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   ladyvols1 Teacher
   High School - 9th Grade

   eNotes Editor

   "The Fountainhead," by Ayn Rand is a novel that basically compares the ideals of Free market Capitalism and Communism.  Rand had escaped Communist Russia and was a big supporter of the Capitalist ideals.  The novel uses a character of the "ideal man", Howard Roark, as a symbol for the Individual against the Altruist.  Roark will suffer, he will work menial jobs, he will do whatever it takes to survive rather than bend his "truth" and his value system to fit into any client's value system.  He refuses to change his designs.  He depends on no one and expects no one to depend on him.  Meanwhile, Ellsworth Toohey, Roark's antagonist, is the symbol of Communist and altruistic societies.  Ellsworth does his best to use the media to defame and defile the Capitalist Roark but in the end the Individual overcomes the Altruist, somewhat like the USA seemed to overcome the shadow of the Russian Communist.

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   http://www.enotes.com/fountainhead/historical-context

   http://www.enotes.com/fountainhead/summary

   http://www.enotes.com/fountainhead/themes

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   Posted by ladyvols1 on Sunday August 30, 2009 at 3:19 PM