Jessica's Review: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand is the well-renowned philosopher and author of Atlas Shrugged as well as The Fountainhead. The Fountainhead is a story of humanity and what many would consider the corruption fueling it. What one would believe as corruption is in fact the fine divide between the two types of society: the creators and the second handers. The entire novel is a story of humanity's struggle against individuality and the true meaning of ego. The ego being assumed as the sacrifice of others for oneself and the opposing "ideal" of altruism which believes we must sacrifice ourselves for others and yet in sacrificing ourselves for others aren't we all still looking for something in return? Some accolade? The key characters of this story stress the very ends of the spectrum and ideals commonly or uncommonly held in our society. Howard Roark, architect, is the ultimate egoist. He does not sacrifice others for himself as one might believe, but sacrifices himself for himself, his creations. He is an individual who lives for no one but himself, he does not require the social attitudes of those around him. Ellseworth Toohey is a columnist who knows that there are creators like Roark and he is of the belief that such individuality should be looked down on by society. He uses his column to turn society on Roark's ideals but in the end Roark's character finds the purest way to live.
I would suggest this book to anyone who is interested in a more humanistic/deeper view of life. I know at first it seems strange that the entire book is based around architecture but that is merely a metaphor for the construction of life and different ideals.
Rating: 5Q, 2P