Down and Out in Paris and London Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 21 Summary

Chapter 21 Summary

The routine explained in chapter twenty continues for about two weeks. By now, the staff members really hate each other, and the cook is on the brink of mental disturbance. She has regular crying jags during the day that you could set your clock to. But in spite of this, the restaurant is actually a success. They count their success by how many Frenchmen come. "Sharp knives, of course, are the secret of a successful restaurant," the narrator says. The success of the restaurant destroys one of the narrator's illusions, namely, that Frenchmen know good food when they see it.

Chapter 21 Analysis

Because his experience at the restaurant is so miserable, the narrator cannot conceive how anyone could enjoy the place. He has seen the filth and mismanagement behind the scenes, so he assumes that any reasonable person will be able to figure out that something is wrong. But they don't.

This...
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