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
For the Shutts, the only problem with the bonus system is the increase in consumer prices that soon follows. Their rent increases from $12 a month to $20, and when Abner searches for a less expensive house he learns that landlords are raising prices all over Highland Park. Abner and Milly decide to buy a home but learn that the prices have doubled since the Ford Company’s bonus scheme was introduced:
If only Abner could have bought before the announcement was made! If only he had had a tip! Some of Mr. Ford’s associates had known, and hastened to buy land—and now they were ‘holding it’ at such and such a high price, and making it nearly as hard for the Shutt family as if there hadn’t been any bonus! (58).
The price of groceries increases, too, and Milly is unable to find a store where she can buy food at the old prices.
While ordinary workers like Abner and his family find life harder after the bonus, Ford finds his easier: he gains fame as “America’s Number One employer” (58) serves as advertising for the company, and people view buying from the company as a way of taking part in “a great philanthropic experiment” (59).