David Porter, Week 1 - Answer to question 3

Question 3 asked "Why does Schlosser choose to tell the story of Carl Karcher instead of one of the other fast food pioneers?"

I believe Schlosser chose to focus on Karcher because Mr. Karcher's meteoric rise and subsequent fall from the top of the proverbial mountain illustrates several overarching themes that will become clear later in the text.  Specifically, those themes are that fast food as an industry was born on the sweat of hard-working American businesspeople, that the innovation and efficiency shown is just as much a part of what defines the American dream as any other rags-to-riches story, and that ultimately, in the case of fast food, that same innovation, efficiency and unstoppable search for progress can and will roll over even its forebears, if those people stand in the way.  

The fact that Mr. Karcher re-gains control of his company is another example of the almost spiteful dedication and single-mindedness that is perhaps necessary to be successful in this business.  Further, Karcher's positive view of this so-called progress, in light of the urbanization of his home, the destruction of the orange groves, and the commoditization of industry serves also to illustrate the system of values that helped shape the decades during which fast food saw its most prolific rise- that is to say, people like Carl Karcher, who grew up in rural areas with no electricity or running water, no paved roads, and little in the way of convenience in commerce valued the Eisenhower era because of the promise it gave to deliver them into something new and exciting.  These people are unwilling or perhaps unable to see the negative consequences of the fast food industry because they've spent the better part of their professional and personal lives trying to get as far away as possible from the isolation of their hometowns.