey is an architecture reviewer and a philosopher, whose intentions cannot be deciphered until it is mentioned later on, the details of which I do not want to reveal. Ellsworth is the man that people seek out for advice and words of courage. He is seemingly very humble and down to earth, Ellsworth believes that Peter is the best architect that the world has to offer and choses to propel him up in society.
Gail Wynand is the power hungry owner of The Banner, the local newspaper company which he owns. He is the only other person who admires Howard openly. Gail had a very difficult life as a child, which led to him being the way he is described in the book.
The sheer bravery and audacity that this book reflects will astound anybody who reads it, and will surely leave the reader refreshed and renewed vigor for life.
Nice work, cheeku. :) For me, perhaps the only flaw(?) is the lack of overlapping nature in the characters. Like you said, "The four people who embody the different mindsets of almost the entire population of this planet." The thing is, any single person does not have just one of these mindsets. There is a bit of Roark, a bit of Peter, a bit of Toohey and a bit of Gail in all of us. Perhaps, the recognition of this fact would have made this book a little less 'in-the-air' for me.
ReplyDeleteyeah, but what i had in mind when i wrote this was the dominant nature of people, for example, you will never see anybody like say, Gandhi ever showing his selfish side, as peter did. I guess i must've been way more clearer about that :P
ReplyDeletethanks for the comment nonetheless