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
Hank is annoyed at Tom Jr.—he doesn’t want to turn in his own brother for organizing, but he is also worried that Ford might think Hank is involved in Tom’s plans. Hank asks Daisy to try to convince Tom to find a job some other place, but when Daisy approaches Tom, Tom insists that he has become friends with the workers, who need his help organizing. Tom suggests that he could pay Hank a few hundred dollars to report on what happens in the service department. This offer terrifies Hank, however, because he knows that both he and Tom could be killed if they conspire against Ford.
The book continues to explore the different ways in which capitalism degrades the lives of the rich and the poor. Hank provides evidence that Ford is not above killing people in order to avoid unionization. His tyrannical policies have also turned brothers against each other and potentially caused them to put each other in danger.
Themes
