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collectivism and individualism in the fountainhead
collectivism and individualism in the fountainhead
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The protagonist of The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, Howard Roark, drives his actions on the force of individuality and the desire to persevere for his principles as a modernist architect. Along his career, Roark encounters Ellsworth Toohey, antagonist of the novel who uses the weaknesses of people to satisfy his own purposes. After defeating Roark by exposing him as an unethical architect; Ellsworth Toohey confronts him, yet Roark’s response “But I don’t think of you.” demonstrates the lack of importance those words can infringe on his ideals. This exchange of sentences relates to the theme of the novel by means of Roark’s principles of individualism versus the conformism of ordinary people, which portrayed by Roark’s eyes, are of no importance nor can inflict on his tenacity to remain true to his soul. From the beginning of the novel, Howard Roark is showcased as an unorthodox by the ordinary minds. There is no building that cannot be created by the new society without …show more content…
Since childhood Toohey was described as a child who was weak and “poor in spirit”(299). Yet as he made intellectual progress, he recognized the only form to obtain strength was to acquire his own deficiency of freedom from the fragile minds that would agree devotedly to his commands to be part of something greater. However, the fault on Toohey’s ideals “It is not what you can get out of society, it is what you can give”(302) rely on the fact that oneself cannot exist without relying on others. His ideals depend on collectivism for the purpose to create a society where “one” has not influence but “unite and rule”(640) do. Toohey could be acclaimed as the most humble man, protector of the workers and the needed. Yet, his existence depends on what others contemplate of
In Scott Russell Sanders’, “The Common Life”, he puts forward the conflict between an individual and society. Sanders recognizes the importance of individual activities, or as he said “seasons of withdrawal from responsibility”. On the contrary, Sanders declares that this surplus in no responsibility can steer to “a career of being unaccountable”. Sanders’ declarations are well founded when the proof is inspected.
A captivating novelette in which a man’s priority is to serve only for his brothers, Ayn Rand’s Anthem illustrates a society that has suffered the ghastly consequences of collectivism. She depicts an oppressive culture in which the word “I” is unheard of and men belong to the collective “We.” Men’s lives are determined through the Council of Vocations, a group that maintains a powerful dictatorship by subjugating the public from the beginning of their lives. The idea that “If you are not needed by your brother men, there is no reason for you to burden the earth with your bodies” (Chapter 1) has been forced into average mindset of the vehemently maintained society. In contrast, Rand mocks the totalitarian civilization through the main character Equality. Since he was born, Equality possessed a quick mind and constantly strayed apart from his peers. Through his life, he shows an unwilling behavior to conform not only to his name, but also to the rules of society. After he is found guilty of independent thought, he is sadistically beaten and dragged into the Palace of Corrective Detention, an unguarded jail that castigates the public of their wrongdoings. Shackles are unnecessary as a result of the brainwashed society and their compliance to obey orders, which consequently allows Equality to escape. In a collective society, citizens are denied their inalienable right of individualism, which ultimately eliminates all thoughts of opposition. Through their submission, the presence of their souls vanishes and society deems the collectivist tenet true. The lack of guards and old locks in the Palace of corrective Detention symbolize the evils that result from a collectivist society.
Ayn Rand’s Anthem is a politically satirical novel is set in a future society that is so highly collectivized that the word “I” has been banned. The world is governed by various councils who believe that man’s sole reason for existence is to enforce the Great Truth “that all men are one and that there is no will save the will of all men together” (Rand, 20). Any indication of an individual’s independent spirit is swiftly and brutally put down, with the transgressors being punished with severe prison sentences or even death.
The word collectivism often makes people cringe. Overall, there is a general fear of not being able to make personal decisions in America. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, collectivism can be defined as; emphasis on collective rather than individual action or identity (“Collectivism”). In Anthem, Ayn Rand describes an extreme collectivist society. Although Anthem’s society seems extremely surreal, aspects of its collectivist society closely mirror today’s society.
Ayn Rand said that the theme of The Fountainhead is "individualism versus collectivism, not in politics, but in man's soul." I want to comment on three specific aspects of this theme, as it is embodied in Roark's character and his interactions with the other figures in the novel. Roark is a man of independence, he is an egoist, and he is a creator, a paragon of productive achievement. These three concepts—independence, egoism, and achievement—are the key to understanding the moral sense of The Fountainhead and the ways in which it differs from the conventional ethos.
Individualism is the doctrine on which the novel is based." No man can live for another". If a man has talent, and recognises the potential within him, he has the right to be an egotist. Egotism must not be equated with false pride. A man who believes in himself acquires the strength to combat the whole world. Such is the case of Howard Roark. What puts him on a plane much higher than every other character in this novel is the sheer power and self conviction he exudes in the face of the gravest adversity. Howard Roark is as powerful as he is not because he has any control over the society or the minds of others, but because ...
The Fountainhead, written by Ayn Rand, is a novel about the ideals of four characters, all brought together to play different roles in the architecture industry. Ayn Rand, originally from Russia, moved to America in 1925, only one year after graduating from college (Ayn Rand Intitute). She came to America to escape the fighting brought on by Communism (ARI). Witnessing first-hand the evils of communism influenced Ayn Rand to develop her own, now widely accepted, "philosophical system, called Objectivism" (Kavanaugh). Rand, through hypnotic, amazing writing, created a character to personify her system. That character is Howard Roark. She also created his friend and archrival, Peter Keating. The novel begins with the two characters, at the end of their college careers at Stanton University. Howard had just been expelled, because he refused to design a building for the final project. The assignment called for him to draw a building with specific guidelines. Roark, despite his vast knowledge of architecture, untouchable skill and strong passion for designing, only wanted to design his own buildings. Peter Keating, seeking approval of others, finished the project, as instructed, and graduated. Keating believes that one can and should do anything to achieve his goals, even if it means going against your own belief system--the opposite of Objectivism. Throughout the story, Ayn Rand uses a non-Objectivist character, Peter Keating, to glorify her own philosophy of Objectivism.
