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
Although in 1903 people do not yet believe that the automobile is useful rather than a mere novelty, they are enthusiastic about car races. Ford decides to impress them. He builds a car called “999” with a four-cylinder engine and 80 horsepower, then hires Barney Oldfield, a bicycle racer, to race it at Grosse Pointe. Abner comes to watch the race, which Oldfield easily wins.
24-year-old Abner is in the midst of a crisis: he is frustrated with the nepotistic foreman at his current job at a tool company, and is in love with Milly Crock. To marry Milly and have children, Abner needs money. At the same time, he is an enthusiastic cyclist and admires the speed of Ford’s vehicles. He decides to ask Ford for a job.
Ford, who is now 40, is also in the midst of a crisis: though the car is beginning to catch on, and other makers are setting up factories, he is frustrated by his lack of business success. Ford’s friend Malcomson, impressed by the 999’s success on the race track, proposes that he and Ford set up the Ford Motor Company. Malcomson contributes to the start-up costs and the two men find enough investors to start the business.