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 misses the clean square dances of his childhood, and so he hosts classes and dances for the old styles while expressing his disgust for jazz music. Because Ford calls it a “patriotic act” to dance the two-step and the quadrille, Abner and Milly try to attend the dances. They only go once, however, as Milly’s health is worsening and Abner is constantly exhausted from his work.
Ford continues to connect the past to traditional American values and oppose any kind of cultural innovation. The “patriotic act” of dancing the old two-step or quadrille directly contrasts his frustration with jazz music, illustrating his disillusionment with some of America’s cultural progress.
Themes
The Shutt family is doing relatively well for themselves, but Abner starts to wonder about getting his old sub-foreman job back. He has been working for Ford for 22 years, and so he puts his case for a promotion to his superintendent. In doing so, however, Abner earns the resentment of the sub-foreman, who believes that Abner is after his job. As a result, the sub-foreman starts to criticize Abner for minor violations like taking ten extra seconds on his bathroom or lunch breaks. One day, Abner yells back at the man, and after 22 years, Abner is unceremoniously fired.
Here, Abner experiences the lack of fairness in Ford’s policies and reveals the need for regulations and unionization. All Abner wanted to do was earn fair wages for his hard work and loyal service, but because he is only one person and his rights aren’t guaranteed by an outside entity, he can be dismissed on unfair grounds and receive no benefits for the hard work that has helped the company earn success. The fact that Abner can’t take 10 extra seconds on a break shows how inhumane the factory conditions have become, as well.
Themes
