The Fountainhead

The Fountainhead

by

Ayn Rand

The Fountainhead Symbols

Nature

Though nature is viewed positively in The Fountainhead, it is not glorified—it is simply the means to an end, with the end being a person’s desire to create something out of it. Since nature…

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Skyscrapers

Skyscrapers symbolize heroism in the novel by displaying the highest potential of human achievement. They are a concrete realization of the ambition of people’s ideas and their determination to achieve them. Dominique says the New…

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Crowds and Groups

Crowds and groups of people, whenever they appear in the novel, symbolize inefficiency and irrationality. Since the novel places a high premium on individualism, collectives of any kind—like associations, councils, and audiences—are shown in a…

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