The theme of The Fountainhead is the struggle of an independent thinker against every form of spiritual collectivism. But why is collectivism dominant in the lives of so many people in both the novel and in contemporary life? Because of the pervasive influence of German philosophers--Marx, Hegel and, principally, Kant. Roark, conversely, embodies every virtue of Ayn Rand's ethics. The theme of The Fountainhead can therefore be examined as a struggle of Objectivist versus Kantian principles.