The Fountainhead
The
altruist and the egoist, destined rivals in Ayn Rand’s novel, The Fountainhead, move through life
intertwining with each other in an intricate battle of superiority. Howard
Roark’s bold theses of the two personalities express themselves through
the motives and methods of four complex beings, including himself. During their
lives, Peter Keating, Ellsworth Toohey, and Catherine Halsey embody the role of
the altruist through manipulation, parasitic behaviors, dependent minds, and a
lack of self-respect while claiming to act only upon the virtue of
selflessness. Howard Roark’s desire to thrive through his passion of creation
and his determination to have an independent spirit and mind allows for him to
leave this world as conqueror of the parasitic man. “No man can live for
another. He cannot share his spirit just as he cannot share his body” (712).
The ability to excel in life does not come when feeding off of the inspiration,
beliefs, and work of others; the independent man exists through his own mind
and stands as a victor while the parasitic slave lies humbly at his feet.
Ellsworth
Monkton Toohey learned from a young age to please the public through
manipulation. Toohey’s crude philosophy of selflessness teaches man to “feel
small” and to “feel guilty” for his individuality (665). He accepts as truth
that man should care not about his own self, but to submit his self to the
service of others. His hunger for
power and strong will differentiate him from the typical altruist; however,
“there are several such altruists in the world today”(632). Toohey’s main
principle destroys man’s aspirations and integrity through “internal
corruption” and convinces man of his own insignificance. He testifies that the
ideal man should “take orders”— which philosophy results in Toohey’s abhorrence
and fear of Roark. Toohey becomes Roark’s adversary, for he cannot convince
Roark that he is “incapable of [selflessness]— what man has accepted as the
noblest virtue” (665). Roark’s spirit thrives through creation, and selflessness
is not in his nature. Toohey’s hunger for power and his lack of self-respect
become the source of his altruistic motives and methods. Toohey is a “parasite
in motive and makes parasites of those he serves” (712).
Catherine
Halsey’s admiration for her uncle Ellsworth and her desire to achieve
selflessness overpowers her ability to have a mind of her own; her insecurities
allow for her to feed off of others. Catherine’s character is degraded by how
she behaves, how she works with others, and how she presents herself. Her
countenance screams insecurity at everyone she meets and forces others to view
her as she views herself. In consequence to her choices, Catherine understands
that she “must forget how important Miss Catherine Halsey is” and rid herself
of “the most stubborn of roots, the ego” (375). Her obsession with pleasing her
uncle forces her to believe that her efforts are worthless; she will never be
ideal in the eyes of the world. Catherine retreats from her selfless desires,
begins to “demand gratitude” from others, and hates those less fortunate than
she (373). She acts cruel and bitter towards those
she loves, and depends upon those she grew to despise.
“Howard,
I’m a parasite. I’ve been a parasite all my life…. I have fed on you and all
the men like you who lived before we were born” (601). As Peter Keating
realizes his popularity is fading, he runs to Roark for help. By doing so, he
submits to his parasitic tendencies and loses what he has left of his dignity.
Keating’s previous fame and fortune came from the deceptive ways of Ellsworth
Toohey and the powerful mind of Howard Roark; he rarely made a decision of his
own. Keating depended upon the talents of others to carry him through life and
bring him success. His first house, the Cosmo-Slotnick building and Cortlandt
Homes were all designed by Roark, but Keating took the liberty of receiving the
credit. His ability to feed off of others rewarded him with money, popularity,
and publicity; but like with all sins, resulted in his rapid downfall. Keating
claimed to have “nothing to give,” but he lacked the courage to try (601). His
fear of failure, ironically, pushed him towards his lonely and unsuccessful ending;
his priority of acceptance and his lack of genuine self-esteem pulled him away
from the only woman he ever loved. Peter Keating “degrades the dignity of man and
the conception of love” through his motives and behaviors. His choices are made, not based upon his
desire to create or excel, but based upon his obsession of beating Howard Roark
no matter the circumstance. His physical and personal charm gave him a head
start, but when they cease to exist, he has nothing left by which to benefit
others. Keating “uses altruism as a weapon of exploitation” and succumbs to the
belief that “dependence is a virtue” (712).
Howard
Roark, on the other hand, fights the world and its altruistic inhabitants with
the vitality it takes to succeed. His egoistic spirit adds to the fire burning
within him to “live for his work” and excel through his “own mind” by breaking
through the enclosed ideals of modern architecture. Roark’s theory of the
creator needs no other man, for “his main goal is within himself.” Compared to
the parasite who “exists in order to serve others,” the creator embodies a soul
that is entirely his own and watches as the parasite becomes the slave that
feeds off of the superior man. Roark stands as a victor before men with
knowledge that the natural man cannot succeed unless he “survives through his
own mind” and explodes through life with a sure testament of his individuality
(712). The free spirit and mind one must possess in order to succeed becomes a
necessity for Roark as he is forced to come face-to-face with the inevitable
battle between the egoist and the altruist, the creator and the parasite.
Through
the lives of Ellsworth M. Toohey, Peter Keating, Catherine Halsey, and Howard
Roark, new light is shed on the controversial themes of altruism and egoism and
their definitive determinacy of failure or triumph. In the course of Roark’s life
he is faced with obstacles that would destroy most men, but because of his
determination and his firm foundation in his own principles and philosophies, Roark
becomes immortal in the sense of his creations and his character. “Then there
was only the ocean and the sky and the figure of Howard Roark” (727). The ideal
man stands tall with an independent spirit of strength, value, and prosperity,
and runs with full speed to his triumphant ending. Howard Roark, conqueror of dependence,
exalts over the Earth’s inhabitants as the ideal man.
