Selfishness. It's such a simple word, one that can be defined at a young age, but to really think about the word and it's concept might bring about a completely backwards understanding of it. This backwards thinking of "selfishness" is what Rand highlighted in The Fountainhead; she points out that selfishness has all the wrong connotations and is actually a virtue.

In The Fountainhead, Keating and Roark are both selfish characters, although this would not make sense simply using the universally understood connotations of selfishness. Roark's form of selfishness is probably the easiest to understand. Roark wants everything to be done EXACTLY the way he wants it, or nothing will be done at all. He'd rather have no work as an architect than have to find a compromise with a committee.

Keating, on the other hand, is selfish for the sake of other people. He does everything for the public; Keating even forces himself to give up Catherine, his love, to be with Dominique, the woman most men desire. Keating stops at nothing to achieve greatness in the eyes of the people, committing seemingly "selfish" acts, such as knocking down competitors one by one for the spot as Francon's "right hand man." Keating was admired as a young man, but as he aged he received more and more rejection from the public, who turned on him and labeled him selfish.

Roark describes Keating in the novel, saying that "He didn't want to be great, but to be thought great. He didn't want to build, but to be admired as a builder. He borrowed from others in order to make an impression on others." Roark, and therefore Rand, is pointing out that by building his life on the thoughts and wants of others, Keating is a sincerely selfless individual. He is a "second-hander." And since many people live to fulfill the expectations of everyone else, it is selfishness that society lacks; selfishness is the true virtue. Selfishness implies that there is a self, an individual, with accomplishments, wants, and desires that are all truly one's own.

Before reading The Fountainhead, I never thought of the concept of selfishness versus selflessness so deeply. Although I still believe that some people can be completely selfish while still caring about the opinions of society, I do agree with Rand's point of view. Too many people let others dictate their thoughts, driving them to do rash things that could grant them the label of selfish. But really, in a philosophical sense, these "second-handers" are doing everything for everyone else.

Historically, society has always been skeptical of individuals. People who think outside of the box are normally rejected or isolated from the crowd. It's not until years later that people begin to appreciate the work of the "outcasts." In today's world, people are still trying to live up to others. Kids will try to be different and make a statement by standing out: dying their hair five different colors and wearing mis-matched outfits. Many of them try to stand out in the same way, and even find a group of friends that have died hair, too. By "making a statement" they are really just going along with the crowd, because it's "cool" to be "different." Pure individualism, however, comes by not caring what others think is cool, or rebellious, or dorky, or in. It comes by doing what YOU want to do, whether you're with the crowd or against it.