The Fountainhead Themes

Rand's philosophy of "I Am A Beautiful, Unique Snowflake" (or Objectivism, if you want to sound stuffy about it) goes a little something like this: Earn a lot of money. (Okay, sure, we like money!)...

At the start of Trainspotting, Ewan McGregor's character goes on an epic rant about the acceptable choices we're expected make in life: from picking a career to picking out a shiny TV. In this rant...

In The Fountainhead, Roark's communication style is blunt. He's a straight-shooter. But other characters speak in roundabout ways and downplay what they are saying, often with the help of the media...

The Fountainhead's view of happiness is serious business: it has more to do with the U.S. Constitution than sunshine and daisies. Remember that whole "pursuit of happiness" bit in the Constitution'...

The Fountainhead totally believes in the American dream: the idea of America as a land of opportunity, where it is possible to work hard and achieve great things. Howard Roark, American to the core...

The Fountainhead sticks out like a sore thumb in the American literary tradition of celebrating the underdog. Granted, Roark is a poor underdog, and persecuted to boot. So how is Rand abandoning th...

Unlike what the famous biblical passage in First Corinthians says, love is not "gentle or kind" in The Fountainhead. In fact, love is dark, twisted, furious, and violent. The types of romantic love...

The Fountainhead's attitude toward power is kind of... weird. It doesn't so much resemble real life, especially real life in America (circa the 1940s or otherwise).Who is the oppressed, initially p...