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
Back in 1916, when the U.S. was possibly going to go to war with Mexico, Ford announced that any workers who joined the national guard would lose their positions. For this, the Chicago Tribune called him an “anarchist,” and Ford sued them for libel. For the trial, he had to face two to three months of investigating to prove that he was not an anarchist. Ford won his suit in a public victory, but he was only awarded six cents. From then on, Ford recognizes the futility of libel suits and lets the newspapers lie about him all they want.
This episode emphasizes how futile it is to combat misinformation in the newspapers at this time. Ford’s defense requires months of time and reaps very little benefit. The lesson he learns—that it’s useless to fight misinformation—only demonstrates how easy it is for the newspapers and magazines to get away with spreading misinformation and alter public opinion with their slant.
Themes
