The Randian hero is a ubiquitous figure in the fiction of Ayn Rand, most famously in the figures of The Fountainhead's Howard Roark and Atlas Shrugged's John Galt. Rand's self-declared purpose in writing fiction was to project an "ideal man"—a man whose ability and independence leads to conflict with others, but who perseveres nevertheless to achieve his values. Ayn Rand (February 2, 1905–March 6, 1982; first name pronounced (IPA) (rhymes with mine)), born Alissa Alice Zinovievna Rosenbaum, was best known for her philosophy of Objectivism and her novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. ... The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand (ISBN 0452283760). ... Atlas Shrugged cover Atlas Shrugged is a novel by Ayn Rand, first published in 1957 in the USA. Spoiler warning: // Philosophy and writing The theme of Atlas Shrugged is that independent, rational thought is the motor that powers the world. ...

Anthem

Equality 7-2521, the protagonist of Rand's dystopic novella, Anthem is a deeply curious and intelligent man who is forced by the leaders of his collectivist society to work as a street sweeper. Witnessing a rebel being burned at the stake, Equality recognizes a common spirit. Despite his position, he manages to rediscover electricity, a technology that had been lost by the dystopic society of the story. When he presents his discovery to the World Council of Scholars, he is cast out—his discovery was a work of individual curiosity, not of collective action and endangers the "Candle-Makers Guild" and thus their carefully planned, inflexible economy. Ultimately, Equality escapes into the woods with his secret, forbidden lover and discovers an ancient house filled with countless books. Reading the books he begins to better understand his individuality and pledges to live a happy, self-sufficient life, taking the name Prometheus. Anthem (ISBN 0451191137), first published in 1938, is a science-fiction novella by Ayn Rand. ...

Equality shows many of the traits of the Randian hero even before the prototypical example was presented in The Fountainhead. He is intelligent and fiercely independent, yet he is born into a society where he is held back and not allowed to reach his full potential. Given the length and style of Anthem, Rand is unable to more fully characterize Equality, yet even here he is in many ways different from later Randian heroes. Most notably, he is interested in raising children—something that isn't true of Rand's later heroes. The Fountainhead is a 1943 novel by Ayn Rand (ISBN 0452283760). ...

The Fountainhead

Ayn Rand created the Randian hero in earnest in the character of Howard Roark in The Fountainhead. An architect, Roark's conflicts with his profession's establishment on multiple occasions but goes on to have a fulfilling career.

Atlas Shrugged

The protagonist of Atlas Shrugged is Dagny Taggart, described by Rand as "the feminine Roark". Atlas Shrugged introduces countless Randian heroes, both in the backstory and in the primary narrative. In the story, they personify the intellect—their withdrawal from the world under the leadership of John Galt parallels the world's gradual collapse.