The Use Of Symbolism In Upton Sinclair's The Flivver King

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The rise of Detroit first began in the early 1900’s when Henry Ford was in his shed working on his “horseless carriage”. At that time he was thought to be the crazy next-door neighbor, but as he perfected his machine he quickly became one of the most famous and influential men in the world. Ford was powerful, however, the power of the people proved to be stronger and more effective. After years of working long hours in terrible conditions with little pay, the autoworkers formed the UAW in 1935. Six years later they were able to win a contract with the Ford Motor Company, however their success didn’t come easy. In The Flivver King, Upton Sinclair uncovers some of the problems that autoworkers had to endure and persuades the audience to be in favor of unionization through theme, the use of imagery, and his appeals to emotions.
In it Sinclair tells the story of Ford’s success with the “horseless carriage” and his rapidly growing prosperity. He also illustrates Ford’s psychological changes as he goes from a farm boy to becoming the world’s first billionaire. As the fame and fortune took over Ford’s life, he lost the ideals that he carried when he first started the company. Sinclair relates Ford’s story with that of Abner Shutt, a loyal Ford worker who witnessed the growth of the Ford Motor Company from its humble beginnings to the giant corporation it is today. Abner Shutt was never one to question Ford’s ways and always thought of him with the outmost respect even after facing pay cuts and unemployment. Many of his employees felt the same way because they didn’t want to risk losing their jobs, especially during/after the Great Depression. Also during this time the Ford Motor Company was facing a lot of pressure from labor unions for workers’ rights, but Ford kept opposing their

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