Standing Alone Against the World in Ayn Rand's The Fountainhead
Conformity is a basic human characteristic that man spends a life time either fighting or accepting, but few can escape. Parents, churches, schools, and communities teach that the path Peter Keating follows is the assured road to security and happiness. Humans crave companionship and are willing to sacrifice their values, beliefs, and very souls for the satisfaction of superficial love. Howard Roark demonstrates that true happiness comes from within, at the end of a wearisome road. He confirms this ideal through exhaustible determination struggling from burdensome beginnings to almost unattainable goals without relenting to pressures from society. This concept of non-conformity is exemplified throughout the novel. It is most clearly defined in Howard's resolution to work for Henry Cameron, his rejection of the A.G.A., and the Cortlandt Housing project.
Howard Roark elucidates from the very beginning that he is going to work for Henry Cameron, a revolution considering Cameron's present state, or lack thereof. Roark is laughed at for having such a fatuous goal but hardly notices the acrimonious criticism that follows him. Even Henry Cameron himself rebukes Howard Roarks efforts to study under him, and only relents to Howard's wishes after he feels that he can no longer bear to reject such talent. The demonstration of drive and determination as well as defiance of basic rules of social structure make it difficult to not admire this aspiring architect. It is clear at this point that Howard Roark is going to get what he wants, and he has no concern for what anyone else thinks of it.
Roark establishes his own practice and has a conversatio...
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...y and non-conformity is highlighted in the exchange between Peter Keating and Howard Roark on the A.G.A, as Howard has no intent of entertaining any such invitation and Peter can think of nothing sweeter. Finally, Howard Roark reaches a pinnacle of non-conformity as he destroys the only hold society ever had on him, the Cortlandt Housing Project. Howard Roark is a standard that one can strive towards, realistically, however, it would be almost impossible to follow in his footsteps. Even in striving to reach his level one conforms to a set of idea, in a sense one conforms to non-conformity. This novel illustrates in an effective manner that happiness must be reached through holding fast to one's own values. Perhaps defying society is not the path many would choose, but Ayn Rand certainly presents a challenge to all in her message of misery and happiness.
Many people seem to get entangled into society's customs. In the novel Anthem, the protagonist, Equality 7-2521, lives a period of his life as a follower. However, Equality eventually, tries to distant himself from his society. He is shaped to be a follower, but eventually emerges in to an individual and a leader. On his journey, he discovers the past remains of his community. Ayn Rand uses Equality's discoveries of self to represent the importance of individuality in a functional society.
Ayn Rand, in Anthem, illustrates a futuristic, socialist society. In the novel, Rand destroys any sense of individuality and describes the social setbacks endured after living ‘only for the brotherhood’. The individual person fails to exist and is but a ‘we’ and recognized by a word and a series of numbers rather than a name. Additionally, she describes the horrors encountered within this different system of life: from reproduction methods to punishments. Through the life of Equality 7-2521, Rand demonstrates a person’s journey from obedience to exile in this socialist society. Throughout the entire novel, Rand criticizes Marxist theory as she demonstrates socialism’s failure to suppress revolution, thwart material dialectic, and its detriment to humanity.
Ayn Rand, a contentious woman, the new favorite author to multiple people’s list. People who have read her magnificent book, Anthem, understand how exquisite and meaningful her words are. Books like Anthem are worth reading because it gives the reader more knowledge about controversial topics and it takes the reader to experience new places and new adventures. Equality, the main character, is a symbol. He represents many people today, living in countries like his society. Equality has to find his true identity first before helping the others. People are not allowed to believe in individualism, they should not have a identity of their own. Each person has a monotone routine to follow every single day of their lives. Each step a person takes
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.
...ewarding a good architect like it could be expected from a critic, rather Toohey cared only about changing the direction of the unstoppable force that was Howard Roark. Toohey understood in the fullest that Roark would prove to be incontrovertible, and also understood that the only way to stop him from attaining universal acclaim in the world of architecture would be by filling the space before Roark could reach it.
After the church was rebuilt the congregation came together and proceeded to have church. There was a catch though the church did not have a priest to lead them. There were men who lead the service in the church and even with no priest the religion lived on for about forty years. Finally in 1897 a priest by the name of Daniel Berbiech stumbled upon the church. He discovered that even without a priest the people were flourishing in the catholic faith.
In Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, the author depicts a collective society in which everyone has the same values and beliefs. From a young age, the people in the World State’s civilization are conditioned to believe in their motto of “Community, Identity, Stability.” Through hypnopaedia, the citizens of the World State learn their morals, values, and beliefs, which stay with them as they age. However, like any society, there are outsiders who alienate themselves from the rest of the population because they have different values and beliefs. Unfortunately, being an outsider in the World State is not ideal, and therefore there are consequences as a result. One such outsider is John. Brought from the Savage Reservation, John is lead to conform to the beliefs of the World State, thus losing his individuality, which ultimately leads him to commit suicide. Through John and the World State populace as an example, Huxley uses his novel to emphasize his disapproval of conformity over individuality.
