What words can be used to describe a man like Howard Roark? Many have called him an artist, a creator, a modernist. However, his motives have earned him a new title by society : selfless. Nonetheless, Roark's seemingly selfless actions are in fact selfish when seen through Ayn Rand's definition of selfishness.
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary selfless is "having no concern for self". Through the eyes of society, Roark is neglecting his physical needs for something greater than himself "You need the commission. Do you have to be quite so fanatical and selfless about it?" (p. 197). Roark refuses a major building contract because it would mean having to compromise his beliefs to create the building. Roark refuses it, despite the fact that he needs the money. The banker who offered him the job sees Roark's stubbornness as selflessness because he is willing to ignore his needs for an idea, that is, modernism. Furthermore, Roark refused Keating's money when Keating tried to bribe Roark into not saying anything about his implication in the Cosmo-Slotnick building. " Then he turned it over, took his fountain pen , wrote on the back : 'Pay to the order of Peter Keating,' signed and handed the check to Keating. 'And here's my bribe to you, Peter,' he said. 'For the same purpose. To keep your mouth shut.'" (p. 193). Roark's gesture can be interpreted as a favour to Keating. He does not want to hurt his friend by denouncing him, therefore he wouldn't have told a soul anyway. He is returning the money because it is unfair for Keating to give a large sum for something that Roark would have done anyway. He is, once again, neglecting his needs for the sake of something greater than him.
Ayn Rand believes "[…] the selfless man is...
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...in one of two ways -- by the independent work of his own mind or as a parasite fed by the minds of others." (p.679) In this passage, Roark claims that the man who does not find his own means to survive, is nothing but a "parasite". This invokes the image of a leech sucking a victim's leg, in order to survive. Roark uses strong imagery to express the disgust he feels for the second-hander. Thus, the esteem he has for himself and the fact that he refuses to compromise make him a selfish man.
To conclude, despite society's belief that Roark is a selfless man, who believes in a greater idea, he has proven to be a selfish man, through the motivation for his actions and his opinion of selfishness. He condemns the selfless man to being a "parasite", a man without a soul. The selfless man has no ego.
Works Cited
Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. New York: Plume, 1994.
Cyrano, despite being an honorable man, believed deeply that he was truly unlovable and let his honor get in the way of expressing his true feelings. Cyrano had several positive attributes such as his his generosity, wit, and skill with a sword, but he was also filled with regret. Rostand uses Cyrano’s honor and cowardness to proffer that the human condition is full of joy and sorrow. Sometimes positive attributes may lead to self doom. Cyrano took advantage of his honor and self confidence and lived a sorrowful life. It is inevitable to experience downfall, but it is possible to control emotion. Humans are gifted with qualities, but at the same time, it is not possible to live a life of
When Roark said in the courtroom, "Independence is the only gauge of human virtue and value, what a man is and makes of himself, not what he has or hasn't for others", he summarized the whole philosophy in these handful of words. To Roark, independence meant everything. From this one value of his arose all his other values and qualities. To him, there was no substitute and no alternative to independence. He held no authority above the judgement of his mind, he held no one higher than himself. Roark felt a fundamental indifference towards others -- he cared two hoots about what the world thought of him.
Imagine living in a dystopian society where the world that once thrived was completely forgotten. Individualism and freedom cease to exist. Equality 7-2521 finds himself living in this society in which he soon realizes he does not belong. Anthem, by Ayn Rand, portrays the theme of freedom versus confinement through the eyes of Equality 7-2521 as he struggles to free himself from the restricting society in which he lives.
“I swear – by my life and my love of it – that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine” (Rand 979). The last lines of John Galt’s speech in Atlas Shrugged declare the fundamental principle of Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism. Her ideology plays an integral role in her literary pieces, functioning as the motor driving the actions, goals, and beliefs of the protagonists. From the first strains of Objectivism established during her childhood in Russia, Ayn Rand would develop and cultivate her ideas further in each novel, culminating in her magnum opus, Atlas Shrugged. We the Living, The Fountainhead, and Anthem share the theme of Atlas Shrugged, and The Fountainhead and Anthem would join the masterpiece as staples of the Objectivist and Libertarian ideologies (Smith 384). Nothing could pose a greater contrast when presented in juxtaposition with Rand’s doctrine than the Communism of her childhood. Ayn Rand’s experiences living in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic led her to create Objectivism; through her fictional works, she showcases her philosophy which is centered on the struggle of the individual versus the collective by emphasizing different aspects in each of her novels.
