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
Every night, Abner reads the evening newspaper and learns about what is happening at the new plant. Most of Ford’s employees are proud of their employer, but a few are jealous of him. They believe that Ford is amassing wealth thanks to their labor, while he is not paying them fairly for it. Abner is annoyed at these men and calls them socialists—though he doesn’t know what the word means and only read it in the newspapers.
These grumblings introduce the idea that unions and regulation are important, because without them, Ford can simply take advantage of his workers and doesn’t have to pay them fairly. Additionally, Abner’s relationship to the word socialist—believing that it is bad without fully knowing what it means—also illustrates how media bias can influence the average American’s political views. The media gives Abner a negative view of socialism despite the fact that the labor movement, which is often associated with socialism, would benefit Abner.
Themes
At the beginning of 1912, Abner gets very sick. He panics—he hasn’t missed a day of work in 8 years. The company’s agent comes to the house to check on Abner and promises that Abner will keep his job. However, Abner worries that if he misses too many days, his supervisor will realize that he doesn’t need Abner, and Abner will be fired. Gradually Abner’s strength returns, but the experience makes him very fearful of losing his job. More than ever, Abner is grateful to Ford for the work, and for the $70 bonus he receives at the end of the year which fortunately covers his medical bills.
While Abner is grateful to Ford for the work, this incident illustrates the clear problems with having no union support or benefits. Abner is terrified at losing his job over getting sick because he doesn’t have any kind of job protection, despite the fact that he has worked hard for the company for many years. Abner feels he always has to drive himself as hard as possible in order to maintain a sense of security, even when it might not be healthy for him.
Themes
