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
The police eventually release Tom Jr. Meanwhile, Ford feels like a prisoner himself, trapped by the billion dollars he has earned. His fortune tells him that he is widely hated by half a million unemployed people, and that there is a conspiracy to take his wealth from him. Though he was once a bright farm boy, now he has become morose and bitter. He has also become the worst employer: he pays the worst wages in the industry and maintains the cruelest assembly line.
The novel continues to construct parallels between its rich and poor characters. Like Tom, Ford feels that he is losing his freedom and humanity. No longer does he carry the optimism of his youth; now he has lost his morals in the pursuit of profit. The fact that it makes him feel like a prisoner shows that the system doesn’t even truly benefit him—it only makes him feel trapped.
Themes
Ford worries about his greatness, power, and wealth being taken from him; he still believes that the Jews are behind all his troubles. Additionally, the former editor of the Dearborn Independent (and the man who wrote its anti-Jewish articles) is now Ford’s publicity man and controls all his contacts with the outside world.
Misinformation still plagues Ford’s life, as he has become completely entrenched in his conspiracy concerning the Jewish people. Just as it does for Abner, this has real-world consequences, because it causes him to be paranoid about his fortune and also affects how he comes into contact with the outside world.
Themes
