Chapter 4, The Fountainhead, Summary and Analysis

The Fountainhead was published in 1943 and concerns the struggle between individualism and collectivism in the soul of man and distinguishes between the psychology of the individual and the collectivist. It focuses on the career of architect Howard Roark; he breaks with tradition and sees no authority but his own; he strives to maintain the integrity of his work against social opposition and wins.

In "The Nature of the Second Hander," Roark talks with his friend Gail Wynand to whom he explains what he has figured out about the psychology of those whose motives differ from his. Roark sees the collectivist as living only within others, living second-hand. Peter Keating never displayed a self; he only sought greatness in the eyes of others. He wanted to be thought great and that is the root of every despicable act...