One man's struggle. Review on FountainHead, The - Ayn Rand

The Fountainhead is a book for readers who like to read something different- something that will make them ‘think’.

Ayn Rand is famous for her philosophy of ‘Objectivism’and this book certainly throws some light on this philosophy. When I first started reading this novel, I got bored in first few pages. I expect a ‘novel’ to be fast-paced, interesting and entertaining. But ‘The Fountainhead’is more like a philosophical discussion. Don’t read it if you just wish to be entertained. One has to read it at a leisurely pace- reading a few pages each day- pondering upon the views and ideas.

You can’t finish it in one day anyway- there are 600+ pages.

Story and characters-

The novel was written way back in 1946. The place is America and the lead character- Howard Roark is an architect. He is a brilliant man with high moral standards who wants to live his life on his terms. He is one of the most unique characters. He is complex yet simple. He loves his work, and has a unique style as an architect.

Then there is Peter Keating- an architect- a person with no sense of right and wrong- a man who uses people mercilessly to go ahead in life- an opposite of Roark. So, if you like Roark, you are bound to hate Keating and vice versa. I think Keating is one of the most ‘real’ characters- people like Keating are very often found in today’s corporate world. On the other hand, Howard Roark is a rare type of individual.

Other important characters are Guy Francon (a successful architect), Dominique Francon (who loves Roark but marries Keating), Gail Wayand (a rich tycoon), Ellsworth Toohey (a critic) etc.

The story is about Roark’s ‘one against many’ type of struggle in the world. Each character is well developed and story does justice to each of the characters.

I feel every person comprehends the essence of fountainhead, based on his or her own references.

The bottom line is- Howard Roark is a person who dares to refuse to change his ideals, for the sake of success, or acceptance from the world, and is absolutely prepared to pay the price for the same. He is the most ideal and strong character.

As people who have rightfully inherited the best philosophy of life, readers in India are unlikely to get influenced by any other philosophy, including Objectivism. We don’t need any new philosophy- whatever there is, it’s in the Vedas. Yet, it is cool to consider different schools of thought and the philosophy aspect of fountainhead is interesting. Above all, I found Roark’s character amazing, and interest in his story made me read the book till the end.

The game of power, money and ego that involves all the main characters is interesting and very well described by the author.

Ayn Rand’s literary finesse is evident. The dialogues are amazing and she develops each character in every detail (I didn’t like Dominique’s character, though).

Now the cons-

-The book is verrryyyy long (680 pages to be precise), AND it is not past-paced. It gets very boring at times.

-Again, if you are looking for entertainment, this book isn’t the one. It is a serious subject, and there is no excitement or suspense as such. I skipped a lot of pages- the ‘Howard-less’ parts that I found extremely boring.

-The novel is about architecture, and there are detailed descriptions about architecture. Such technical information certainly adds a lot of value to a book, but if you are not seriously interested in architecture, those details will put you to sleep.

Well, there is still no doubt that this book is great piece of literature and I am glad I read it.

{{{{Wish you all a happy and prosperous 2004}}}}