Ever since I’ve read ‘The Fountainhead’, I wanted to talk about Howard Roark. This is the best way for me.
The novel is built around, and for that character and not the other way around. In simple terms the novel describes an ideal man and celebrates him. That seems to be the cause, destiny and inspiration of Ayn Rand, the author. The character of the ideal man has been named Howard Roark.
I cannot go into story details but I will try to describe Howard Roark though I don’t think I’ll be totally successful in that either.
Howard Roark is an architect who gets expelled from college in final year of graduation because he doesn’t confirm to the norms and traditionally accepted ideas and models of architecture in his project works. And when given a chance by his dean to rejoin the college and complete his graduation considering his high academics, he refuses the offer saying that he has already learned whatever he needs to learn about architecture and hence there would be no point in coming back.
The plans of buildings sketched by Howard Roark are not traditional like that of Churches and Roman Tombs or any other kind of architectural history. They are not modernistic either. He doesn’t bother to confirm with previous rules and norms. But then again, he doesn’t bother to be a rebel either. The plan is made and built around the idea that every building has a cause and hence the design must be driven by the cause.
Bottom line is that Howard Roark works on his own terms. He doesn’t compromise for his clients, for the sake of his work or even for his survival. He is selfish in that sense. He would rather not design a building than design it in any other way than his. And he would later on destroy a building designed by him because the design and the essence of the design have been tampered with.
When he doesn’t care for the feelings of others, he doesn’t act like he does. He doesn’t get hurt when someone who hates his principles, and guts, ruins his life. He cannot be hated and hurt because hypocrites of the society cannot touch him. He calls them second-handers, who live to gain the approval of others, who just try to get accepted by other second-handers. Who accept other second-handers. Who live on the ideas of others. Parasites. It is said to be a virtue to follow and go with the flow. But the creative mind goes against the current and has to fight the force of the current to create something new.
He says that the soul or spirit of a person cannot be shared with anyone else. Which is the reason why he refuses to collaborate, cooperate and work with teams of architects. There is no such thing as collective brain. He says that selfishness in true sense is the greatest virtue of all. And the reward for a work of one’s own vision is the work in itself. Not wealth, not greatness, not social service either.
Work of Howard Roark is not for the world, for the service of fellow beings or even for his personal goals. His motivation is his work and it is the reward, and Howard Roark lives for that. He destroys that building he designed because his vision, his design has been modified and hence nullified. Because he designed that building with the only condition of it being erected as it is and for no other reason. That is his fee, not money. He did not design it as charity though it is meant to accommodate the poor. He destroyed that building because he did not get his payment but the owners got it as a gift. And Howard Roark isn’t an altruist. He doesn’t give gifts of such nature. He clearly refuses the right of any man or group of men, however large, to a single minute of his work, any part of his energy or any of his achievements. He doesn’t exist for others. And he doesn’t ask others to exist for him. To sum up his view on friendship, he says to his best friend “I would die for you, but I would never live for you”. And when it comes to love, he says – “To say I Love one must first know how to say ‘I’”
In practice, these characteristics are expressed using the word ‘ego’ which is used as a negative or even as a filth word. And Howard Roark defends the egocentric mind of his with everything he has.
He simply states that these are his terms. He doesn’t care to exist under any other.
s