To Defend 'The Fountainhead'?

I first read The Fountainhead the summer before entering The College of New Jersey. At the time, my rejection from Princeton was still a fairly fresh wound. Little did I know, the novel was incredibly relevant to my situation and would set the tone for my college career.

Political implications aside, the chief message of the novel is the idea of responsibility to oneself. To me it's an uplifting message: You have a responsibility to achieve to your highest ability. This should be your guiding virtue. No one has any right to you or your work, except you. As the hero, Howard Roark, says, "I do not recognize anyone's right to a minute of my life. Nor to any part of my energy. Nor to any achievement of mine." Do not depend on the greatness of others to define your own work because you have the capacity to create. In order to love and respect others, you need to be able to first respect yourself. This prerequisite of love, is described in the novel: " 'I love you' one must know first how to say the 'I'. "

Howard Roark refuses to remain tethered to the work of his predecessors, to cower in the shadows of what is defined as greatness and thereby admit automatic inferiority. He is determined to forge his own path. Now, as a graduating senior, I can't think of a more empowering sentiment, as my peers and I embark on what's next.

The Fountainhead has the potential to resonate with anyone with an individual dream who is willing to fight for it. It is my hope that my classmates and I follow Roark's example in our careers:

“But you see, I have, let’s say, sixty years to live. Most of that time will be spent working. I’ve chosen the work I want to do. If I find no joy in it, then I’m only condemning myself to sixty years of torture. And I can find the joy only if I do my work in the best way possible to me. But the best is a matter of standards — and I set my own standards. I inherit nothing. I stand at the end of no tradition. I may, perhaps, stand at the beginning of one.”

-Katie Brenzel

Todd Petty contributed to this blog post