Американские боги

           ShadowhadfiguredoutwithinthefirstfewminutesofmeetingMr.Ibisthathisexpectedpartinanyconversationwiththefuneraldirectorwastosayaslittleaspossible.Theyweresittinginasmallrestaurant,twoblocksfromIbisandJacquel’sfuneralhome.Shadow’ssupperconsistedofanall-dayfullbreakfast—itcamewithhushpuppies—whileMr.Ibispickedandpeckedatasliceofcoffeecake."This,Ibelieve,isbecausepeopleliketoknowwhattheyaregettingaheadoftime.ThusMcDonald’s,Wal-Mart,F.W.Woolworth(ofblessedmemory):store-brandsmaintainedandvisibleacrosstheentirecountry.Whereveryougo,youwillgetsomethingthatis,withsmallregionalvariations,thesame.

           "Inthefieldoffuneralhomes,however,thingsare,perforce,different.Youneedtofeelthatyouaregettingsmall-townpersonalservicefromsomeonewhohasacallingtotheprofession.Youwantpersonalattentiontoyouandyourlovedoneinatimeofgreatloss.Youwishtoknowthatyourgriefishappeningonalocallevel,notonanationalone.Butinallbranchesofindustry—anddeathisanindustry,myyoungfriend,makenomistakeaboutthat—onemakesone’smoneyfromoperatinginbulk,frombuyinginquantity,fromcentralizingone’soperations.It’snotpretty,butit’strue.Troubleis,noonewantstoknowthattheirlovedonesaretravelinginacooler-vantosomebigoldconvertedwarehousewheretheymayhavetwenty,fifty,ahundredcadaversonthego.No,sir.