Philosophy Review: Ayn Rand's Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged

Ayn Rand's two magnum opii(I'm assuming it's the pluras of opus) cannot been seen individually. They're a part of a greater whole, her way of thought and philosophy which finds fluid form and expression in her two great novels. It is a philosophy that has fit with me, and my sensibilities almost completely, there is little I disagree with and that's a lot coming from me.

First, a history. I first read The Fountainhead in Class 11, and immediately fell in love with it. To this day, it remains one of my favourite and defining books, and I've read a lot since then.
However, I did not read Atlas Shrugged till two weeks ago. There was almost a two year gap between reading what should hvae been read together, and I'm very glad. It gave me time to reflect, to compare and come to terms with both in a far easier fashion.

Now, let me start by saying that these are two books not everyone can appreciate. They've got a very stark, arrogant style about them, which time has taught me is not always appreciated. The lead character in The Fountainhead, Howard Roark, is someone who people immediately dislike before even fifty pages of the book are through. He is, however, the Ryndian Character I enjoyed and identified with the most.

The Fountainhead in many ways has been called a philosophical trailer to Atlas Shrugged, where all of Rand's life views are succiently expressed, in the garb of characters, nay individuals the like the world sees lesser and lesser of every generation. But this is something you can get off any Rand site, and I have my view to offer.
The fact is, I liked Fountainhead better. I loved both, true, but to me the philosophy and characters of Fountainhead were far more appealing. I found that the characters in Atlas Shrugged were always fighting for a purpose sometimes greater than themselves. Howard Roark in contrast was always simpler, and had no further motivations than himself. The other thing I found about Atlas Shrugged that made me reach my conclusion was that it always had the feeling of "Us Versus Them", in a sense which almost approached mythological proportions at time. This in itself isn't a bad thing, as I said, I loved the book, but I enjoyed the stark nonchalant individualism of The Fountainhead better, largely due to the fact that it is the kind I myself aspouse to.

Characters in Rand's world a perfect, however, and unflinching in their actions and beliefs. Can I be? How long can I be, seems to be the bigger question. I've managed so far, but I'm told by my friends, my peers, my parents, that life will make me compromise, eventually.
Well, I'm no Roark. I'm me, I'm Bhavya, and whereas Rand's philosophy was her whole world, it isn't mine. As long as I never have a conflict of interests, I still refuse to compromise.

How long can I last? Only time will tell.