Ray says he's sure that once he gets a job in a good undertakers, he'll fly.

[shootingstar]

(Ray is a student at the Thames College of Embalming but he is bumbling through all the time)

Over dinner, Gloria scolds Ray and tells him he needs to buck his ideas up. Ray says he's sure that once he gets a job in a good undertakers, he'll fly.When he says things like that, Mr Finch remains silent, and Mrs Finch says things like, 'Well, let's see.'

(From A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe, Part III Family Business, scene 40)

What do you take "fly" to mean in this context? I read it as "it'll go swimmingly" or "it'll run like clockwork".

 

[5jj]

I read it as "it'll go swimmingly" or "it'll run like clockwork".

You are probably right, but it's hard to be certain with so little context.

 

[teechar]

I read it as "it'll go swimmingly" or "it'll run like clockwork".

What do you mean by "it"?

 

[shootingstar]

Ray is a student at the Thames College of Embalming and he thinks if he'll get a job as an embalmer (= "it"), he'll fly - he'll have no trouble doing his job (= "it"), it'll run like clockwork.

 

[emsr2d2]

I take "He'll fly" to mean "He'll quickly become successful at (and enjoy) the job".

 

[shootingstar]

I take "He'll fly" to mean "He'll quickly become successful at (and enjoy) the job".

"Successful - yes, but "enjoy" - no. The story says Ray is an uninterested and stupid student, only interested in getting the job and the money. His approach to the profession of the undertaker is somewhat undignified and disparaging.

 

[emsr2d2]

OK, then it's rather baffling why he's training to be an undertaker! Without further context, I'd take it to mean that although he's not enjoying the training, once he finds a job with the right company and the right people, things will change and he'll be happy and work hard.

 

[shootingstar]

OK, then it's rather baffling why he's training to be an undertaker!

It's the money and the job. Here is a passage in the book clarifying things:

(William and Ray, talking; episode/scene 33)
'I was offered a car mechanic's apprenticeship back home,' says Ray, 'and they'd have paid me.'
'Maybe you should have taken it.'
Ray pulls his mouth down and hunches his shoulders. 'Car mechanics are ten-a-penny there - and badly paid. The funeral home said there'd be a job waiting for me if I qualified here and they'd cover my rent while I trained,' He shrugs again. 'Didn't seem a bad idea - a year in London with a job at the end.'