When one no longer relies upon society to formulate their most basic moral principles, the result is individualism. In Ayn Rand’s novel The Fountainhead, this concept of virtuous individualistic thinking is advocated through her characters as well as the roles they play within the collectivist, altruistically-dominated world they exist in. On the surface, architect Howard Roark and author Lois Cook both seemingly demonstrate individualistic qualities through their condemnation of society. However, if one were to look at the cores of their personas, he or she would find that they are indeed polar opposites.
Ayn Rand, the author of the novella Anthem, was born is St. Petersburg, Russia in 1905. The novella was written in 1937 and first published in 1938 in England. Anthem is based on a man named Equality 7-2521, who has found a secret tunnel and has hidden inside of it to write down his thoughts, among other things. In this dystopian society it is illegal to write, have a personality, or a sense of individuality of your own. One of the themes in this novella is the domination of one’s individuality. Equality 7-2521 discovers the importance of his existence when he realizes one is the center of one’s universe, and that one’s perception gives the world its meaning, the creation and component of a persons own identity and personality. In Anthem, the
Anthem by Ayn Rand depicts a completely collectivist society, or one in which a person is required to give up his or her individuality for the good of the whole. The society does a lot to justify their opposition to individuality, but the main reason they do is for the idea of “ the common good”. Equality is taught to refer to himself as “we” to help enforce the idea that he is part of a whole, rather than an individual. From the beginning of the book, we know that Equality is stronger and smarter than many of his peers. So why was he sent to the House of the Street Sweepers? The society is afraid of people who are different, because they may interfere with their idea of a “perfect society”, in which everyone is the same. “And also they were not liked because they took pieces of coal and they drew pictures upon the walls, and they were pictures that made men laugh… so International 4-8818 were sent to the Home of the Street Sweepers, like ourselves. (29-30)” International 4-8818 and Equality were both assigned to the Home of the Street Sweepers because they wouldn’t conform to
In 1943, with World War 2 in full throttle, Ayn Rand’s novel “The Fountainhead” was published. Written during a chaotic period in history, this book appeals to the reader's emotions by promoting individual rights, capitalism, and romantic realism. Rand advocated reason along with ethical and rational egoism and opposed collectivism. The main protagonist in the book is named “Howard Roark”. Howard Roark has a love interest named “Dominique Francon”. Dominique is in love with Roark yet she still wants to destroy him because Dominique thinks that Roark’s greatness is going to go unappreciated.
As demonstrated by the relationship between Ayn Rand’s symbolic characters of The Fountainhead Howard Roark and Dominique Francon, violent warped love prevails through selfishness and the courage of one’s convictions in an altruistic society that rewards mediocrity. This seemingly perverse sense of love between the ideal man and literally his woman depicted by Rand is exemplified in Dominique’s wanting to destroy Roark despite her affections. Though Rand’s characters are not three-dimensional realistic humans, but rather symbols to prove her Objectionist theory, Dominique is more complex than Howard in that she manipulates the system that she openly despises and engages in masochistic behaviors while Roark just plainly wants to create masterpieces and ignore society, content all the while. Roark, the heroic protagonist, embodies the greatness Dominique and Rand believe the world will destroy in that it won’t allow it to flourish, thus she loves him. As she sees the world as needing to destroy Howard, she attempts to first because she believes the world doesn’t deserve his works and she feels the need to test his ability to uphold the standards that make him ideal. Dominique’s wanting to destroy Roark is, fundamentally in her eyes, an act of love. Dominique Francon of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead abhors society for its selflessness and mediocrity, making her the perfect counterpart to the selfish Howard Roark of unwavering convictions and unparalleled architectural brilliance, and her passionate love forces her to attempt to destroy Roark as a test, but ultimately as a means of protection from the rotten undeserving world which will inevitably destroy him.
Anthem, by Ayn Rand, is a very unique novel. It encircles individualism and makes the reader think of how people can conform to society and do as they are told without knowing the consequences and results of their decisions. Also, it teaches the importance of self expression and the freedom that comes along with being your own person and having the power to choose what path to take in life. Figurative language is used often in this book and in a variety of quotes that have great importance to the theme, plot, and conflict of the novel.
In a society, at what point does uniting to benefit the greater good suppress one’s right to possess individuality? The social and political construct of utmost unity is called collectivism, or the practice of emphasizing a whole picture rather than each individual component. The common theme of collectivism versus individualism is prevalent within the novel Anthem by Ayn Rand, wherein the individual motivations of the members of society are suppressed without their knowledge. While contributing to the greater good may have its appeal, one must learn that for this to be possible, individual sacrifices are necessary. The ultimately collectivist society depicted in Anthem is justified by its rulers through ideas of
One of the world’s primeval and ponderous conflicts rests upon the argument of whether the group is more important than the individual, whether the common good is greater than the individual’s rights. This is a conflict everyone must understand because it is an internal and external struggle everyone deals with day to day. One of Ayn Rand’s most popular novels, The Fountainhead, demonstrates this conflict through a young architect who dares to create his own vision and follows through with it. The reader can relate to his struggles through the desperate battles of the masses demanding him to surrender his originality and creations. By the end of the story he is successful and marries the woman of his dreams. Howard Roark, the main character,