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
In 1917, Ford makes new machinery, buys property, and branches out into other industries to cut out the middlemen in his production line. He also continues to read the papers, which are slowly changing their reporting on the war. Because American businesses are selling so many goods and lending so much money to the Allies, if they were to fail, American industry would implode. Thus, they report on the glories of French civilization and the humane ideals that the British always stood for.
Here, the corruption in the American industries is again laid bare. Newspapers start to change their stories according to the needs of American businesses. Those businesses want to drum up support for the war, because they have become so entrenched in it that they need to encourage it.
Themes
In response, Abner and Ford both start to change their ideas on war. Ford starts to build a submarine that can be equipped with bombs. Soon after, Wilson declares that he wants to make the world safe for democracy, and the U.S. gets involved in the war. Ford continues to make cars, but he also makes army trucks, ambulances, and airplane engines. He buys a plant on the Rouge River in Detroit to keep pace with all of this production. Meanwhile, papers report on the danger of German spies, and Abner grows vigilant in the factory about trying to spot them.
This passage underscores the power of media bias, and how it shapes readers’ opinions. As the newspapers print more positive stories about the Allied powers and the importance of defending them, both Abner and Ford change their minds on the war. This has even further ramifications in Ford’s case, because he has the power to shape global events with his manufacturing. Ford also demonstrates how his ideals are starting to slip in favor of his desire for profits, as the war work is enabling him to grow an even larger business.
Themes
