Roark heads to New York City and secures a position with Henry Cameron. His losing his place at the school stems from his unwillingness to follow the school’s call for the use of historical conventions in designing new buildings. The novel opens in 1922 with Howard Roark being expelled from the architecture program at the Stanton Institute of Technology. This has led to the novel carrying a pall of controversy, as critics have sometimes used the scene to suggest that Rand had written an endorsement of rape.
At the beginning of their relationship, there is a particularly forceful sexual encounter, which Dominique later refers to as rape. Roark’s lover, Dominique Francon, at times helps Roark, but since she does not believe it is possible to succeed without conforming, she frequently undermines him as well. Also hoping to influence public opinion is Gail Wynand, a newspaper publisher who gets to know Roark but ends up betraying him. Ellsworth Toohey is a socialist architecture critic guided by self-serving interests, who attempts to destroy Roark’s career while advancing his own political agenda. Roark’s old friend, Peter Keating, finds success in his professional life by keeping up with styles that are popular, but he needs Roark’s assistance when he encounters issues related to design. Rand creates characters who represent views and ways of being that contrast with Roark’s beliefs. To him, they sacrifice their integrity and individuality by refusing to move forward independently. Roark refers to those who cling to the old ways and conforming as second-handers. In Howard Roark, Ayn Rand exemplifies the notion that individualism is to be valued over collectivism. The Fountainhead tells the story of Howard Roark, a young architect who strives to stay true to his artistic visions in the modernist movement rather than conform to the traditional ways of his profession where other architects reject innovation. Russian-American writer Ayn Rand found her first widespread fame in the literary arena with her 1943 novel The Fountainhead.
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