The Fountainhead: The Evolving Roles of the Heroic Code into the Antiheroic Mode.

This study examines Russian-American author Ayn Rand's novel The Fountainhead, as a development of a heroic personae in the twentieth century. The Fountainhead examines the traditional hero defined by Joseph Campbell and the antihero's break from the traditional hero's code. The information gathered comes from books, interviews, and journals discussing the studies of the traditional hero, the antihero, and The Fountainhead. Through the actions of the protaganist, Howard Roark, the antihero is explained and vindicated. Howard Roark's role as the antihero is examined through Ayn Rand's philosophy and by the roles of the other characters in the novel. The development and emergence of the antihero is further explained through the actions of Dominique Francon. This study allows the reader to gain an understanding of the evolving roles of the hero and the emergence of the twentieth century's hero, the antihero.