in the fountainhead by ayn rand, she posits that the treasured fountainhead of innovation is the ego. she defines the self as the creative and individual drive, and an egotist as someone that follows their own path in the world, uniquely and fully expressing the truth of their own being. through her main character, howard roark, i find that she masterfully illustrates the courage and creativity in the masculine principle.
rand targets altruism as being the sacrifice of the great fountainhead of individualism, and she goes as far to say that this sacrifice is the source of evil. altruism is depicted as the squelching of what is unique, ingenious, and creative within. she recognizes how much of our desire to be altruistic comes from wanting to be perceived as a humanitarian, and in this, there is a corruption of what is pure and true.
she also recognizes the danger of manipulation when people give up their individuality, their ability to think for themselves, their unique ways of expressing. she sees that feelings of obligation, pity, or guilt can be the achilles heel that allows ruthless dictators to rule masses of people.
i see the commitment to self that rand illustrates through her hero as an allegiance to the authentic truth of one's own being, and a person with the courage to live by their own authentic truth is the absolute ideal of masculine energy.
the masculine principle is not to be sought by only those inhabiting a male body; rather, this true expression is part of all of us. to me, in the fountainhead ayn rand has created the ultimate symbol of awakened masculine energy.
the vessel
to oppose all that rand symbolizes in roark, selfless people are a big theme in the story. to rand, someone is selfless when they have no separate sense of self; they only act for the approval and attention of others. their ideas, enjoyment, and motivation are derived from that which they picked up "second hand."
through her portrayal and commentary on the “second handers,” she seems to discredit all that is not animated by this masculine principle of creative genius. in that, i believe she misses what is truly special within some of those "second-handers."
where masculinity is the fire and force of existence, i see femininity as the water and receptivity. although i agree that the pull toward altruism can be the sign of manipulation or corruption, i also believe altruism can be authentic and good. the feminine principle is the softness, the mothering, to desire to heal and serve, and actions coming from this aspect of being can be both selfless and true.
although rand says, "all that which proceeds from man's dependence upon men is evil," i've experienced dependence quite differently. in motherhood, the dependence of my daughter has instigated such a pure desire to dedicate my action to the good of another. with my students or with criminal defense clients, my motivation has so often come, not from any self-interest, but from the pure desire for the good of another being that is in some way dependent on me.
to degrade that which is dependent and motivated to serve is to miss the aspect of humanity that is equal and opposite to the fountainhead. it is to miss the strength and integrity of the vessel - the ability to hold and contain what is being spouted by others. these intuitive aspects of life have an important role of their own.
the balance
rand fully expresses the truth of the fountainhead. in a complete, eloquent, and powerful fashion, she illustrates the need for the masculine in an awakened and alive way, and she alerts us to where we may reject or fear creative innovation. she inspires us with the grandeur of what it might look like in its most ideal form.
but, a deep truth that i hold in equal esteem is the truth of the vessel. the truth of intuition, of being led by something other than the intelligent mind, of holding space for another, of being in service to humanity just for the sake of service itself.
both the principles of the fountainhead and the vessel can be mimicked in unauthentic behavior, and both can be directed with evil intentions and used for harm rather than good. to me, it isn't that one is good and one is bad. rather, the greatest potential for humanity is the balance of both.
rand clearly sees the potential for a huge flat pool of water with the fountainhead stilled and drown out by a crushing force. but, there is an opposite danger of the recklessly spouting geysers that have no vessel to hold all that springs forth. a glorious fountain needs both: the fountainhead that provides a steady stream of inspiration, and the vessel that contains the spouting water and recycles it back through the fountain.
to me, neither the fountainhead nor the vessel is superior; they are equal and opposite forces of creation. the vision that i hold coming off this journey with the fountainhead is an image of a complete fountain, with both the fountainhead and the vessel, each full of integrity and in harmony with one another.
