100 pages • 3 hours read
Upton SinclairA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Summary
Chapters 1-3
Chapters 4-6
Chapters 7-9
Chapters 10-12
Chapters 13-15
Chapters 16-18
Chapters 19-21
Chapters 22-24
Chapters 25-27
Chapters 28-30
Chapters 31-33
Chapters 34-36
Chapters 37-39
Chapters 40-42
Chapters 43-45
Chapters 46-48
Chapters 49-51
Chapters 52-54
Chapters 55-57
Chapters 58-60
Chapters 61-63
Chapters 64-66
Chapters 67-69
Chapters 70-72
Chapters 73-75
Chapters 76-78
Chapters 79-81
Chapters 82-84
Chapters 85-92
Character Analysis
Themes
Symbols & Motifs
Important Quotes
Essay Topics
Johnny is absorbed in his work as a resistance welder at the River Rouge plant. He and his privileged and stylish wife, Annabelle, live in a “showy” (143) house in an expensive, exclusive neighborhood. The two occupy a middle-to-high position within a hierarchy based on income and view the “Ford empire” for which John works and which he reveres, as “most virtuous” (143). Although their house is poorly built and “its owners would have heavy repair bills in the future” (144), they believe that John’s skills will always be in demand and that he will continue to earn a good living.
The other members of the Shutt family live in the Ford “feudal” (144) system as well: “Abner and Milly were the most abject of serfs, having pictures of their liege cut from Sunday supplements and pasted on the wall, serving the same purpose as Russian ikons” (145). They are “blissful” that John is succeeding in the Ford Company and that Daisy has fallen in love with a Ford administration employee, and they hope “that Tommy’s youthful rebelliousness [will] pass and that he too [will] become one of Henry’s retainers” (145).
Whether one serves Ford or rebels against him, he still “dominate[s] your life” (145), as Hank Shutt’s life demonstrates.