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
Ford hears about a new assembly line at General Motors, and he decides to try it out at his factory. Now, 29 men divide the work of assembling a complex part called the magneto, and they reduce the time it takes to assemble the part from 20 minutes to 13. The same is done for the motor: 84 men divide the work and they cut the time by 40 percent. The old method of assembling a car took 12 hours and 28 minutes. With the assembly line, it now takes one hour and 33 minutes.
While the car is certainly Ford’s greatest invention, his use of the assembly line is just as revolutionary. It not only allows Ford to hire more men, but it also allows him to maximize division of labor, cut down on the time that it takes to assemble the cars, and thus greatly increase his own profits.
Themes
Ford feels that he is competing at every moment of his life, and he knows that his success depends on getting the most out of his labor. So, after a few weeks with the new assembly line, they speed up the “belt” one minute per hour and make 16 more cars per day. The workers are completely unaware of this process. All they know is that if they seem weak or cannot keep pace, there are a dozen men to take their places.
This is a turning point for both Ford and the workers. Ford’s feeling that he is constantly competing illustrates the harm in the capitalist system, as he subsequently pushes his employees harder and harder. The fact that he is speeding up the belt to get as much out of the workers as possible highlights this technology’s drawbacks; it also underscores the need for workers to have regulations in place so the employees aren’t worked past their limits.
Themes
