Ben Hampers book Rivethead; Tales From The Assembly Line is a gritty in your face account of a factory workers struggles against his factory, his co-workers, and the time Hamper makes no apologies for any of his actions,many of which were unorthodox or illegal. Instead hejustifies them in a way that makes the factory workersstrife apparent to those who have never set foot on anassembly line and wouldnt have the vaguest idea how muchblood, sweat and tears go into the products we take forgranted everyday.Rivethead is an account of the entire life of AuthorBen Hamper, from his long family lineage of shoprats andhis catholic school upbringing to his numerous differentpositions on the General Motors assembly line and hisequally numerous lay-offs from the GM Truck & Bus Division.Unfortunately the many years of back breaking labor combinedwith Hampers own personal demons led him to check into anoutpatient mental facility (at the time of the completion ofthis book) where he learns daily to cope with his many yearsof mental anguish.Rivethead is a social commentary on industrial America,assembly line work , and the auto industry. This essay,however, will focus on the more specific aspectsHamper considers, such as the monotony required on a (then)modern assembly line, the relationship and hierarchy amongworkers and their interaction with management as well asboth collective and individual responses to work and jobsatisfaction (or lack there of).Analysis When Henry Ford first developed the idea of theassembly line he was heralded as one of the most forwardthinking men of his time, and without the assembly line wewould no doubt not be as powerful a nation as we are today.The assembly line principle as it matured in industrialsociety however, proved to destroy workers creativity andstifle the very essence of human life. Growth and change.On an assembly line workers are degraded to automatons,performing the same tasks over and over and over. Day in ...
