Individualism versus Collectivism in The Fountainhead

Ayn Rand addresses the concepts of individualism and collectivism through a thematic approach. Man “can survive in only one of two ways – by the independent work of his own mind or as a parasite fed by the minds of others,” asserts Howard Roark, the protagonist in Ayn Rand’s first major literary success, The Fountainhead (679). This assertion captures the primary theme of the novel. Through the dramatic characters of Howard Roark, Paul Keating, and Ellsworth Toohey, Rand examines the conflict and contrast between innovative creators – those driven by independent and rational thought, and second-handers – those dependent upon the approval and efforts of others.

An innovative architect, Roark is a creator and individualism is an inherent part of his psyche. In fact, the only sovereignty the novel’s hero acknowledges is the independent reason of his own mind. He is profoundly selfish in that he is true only to himself. “Why is it so important – what others have done,” wonders Roark (24). Rational self-interest is the foundation of his values, and he engages in productive work in order to achieve these ideals. Realizing his intrinsic values leads to happiness, which comes from within and is largely independent of external sentiment. On the contrary, Peter Keating, Roark’s foil, utterly depends on external validation. He allows others to dominate his life without limitation. He is selfless in a decidedly literal sense because he abdicates his own judgement and values in favor of outside approval. Keating is a second-hander, as evidenced by his choice of career and relationships. He neither loves his job nor his wife since his decisions are driven by a compelling desire to achieve social status.

Ellsworth Toohey, a second-hander with a distinctive lust for power, feeds off his weak-willed followers, such as Keating. The antipode of Roark – Toohey – is a purported collectivist who is incapable of creative or productive work, seeking to control other men’s souls. He touts collectivist virtues, such as self-sacrifice, to rob men of their self-worth. These morally bankrupt individuals then turn to Toohey for approval. “Empty man’s soul,” Toohey says, “and the space is yours to fill” (636). Just as a tree is identified by its fruit, so are the true natures of these three men’s souls distinguished through their endeavors. Roark's individualistic soul is revealed through his rationality, productivity, and pride. He embodies the virtues of individualism or, more precisely, the philosophy Ayn Rand would come to define as Objectivism, a specific type of individualism with a moral code based on rational selfishness (Virtue of Selfishness xi).

In The Objectivist Ethics, Rand argues that rationality is mankind’s principal virtue (Virtue of Selfishness 27). This certainly holds true for Roark, as rationality is his only means of acquiring knowledge and discerning truth. He depends on reason, rather than the rhetoric of others, to objectively evaluate his situation and to determine the most prudent course of action. When designing a building, he refuses to rely exclusively on orthodox architectural styles. Instead, he opts to be a creator. Using his judgment, Roark develops the optimal plan for each building based on its specific materials, purpose, and location. Likewise, when choosing friends, Roark is drawn to fellow individualists such as Austen Heller and Mike Donigan. Roark endears these men, not because of their social prestige or the possibility of manipulating them to his advantage, as Keating or Toohey would, but because he admires their values, including their firm belief in the virtue of rationality and commitment to productive work. Yet, productive work is the means by which the individualist achieves his goals and values. Roark, for example, works towards transforming his architectural expertise into the physical form of a building. This endeavor is his pursuit of happiness and his highest moral purpose. At his trial, Roark explains that “The creator lives for his work. He needs no other men. His primary goal is within himself” (679).

Roark’s pride, his “moral ambitiousness,” drives him to consistently remain true to his values, regardless of the consequences imposed by society (Virtue of Selfishness 29). For example, Roark refuses the Manhattan Bank project, even though he desperately needs the commission, because the job requires him to alter his design. The Board of the Manhattan Bank Company sees this decision as “fanatical and selfless”, but it is only half-right (197). Roark may be considered to be fanatical in view of his single-minded zeal and grit, but his turndown to modify his plans is far from selfless. In fact, it is a purely selfish decision. Although forfeiting the commission means he must close his office and find work as a manual laborer, Roark understands that agreeing to modify architectural designs equals vitiating his professional integrity. Yet, this leads to a far worse fate. For him, to sacrifice his values is to betray his own independent judgment. Thus, he regards this as an act of sheer self-destruction.

