Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Flivver King, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Capitalism and Dehumanization
American Idealism and Disillusionment
Misinformation, Media Bias, and Ignorance
Individualism vs. Unionization
Technology and Progress
Summary
Analysis
As cars sell more quickly, Abner has to work faster and faster. He even gives up some aspects of his job; by dividing up the labor among more men, the workers are able to assemble the car faster. Soon, all Abner does is screw on the spindle-nuts for the wheels. While production is skyrocketing, Abner decides to ask Ford for a promotion, because he’s worked hard for Ford for three years.
In addition to the new technology of cars, Ford to introduces a new division of labor that will become key to the assembly line, allowing him to increase production even further as he chases greater profits. At the same time, Abner’s job is starting to become more and more downgraded and repetitive, hinting at how this extreme division of labor and increased production can harm the workers.
Themes
When Abner approaches Ford, he tells Ford that he sees a lot of waste in the plant. The left and right side spindle-nuts come to him mixed up—it would be very easy for someone to deface the nuts if they made a mistake and picked out the wrong one. He could also do more work if someone brought him the wheels rather than going to get them himself. Ford says he’ll help make these adjustments possible.
Like Ford, Abner is also interested in creating a more efficient process in the plant through a further division of labor, particularly to prove his worth and insight to Ford. In return, Ford rewards Abner for this initiative, as the pursuit of greater efficiency and productivity helps them both.
Themes
Abner then explains that someday, Ford will likely have a whole team of men just to put on the car’s wheels; Abner asks to be the supervisor for this work when that position becomes necessary. Ford agrees, and when the time comes that five men are doing the work of putting on the wheels, Ford makes Abner the sub-foreman at $2.75 a day.
Again, Abner is sharing in the capitalist system’s benefits here. However, it is notable that Abner is looking out for himself, and the same benefits that he gets may not necessarily be extended to someone doing the same work, hinting at the need for regulation and unionized wages.
Themes
