Adieu, Ms. Rand (for now)

I am approaching the conclusion of The Fountainhead, much to my disappointment. Perhaps what has caused me to take so long to finish this book is a subconscious desire to keep these characters alive as long as possible. I feel like I know them; I guess I do know them. They have become part of my world, my perspective. They have become a point of reference in deciphering the complexities of humankind and its role in society.

In my last post about this novel, I neglected (intentionally) to discuss Ayn Rand's philosophy of objectivism, which serves as the motivation behind each of her novels. Briefly, objectivism advocates reason and egoism as absolutes. "My philosophy, in essence," she said, "is the concept of man as a heroic being, with his own happiness as the moral purpose of his life, with productive achievement as his noblest activity, and reason as his only absolute." This is evident in Howard Roark, the hero of The Fountainhead. In a further explanation of her philosophy, Ayn Rand states, "Man—every man—is an end in himself, not the means to the ends of others. He must exist for his own sake, neither sacrificing himself to others nor sacrificing others to himself. The pursuit of his own rational self-interest and of his own happiness is the highest moral purpose of his life."

There is plenty in Ayn Rand's philosophy to which I object, namely, that it is devoid of any room for compassion, benevolence, social responsibility. It is purely individualistic, and we have all probably witnessed the negative fallout from a gross individualism. However, there is a baby here not to be thrown out with the bathwater. In one scene in The Fountainhead, Gail Wynand tells Howard Roark that he thinks Howard ought to be more selfish, to which Howard objects, saying he's the most egotistical person he knows. Gail wonders how that can be true because he believes Howard displays an indescribable kindness, thereby negating any chance that he could be so egotistical. Gail grapples with the opposing concepts of egoism and kindness. Are they opposing? How can they be reconciled? And can they possibly be reconciled within one man?

But Gail is right. Howard is kind. He's an extremely likable character, and for many of the reasons purported by Ayn Rand's philosophy. Instead of denouncing Howard for his egoism, uncompromising standards and unwillingness to cooperate conventionally, you find yourself cheering him on. He represents something noble. I am still reconciling these opposing concepts myself. The closest I have come is recognizing that society can, at times, benefit from individual selfishness. For example, during a monstrous Chicago snowstorm, do you think the snow plowers get up in the middle of the night for my benefit? Do you think they're thinking about my day and my need to be able to drive to work the next morning? No. They plow the roads because it's their job and they are working for their paycheck, to support themselves, for their own sake. But I benefit.

Of course we need people to do things for the sake of other people. Of course it is noble to be unselfish. But I'm just trying to reconcile Ayn Rand with my world and what I know and think to be true. She's on to something that need not be disregarded because it has the appearance of being heartless and offensively individualistic.

In any case, I bid my farewell to The Fountainhead. One of these days I will read Atlas Shrugged. But I think I need a break. What's next you ask? Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville. Alexis may complement Ms. Rand nicely. We shall see.