Free Thinkers
There are many different types of people in this world. Some are out going, loud and brave, some are shy and observant, some just go with the flow, and the rest are just different. How does one change who they are? Changing is easier said than done. Many situations however can change a person; most of these situations are the lessons learned in life. Individualism is the only thing that makes a person’s character unique. Individuality is important to all life, even though the modern man may not appreciate its value. At one point in time, everyone wants to be different from all the rest in one way or another. At some time someone may dress a little differently or actually do what they want to do and society may not approve. For once, they might form their own opinions and not someone else’s and once again society may not approve. Even though society may not approve of certain things, individuality is a beautiful thing and people deserve to be able to show who they really are and not what someone else wants them to be.
In The Fountainhead, a novel written by Ayn Rand, it is evident that Howard Roark is the character who is an individual. However, he is not the only individualist in this novel. Lois Cook is a minor character in this novel, but she too is an individualist in her own unique way. Lois Cook and Howard Roark are both individualists, but they are completely different from one another. They are artists with unique visions who are not accepted by society’s way of thinking. Lois Cook is an individual within her writing while Howard Roark is an individual within his architecture.
Roark’s independent thinking and lifestyle are opposed by a number of characters who gain their ideas by uncritical obedience to those who permit others to dominate their lives. Roark undergoes many challenges throughout the novel but he still does not change who he is or the way that he thinks. The beginning of the novel opens with Roark standing on the edge of a…