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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 thanks his hosts for a delightful evening, while Dell crawls through the mud in pain and fear. She tries to scream, but there’s mud stuck in her throat. She finally finds Tom Jr.’s unconscious body. She turns him on his side so that he won’t choke and tries to find lights along the boulevard. Ford and Clara return to their limousine, very pleased by the evening.
Again, Ford’s comfort contrasts sharply with the violence that Dell and Tom experience in this scene. Even their cars—the symbols of American industry and the profit system—reflect their conditions. Dell and Tom are in an old broken-down car while Ford is driven home in a limousine. Ford has completely relinquished his morals in pursuit of his prosperity, and the fact that he is ignorant of people being beaten and perhaps even killed on his behalf reflects his immorality.
Themes