Society has always functioned on the premise that a person must adjust their behaviour in accordance with what is deemed socially acceptable at that time. If administrated to the fullest extent, the theme of conformity can be detrimental to the stability and growth of a community. Through analyzing the dystopian narrative elements of Sherri Jacksons’ works, readers are able to distinguish how the theme of conformity is still prevalent to humans today as it expresses the need for order and organization, eliminates fear of the unknown, and promotes society functioning as a whole with limited individuation. The author depicts this reoccurring normative event, to stress the notion that there is something fundamentally wrong with society.
The concept of what is "individuality" and what is not has plagued and delighted man since the dawn of time. “All the Pretty Horses” by Cormac McCarthy adds 302 more pages to the pile of all the works that have been on the quest to define individualism. In this novel, McCarthy takes us through four faces of the key character’s life, John Grady, to portray the idea of illusory individualism. He contends that John Grady is simply a product of a society in contrast to his (Grady) notion of free will. Simply put: Grady has no alternatives but an obligation to conform to society. McCarthy uses him to create the platform in which to comment on oppression of individuality, expectation of conformity to the values of the society and the fact that the concept of individualism is a myth.
“I use people for the sake of what I can do to them. It’s my only function and satisfaction. I have no private purpose. I want power. I want my world of the future. Let all live for all. Let all sacrifice and none profit. Let all suffer and none enjoy. Let progress stop. Let all stagnate. There’s equality in stagnation. All subjugated to the will of all” (668). Quoted by Ellsworth Toohey, the antagonist of The Fountainhead. Toohey is the representation of the collective, a group where individuals have no characteristics of being an individual, where people act senselessly as a whole. This book may have been published in 1943, but its philosophical value and meaning have not changed nor become irrelevant. The problems presented in Rand’s novel are just as prevalent today, decades after the setting.
In his job as an art critic, Toohey advocates for the importance of the collective and the evil of the individual. By posing as a mentor, he destroys individuals’ self worth, and manipulates those like Peter Keating into giving up their ego and following the accepted standards of the masses- the standards that he, himself, is directly determining. Despite Toohey being the ruler over the second-handers, his actions are, arguably, the most reliant upon others than anyone else in the novel. Notably, in his unusually authentic speech to Keating, Toohey’s scheme of killing aspiration, integrity, and the core values of man is for the sake of collectivism. But in doing so, he creates a circumstance where he cannot function or achieve any purpose without others.
Throughout history, a church is a building that is used for religious activity, specifically for worship services. The typical architecture for a church usually consist of a cross. Oftentimes, the church also includes a dome or a large vaulted space. The church is typically used by Christians but it can also be used by other religion. There are various type of church. For example, there is the Basilica type, which is originally used to describe the Roman public building and it is typically located in a forum of a Roman town. In addition to that, the Basilica is usually describe as and open, roman, public court building. The first basilicas built during the early years had no religious function at all. The roman basilica was a spacious public building where people use it for business or legal matters. Another type of church is the Cathedral which is a christian church that contain the seat of the bishop, therefore serving as the central church of diocese, conference, or episcopate. Cathedral has many function. The role of the cathedral is to serve God in the community. The building symbolizes the glory of God. The two buildings being discussed and compared in this paper are St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Pauls Cathedral. I will be comparing the history, function, and architecture between these two buildings.
One of principle beliefs of the Aztec religion involved the origins of the universe. Aztec adherents believed that their city, Tenochtitlan, was where the forces of the heavens and the underworld were connected, a similar idea that is represented by the ‘World Tree’. The heavens of their religion were divided into 13 levels with Ometeotl, the supreme creator, living in the highest 2 levels. As the World Tree suggests, their city was connected through the roots to the underworld, which in the Aztec religion consisted of 9 levels of Michtlan. Their belief in a supernatural dimension that was beyond their human experience meant that the gods were responsible for the creation of the Aztec world and provided a moral framework for their lives. Aztecs believed the myth of the Four Past Worlds where Ometeotl’s four sons were given the task of creating the world and humans to live in it. The sons created, fought and violently destroyed each others’ worlds until the new Earth and Sun were born. The two Gods, Tezcatlipoca and Quetzalcotl, met a great Earth monster Tlaltecuhtli and killed her, threw her tail into the sky to make the he...
In today’s society a person is shaped by family, friends, and past events, but in Aldous Huxley’s classic novel, Brave New World, there is no such thing as family, history and “true” friends. The government controls every aspect of an individual from their creation in the hatcheries to their conditioning for their thoughts and careers. In this brave new world the ideas of stability and community reign supreme, and the concept of individualism is foreign and suppressed, “Everyone belongs to everyone else, after all,” (47). Huxley perverses contemporary morals and concepts in Brave New World, thus distorting the ideas of materialistic pleasures, savagery versus society, and human relationships. These distortions contribute to the effectiveness of Brave New World, consequently creating a novel that leaves the reader questioning how and why.
Brazil is a beautiful country with an outstanding culture. Known for it’s vibrant colors, fun samba dancing, and their breath-taking carnivals. We often think about Brazil as a beach or a fun place to vacation, but it’s good to remember that Brazil’s culture is very diverse. Their roots are a mixture of African, Indian, and European blood. The many ethnicities and cultures are what make Brazil’s qualities so unique.