By contrast, Peter Keating views work as nothing more than a means to impress others. Although he has the calling to become an artist, Keating chooses architecture as a career because his mother insists that it is a more respectable profession. At Stanton, Keating works to finish at the top of his class, not in quest of superior architectural knowledge and innovativeness, but so that others will know he beat Shlinker, Keating’s chief academic rival. During graduation Keating basks in the perceived admiration of those in the crowded hall. Nonetheless, he is only a second-hander who is devoid of creative inner drive and feels such complacency when he commences his career path in a field for which he harbors no passion. Keating is willing to manipulate, plagiarize, and, in the case of Lucius Heyer, essentially murder another in order to advance his career interests. He resorts to such means because he gauges his success and failure compared to others. To a creator like Roark, “all relations with men are secondary,” but to a second-hander like Keating, relations with men are primary (680).

Even the personal choice of a spouse, for Keating, is based on his desire for external validation. Rather than follow his heart and marry his true love, the plain but devoted Katie Halsey, Keating listens to others and chooses the beautiful and socially sophisticated Dominique Francon. Katie loves Keating and is perhaps the only person able to bring out the best in him. Dominique, on the other hand, blatantly declares to Keating, “If I ever want to punish myself disgustingly – I’ll marry you” (181). Keating, nonetheless, abandons Katie in favor of the more elegant Dominique to improve his social status and “to introduce her to strangers, to say lightly: ‘My wife,’ and to watch the stupid, uncontrolled look of envy in their eyes” (421). Keating lives by the tenet that you should “always be what people want you to be”, and he is, therefore, destined to become an empty shell of a man (261). At Roark’s second trial, Keating is so inconsequential that after leaving the stand, the audience still feels “as if no person had walked out” (677). And it is men such as Keating – intellectually helpless and morally defeated souls who refuse to think for themselves – that the collectivist Ellsworth Toohey seeks to dominate.

Toohey knows that he lacks the creative genius of an individual like Roark, so he seeks to undermine self-worth, promote mediocrity, and destroy greatness in order to dominate others. A destroyer rather than a creator, Toohey exists not for his own self but through others. He is a second-hander. He preaches the virtues of collectivism - the destruction of self for the sake of the group. Beginning from his school days, Toohey recognizes the power of the mob. He amasses his minions from among the “suffering and ill-endowed,” who cling to his rhetoric “like a drug habit” (298). Years later, Toohey leverages “One Small Voice,” his column in the Banner, to promote collectivist values of unselfishness, brotherhood, and equality (304). And when a man, by his very nature, falls short of these ideals, he feels guilty and experiences a lack of self-worth. This bankrupt soul, no longer able to trust in himself, then turns to Toohey for leadership.

However, to truly control the levers of a collectivist society, Toohey must do more than lead the broken. He must also elevate the weak-willed, unremarkable men, such as Keating, and discredit independent and talented men, such as Roark. Throughout the novel, Toohey uses his influence, when it suits his collectivist agenda, to boost the career of the spineless Keating, causing Keating to become emotionally and professionally dependent upon Toohey’s validation. At the same time, Toohey seeks to destroy men, such as Roark, who submit to nothing save for their own rational self-interest. Through schemes such as constructing the Stoddard Temple, Toohey attempts to debase Roark by killing society’s reverence for excellence. Toohey knows that, “Great men can’t be ruled” but, if he manipulates society to belittle the work of Roark and exalt the work of Keating, then he will demean greatness and enshrine submissive mediocrity (635-636).

Toohey and Keating are absolutely dependent upon others because the group provides their measure of worth. They create nothing of value and, in the end, are left with nothing of value. By contrast, Roark steadfastly relies on the creative power of his own mind. Independent reason is the fountainhead of his validation and his happiness. The actions, words, and motives of these characters reveal the fundamental differences between the soul of the collectivist and the soul of the individualist.

Works Cited

Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. New York: Penguin, 2005. Print.

Rand, Ayn. The virtue of selfishness. Penguin, 1964.