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Summary Of Assembly Line By B Traven

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B. Traven’s short story “Assembly Line” is about a New York businessman named Mr. E. L. Winthrop and a Mexican-Indian. The writing goes into great detail, describing the way the Indian pursues his passion of basket-weaving and how degrading patrons bargain their way into a better deal than the fifty centavos, the equivalent of four cents, that the Indian asked for. While the Indian was never able to sell all of his baskets, he never stopped creating them. In the story, Mr. Winthrop meets the Indian at his hut, working hard to create more baskets. Winthrop purchases every last basket whilst inquiring about buying in bulk. He then makes a deal with a candy-maker to sell him one thousand of the baskets and returns to the Indian to complete the transaction. However, the Indian raises the price dramatically for each basket, stating that under no circumstances would he be able to create so many baskets while …show more content…

By keeping him nameless, the author makes a powerful statement about artists trying to make a living. Traven is saying that despite the blood, sweat and tears these artists pour into their work, they will not be known for it. Through corporations and branding, the original artists of many works are forced off by the wayside. An average consumer could have a variety of art and décor in their homes while being completely unaware of who created the pieces. This could easily apply to paintings, furniture, and anything that has not been mass produced in factories. As more and more artists are having difficulties making themselves known for their art, the Indian in “Assembly Line” would also continue to remain nameless whether he took the deal with Mr. Winthrop or not. More than likely, Mr. Winthrop would become known as a kind of art distributor and drawn into finding more artists to create work for him that would remain nameless to the

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