Passage:
"He said 'Jack boy, it is all down to wastage. What you've got to understand is that what comes into the shop aint what goes out. Whole art of butchery's in avoiding wastage. If a butcher could get cost on what he chucks in his waste-bin and his fat-drawer, he'd be a happy man, wouldn't he? He'd be laughing. If you take away the weight of the wastage from what you buy in and divide what's left into what you paid that'll give you your real cost to set against your takings and don't you ever forget it. Bone'll cost you and fat'll cost you and shrinkage'll cost you and not having your cutlery ground'll cost you. And ending up, because of poor keeping or poor cutting, with lost of measly scraps of meat that ant fit to sell to no one'll cost you more than anything. You got to keep a constant eye on wastage, constant. What you've got to understand is the nature of the goods. Which is perishable.'"
Wastage:
This whole passage is obviously about the decision making process of running a butcher shop from the surface, but in reality this passage actually embodies a lot of the author and characters emotions on death in one small section. Upon reflection wastage seems to be used to represent the time that a person might not deem valuable, but in every sense they are what determines if life is good. To keep his business afloat Jack has to cut away the smallest portion of meat while salvaging as much as possible to increase sales. Mr. Swift utilizes this extended simile to show that ever life, while not even, has portions that are wonderful and priceless. It is essential for the being to realize that the boredom, hatred, and depression are simply fat attached.
The passage is set only a few pages from the end, and is actually the last portion of Jack in the entire novel. The next chapter is actually the group throwing his ashes into the sea. The timing of this lesson functions to summarize what Jack tried to live by and could possibly represent the entire groups fears. The style of the passage is reminiscent of a cold, hard slap, yet what could be more appropriate? Meat is stored in highly chilled freezers and is tenderized by hammer. Swift uses this style to create a final and truly Jack-like feel.
The passage is set only a few pages from the end, and is actually the last portion of Jack in the entire novel. The next chapter is actually the group throwing his ashes into the sea. The timing of this lesson functions to summarize what Jack tried to live by and could possibly represent the entire groups fears. The style of the passage is reminiscent of a cold, hard slap, yet what could be more appropriate? Meat is stored in highly chilled freezers and is tenderized by hammer. Swift uses this style to create a final and truly Jack-like feel.