Individualism was one prominent theme in The Fountainhead. Individualism is characterized by the qualities of independence and uniqueness. Roark strongly advocates Rand's idea of this. Society shuns the creations of Roark that reflect his purely modern architectural style. Despite the criticism he remains indifferent and pursues his dreams. This same rejection had ultimately caused Henry Cameron's business to fail. He warns Roark of this seemingly inevitable fate, but encourages him to follow his beliefs. Dominique displays smaller elements of possessing an individualistic personality. She is extremely frank and doesn't make any effort to conform to society's standards of common courtesy. This quality tends to distance her from people and many opportunities to develop close relationships.
Manipulation is a significant aspect of the novel. Keating's mother manipulates her son through her constant pressure of him to heed her advice and opinions, which he always willingly obeys. His mother ultimately determines his education, career, and marriage plans. She insists that he accept an offer of employment at Francon & Heyer, instead of furthering his education, and recommends that he is wed to Dominique to improve his social and career status, instead of allowing him to remain with his love, Katie. Keating is also very manipulative. He befriends two coworkers, Davis and Stengel, with intentions of having their employment terminated so that he can assume their positions. Keating also shows little guilt in seeking Roark's aid in his work and then being publicly credited for the accomplishments.
Persistence is a common trait that several characters embody. Roark for example relentlessly strives to achieve his dreams, no matter the amount and harshness of rejection he is presented with. He continues to search for worthy clients, those who are interested in the modern style. Keating is also very persistent; he’s always trying to take another step up the ladder of society to heighten his stature, unconcerned with who he’ll rip down along the way. Keating is, however, vindictive in his methods of gaining success. He is responsible for the loss of Stengel's job by taking on the responsibility of completing all his work for him, resulting in him becoming useless to the company. He also forges Roark’s work and claims it to be his own, an important contributing factor to his success. Keating is so determined to become the next partner of Francon's company that he was even prepared to kill Heyer.
Friendship is another theme illustrated by this portion of Rand's work. Several of the characters appear to have intimate relationships with each other, but they are truly masking their self-centered motives. However, there are some examples of real friendship displayed in the novel. This is most apparent in Roark's relationship with Mike. He quickly befriends Mike after demonstrating how he can improve a method of his practice at construction site, which he was very appreciative of. Mike also applied to work on the construction of the Heller house, Roark's first architectural job, to support him. When Roark later struggles to find employment, Mike ensures that he finds work by referring him to a granite quarry in Connecticut.
Manipulation is a significant aspect of the novel. Keating's mother manipulates her son through her constant pressure of him to heed her advice and opinions, which he always willingly obeys. His mother ultimately determines his education, career, and marriage plans. She insists that he accept an offer of employment at Francon & Heyer, instead of furthering his education, and recommends that he is wed to Dominique to improve his social and career status, instead of allowing him to remain with his love, Katie. Keating is also very manipulative. He befriends two coworkers, Davis and Stengel, with intentions of having their employment terminated so that he can assume their positions. Keating also shows little guilt in seeking Roark's aid in his work and then being publicly credited for the accomplishments.
Persistence is a common trait that several characters embody. Roark for example relentlessly strives to achieve his dreams, no matter the amount and harshness of rejection he is presented with. He continues to search for worthy clients, those who are interested in the modern style. Keating is also very persistent; he’s always trying to take another step up the ladder of society to heighten his stature, unconcerned with who he’ll rip down along the way. Keating is, however, vindictive in his methods of gaining success. He is responsible for the loss of Stengel's job by taking on the responsibility of completing all his work for him, resulting in him becoming useless to the company. He also forges Roark’s work and claims it to be his own, an important contributing factor to his success. Keating is so determined to become the next partner of Francon's company that he was even prepared to kill Heyer.
Friendship is another theme illustrated by this portion of Rand's work. Several of the characters appear to have intimate relationships with each other, but they are truly masking their self-centered motives. However, there are some examples of real friendship displayed in the novel. This is most apparent in Roark's relationship with Mike. He quickly befriends Mike after demonstrating how he can improve a method of his practice at construction site, which he was very appreciative of. Mike also applied to work on the construction of the Heller house, Roark's first architectural job, to support him. When Roark later struggles to find employment, Mike ensures that he finds work by referring him to a granite quarry in Connecticut.