Howard Roark-the man of nobody's dreams

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand is a masterpiece-as the entire world would agree..its not like a book which i generally read.but there was something intriguing in it which compelled me to put my hands on it.And then i met Howard Roark.

The protagonist Howard Roark is a man who in todays world -by no doubts -would be treated just a he has been in the masterpiece.His clariy of mind ,his focus ,his unusual behavior took me by surprise.He is not concerned about the world,about the feelings of love or hatred,about other people's views or methods of work.Even in his solitude,he is never alone.Or at least he never cares enough to be aware of that.His passion ,wish i had a more precise adjective for describing his fervour for architecture,to design the buildings,the structures that would suit in the best way the purpose they are wanted to be errected has got blended to such an extent in his soul that he hardly produced anything on the paper ever that could not be called a masterpiece-and yet the world shunned him ,signed him off completely ,took no notice of him at all..He is the best in the business,with the worst market reputation,but unfazed by any thing at all.His passion drives him to such an extent that he would leave all work and get down to correct any other plan his friend brings to him just because he cannot bring himself to see a building with even a slighty extra part being costructed if its not serving its purpose.His blood doesnt flow in his veins ,but in those iron beams ,that marble,that cement with which he constructs his building.He works as a plumber,as an electrician,as a labourer,as an architect on his buliding just as one works on his child to bring out the best in him.He is a workaholic-caring for nothing save the project he is working on.Sleep,food,Physique,love are nowhere on his lists.

The contrast is so very well brought out by the character of Mr. Peter Keating,the very influential highly reputed architect of Stanton and then Guy and Francon and then Frankon and Keating who follows and gives what the world wants and rises to all the imaginable and dreamable hieghts that a person can think of in is proessional life .



nobody in the world is dextrous enough to beat him-but still he is defeated everytime.



Its the society that has the power.Its those elements of the society that constantly try to crush he newness ,the freshness in him.The individuals like Toohey,the organisations,the papers all of them like collectively try in every possible way to supress the storm that resides in that one man's soul .The novel,for me brings out a very true shade of the society.The society which always propagates the highest ideals for a particular subject or issue is actually in some way or the other responsible for it and is hindering in the redressal of the problem.Here ,the elements of the society who are the best names in architecture and are the leaders in many forums and are often addressing gatherings on architectural issues are the ones who to do every bit to stop a man of true calibre from rising and to bring out something good for the world.



But Roark needs nobody.He worships his work.He speaks less ,but when he does ,the world listens.He wouldnt compromise on anything for his work.He does not work for money,but for the genuine want to deliver to this world something that will have utility and fulfilll needs.No project is small or big for him.He designs small houses with the same enthusiasm,the same vigour and zeal with which he dedicates himself to the designing of a skyscraper.He is ready to be out of job,but not into a job which doesnt go according to his plans-not because he is obstinate or adamant to get his work done his way,but because he doesn't wasnt his structures to reflect any other shade ,any other character other than what its owners purpose is to extract out of it.

Very few people exist who understand what Roark does and appreciate his way of doing it.With them he unconciousy forms a small brigade which fights the "just" society throughout the story.
In the end ,it has not been made clear -and neither was there any need for it,as to who-whethar the society or the individual has won the silent battle but in the end ,i as a reader am satisfied that Roark has done a lot of quality work and the world starts to accept his way of doing things.

the end , or the beginning???

minors end ..contemplation mode starts again..was that time more free when d mind was single -mindedly directed towards studies or it is more busy now when it(mind) is empty in a sense but actually filled with more thoughts than it can handle >>