Reason is the opportune quintessence of logic. Ayn Rand’s “Fountainhead” explores the assets and disadvantages of employing reason as a weapon of persuasion. The protagonist of the novel, Howard Roark, is reason. He symbolizes, epitomizes, and embodies living logic. Assuming individualism, he achieves complex thought processes, simultaneously exploring the theme of the novel—society’s manipulation of individualism. As reason, Roark is faced with constant opposition—every semblance of his person is shunned, negated, and trampled solely for the presumption of his potential threat. In regards to Roark’s personal opinion, he lamented that: “…on [his] side [he] ha[d] reason…[he] kn[e]w, it [was] something no one really want[ed] to have on his side…” (Rand 165). Acknowledging that loss is imminent, Roark’s righteous ideals negate his failure(s). Furthermore, Roark has no choice. Reason is a constant aspect of his continuation—he is incapable of existing without it. Its role is a cosmic, undeniable force that, while consistently causing him to lose anything he ever desires, he masochistically reveres. Roark’s identity as reason is further cemented by his lack of it. “Then, without reason, he thought of Dominique Francon” (Rand 264). Roark’s unnatural relationship with Dominique Francon conveys to the reader of his infallible rationale. When with Dominique, Roark is unnaturally impractical and capable of human emotion, conveying to the reader that this state of being, this unreasonable existence, is a prosthetic state for him and therefore his true state is one of practicality.
In “What Makes a Hero?” researcher Philip Zimbardo discusses the fact that selflessness is a heroic quality. He discuss how people who do heroic acts tend to be more selfless than people who don’t. Mark also does not require material
Despite the apparent contrast between altruism and egoism, each ideology ultimately satiates mankind's fundamental desire for personal gain. Although the altruist may state that his or her actions are done for the betterment of humanity, he typically is receives something, such as respect, praise, or prestige in return. This return is what motivates altruists. Conversely, the egoism displayed in The Fountainhead seeks the material production of greatness over gain. Roark cares not for the money he could have, but rather lives for the completion of his buildings. Both altruism and egoism are a means of acquiring one's true desires.
He is selfish when he tells the Golden One that they should forget about the society but talk to each other anyway. “There is no danger in solitude. we have no need of our brothers. Let us forget their good and our evil, let us forget all things save that we are together and that there is joy as a bond between us,” (83). By saying this to the Golden One he is suggesting that they should just forget the society and the wrong they have done and just be together. By doing this he can get the Golden One and himself into trouble because of what he wants.
“No thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire” (L. Frank Baum 8). In all of your education, you have acquired knowledge, whether or not you have gotten good grades. Ayn Rand’s novella, Anthem, tells the story of Equality 7-2521 who attempts to acquire knowledge and intelligence by experimenting with his individuality. Likewise, Stephen Vincent Benét’s short story, By the Waters of Babylon, describes the adventures of John who will become a priest after his father. John, a teenager, goes against society to attain knowledge of the Place of the Gods, which is forbidden. In both inspiring stories, knowledge is important to the progression of the characters. In them,
“There is fear hanging in the air of the sleeping halls, and in the air of the streets. Fear walks through the City, fear without name, without shape. All men feel it and none dare to speak” (Rand 46). Equality 7-2125, the main character in the novel Anthem, by Ayn Rand, lives in the City, where the citizens live in fear. Fear of the government, fear of the Council, fear of each other, fear of their ideas. Due to that fear, the City’s government, the Council, has brainwashed all of the residents in to their way of thinking. The things people in the City accept in order to live a life of obedience, drudgery and fear are the Council is all knowing, conflict is unacceptable, and everyone has to be the same.
Selfishness is evident in “Barn Burning” by William Faulkner and “Hills Like White Elephants” by Ernest Hemingway. Both stories have a character that only thinks of their own interests. It does not matter what those around them think and feel. This selfishness causes each character to control those around them, the American in “Hills Like White Elephants” does so more subtly and Abner in “Barn Burning” is very abrupt and obvious. How the affected character reacts to the selfish individual is also in contrast between the two stories.
Selfishness is one of the most common personality traits shared amongst society, Kenneth Grahame’s literature features the theme of how making rash decisions can lead to dramatic effects to those around you.
Selflessness is a quality some people may value, while others believe it shows weakness. In the book Anthem, by Ayn Rand, in order to move forward in the society one must be selfless. The main character Equality 7-2521 is a twenty one year old man that lives in a futuristic society that has lost all trace of science and civilization. Doing something that has never been done by anyone in his society, adventurous Equality breaks the rules and thinks of himself. Equality lives in a totalitarian world, ruled by the council, that is technologically primitive. The nature of science and technology do not exist in the book Anthem, contrary to the belief that technology will advance in the future.
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