Roark is the novel’s protagonist, and he represents Rand’s ideal man: a fiercely independent individual who pursues his own goals and maintains his own integrity despite the many pressures of society to conform. His stylized appearance is designed to match his exceptional personality; he is physically strong and sports red hair that sets him strikingly apart from his peers. He perfectly embodies all the virtues promoted in the novel and in Rand’s later writings on objectivism.

A genius architect of the Modernist school, Roark devotes himself to his chosen field with the fervor and dedication of a religious zealot. His buildings represent physical manifestations of his (and Rand’s) abstract ideals and are described as being simultaneously innovative, functional, and evocative. His vocation allows Rand to examine the theme of Architecture as a Mirror for Society and the Individual, and the struggles he faces illustrate The Conflict Between Innovative Genius and Society. He is targeted by Toohey and his ilk as an enemy of humanitarianism precisely because his innovation and skills set him above the majority of his peers.

He is described as “innocent” and “immortal” because he is untouched by the fear or corruption of an imperfect world, and he remains unchangingly himself without ceding to external influences.