Fountainhead Scholarship essay

      “Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values.”(Ayn Rand)Ayn Rand’s definition of morality and success is illustrated in her book
The Fountainhead.  Through the main character, Howard Roark, she illustrates that one can achieve morality and practical success, by staying true to ones self and ideals, and by not yielding to anyone’s opinion. The traditional view of success is fame, money and power however this is a huge misconception because you cannot gain any one of these without sacrificing your ideals, self-respect, self-esteem and ultimately happiness.
         From the very beginning Howard Roark stayed true to himself. When being confronted with expulsion from the Stanton Institute, he chose to leave and learn from Henry Cameron rather than betray his sense of honor.When he was ordered by his professors, to steal styles and ideas of architects from the past, he refused repeatedly, to betray his sense of dignity and integrity and demean the integrity of his buildings. When confronted by the Dean of the school, Roark said,
A building is alive, like a man. Its integrity is to follow its own truth, its one single theme, and to serve its own single purpose.  A man doesn’t borrow pieces of his body. A building doesn’t borrow hunks of its soul. Its maker gives it the soul and every wall, window and stairway expresses it.(24)
On the other hand peter Keating used many of Roark’s designs and copied his style to advance at Stanton.
          Keating further manipulates fellow draftsmen in order to gain a favourable position at the firm Francon & Heyer, to gain prestige and admiration he didn’t earn. Under the guise of a well meaning friend, Peter gradually takes over Tim Davis’s job in order to give Davis more time with his girlfriend, with the real motive of advancing his own personal welfare. Over time, Davis was lulled into not doing anything at all and became lazy. Meanwhile, all the time in which Peter was doing Tim’s job, the commissions and assignments were being turned in late, and Peter was using flowery excuses to defend Tim that really only belittled him. Finally, when he saw that Davis was the most expensive draftsman and the least needed, Guy Francon fired him, and Peter was promoted to the vacant position. Yet when Davis was fired, it was Keating who consoled him.
In contrast, Howard stays true to his self and ideals when he chooses to learn from and work for a man that is forsaken by society, and despondent. Even when Henry Cameron earnestly demands Roark to find a different job, Roark refuses. Cameron tried to explain the utter failure and agony he went through because of his love for his job and the conflict created by his ideals: “There will be days when you’ll look at your hands and want to take something and smash every bone in them, because they’ll be taunting you with what you could do, if you found a chance for them to do it, and you can’t find that chance,” (64) Despite this, Roark refused; he chose to stay with the man that had the same purpose of building only for himself and the ideal of not copying any building. He stays with the man with morality and thus keeps his morality intact.
         Keating further advances himself by flattering, manipulating and convincing a woman into giving Claude Stengel, the lead draftsman, his first commission and a chance to start his own office.  To be promoted to Stengel’s job. Furthermore, when he was given first task his of designing Peter had a moment of realization and fear. “Something rolled in his stomach, cold and empty, his old feeling of the dropping hole.”(71) This feeling is a realization that he has no talent, no experience, or knowledge that can only be gained by practice and improvement from obstacles. Because Peter was incapable of overcoming his fear, he piteously begged Roark to design it for him. He once again sacrificed his morality for prestige and ultimately false success.
         When the renowned architect competition for the Cosmo Slotnick building began, Peter Keating joined the contest pressed by the tantalizing promise of becoming the new partner at Francon & Heyer if he won, and by the ever present compelling need to triumph over people around him in order to feel superior. However, Keating was unable to design a building worthy of any notice, panicky and desperate Keating feebly begged Roark to be able to once again leech designs from Roark, to win the contest. When Keating did win, he gloried in undeserved attention and admiration, finding self-esteem and respect only in the words and the number of admirers. Keating betrayed his sense of virtue once more for a false victory over people and in life. In contrast, Roark lived through empty days of no clients and unpaid bills, but unwavering commitment to his ideals.
         Ellsworth Toohey, in his need to have control over people, practiced altruism. He used his deceivingly eloquent voice to convince people that altruism is the essence of morality. When speaking, Toohey influenced Peter and many other people to be blindly led through life. “He heard the beauty of sounds without meaning. He felt no need to know the meaning; he could accept anything, he would be led blindly anywhere” (109). By the awesome power of his eloquent voice, Toohey became a saint in the eyes of the easily deceived and corrupted of men. Roark became a threat to Toohey, because he was not only a man that fought and stood for individualism but also a man Toohey couldn’t control. So when he was trying to destroy Roark Toohey used his influence over Hopton Stoddard to hire Roark to design the temple, to turn the people against Roark, ruin him, and break his spirit. However, this reaction did not break Roark. By staying strong to himself and his commitment to his ideals, Roark stayed moral.
         Peter Keating and Catherine Halsey were deeply in love. However when Peter finally got the commitment and resolve to marry Catherine with no delays, Domynique offered to marry Peter. The one person Peter always lusted after for not only for her body but also the admiration and success such a marriage would gain him. Peter sacrificed true love, happiness and morals for false success and imaginary happiness.
         Wynand grew up in Hells Kitchen living in a corrupted neighbourhood, and becoming exposed to and a part of this corruption. However Wynand always had one small part of himself full of hope, integrity and morality. Until the one person he thought was truly honest, Wynand found really did not care at all, Wynand lost hope that there was any man in the world that was truly honest, and had integrity, or morality. Subsequently Wynand discarded his morality and integrity, to become a man that gains power through manipulation, and turns the Banner into a scandalous vulgar news paper, and destroying men of integrity and complementing degraded men. Once Wynand met Roark, Wynand regained respect and hope for mankind. Representing morality, integrity and independence, Roark was a reflection of everything Wynand lost and could be. When Roark was being wrongfully condemned for defending his natural right over his creations (Cortland Homes). Wynand had a chance to redeem himself, regain his integrity and morality, and gain true success and happiness. Yet despite a valiant effort on Roark’s behalf, Wynand contemptibly surrendered, once and for all deserting his morality and Roark for the Banner.
         Despite all the corrupted and deceived men that were against Roark and what he stood for, he succeeded. Roark gained and kept true success and morality by upholding his ideals and only living for the achievement of his happiness. Roark overcame the Cortland Homes obstacle and all other hardships thrown his way. Roark is “A man who is what he should be.”(696) This is a statement by Ayn Rand, saying that the ideal man is a man that is independent of opinions and decisions of his fellow man, and the achievement of his happiness and commitment to his ideals is his only goal in life.

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Rand, Ayn. Fountainhead. New York: Signet, 1952