Question

Why is Henry Ford, who invented assembly line manufacturing along with the first Ford automobiles, treated almost as a deity in the World State?

Answer 1

In the World State depicted in Huxley's novel, Henry Ford is treated like a deity or a prophet. His is name used in conversation much as a modern English speaker might use the name of God ("Oh Ford!"), and the making of "Our Ford's first T-Model" marks the beginning of the calendar of years. Instead of "AD," meaning "after the birth of Christ," the dating system "AF" is used, and we see the symbol of the "T" made in place of the symbol of the cross—"the Director made a sign of the T on his stomach." It is likely that Huxley chose Ford in part because his name rhymes with "Lord," which makes the analogy clearer—we even see the term "his fordship" (instead of "his lordship") used to mean an important person. However, in a wider sense, the making of the Model T Ford seems to mark the beginning of a new modern age for these people.