the gross expression of what was a universal process

[Coffee Break]

Hello everyone. I encountered this expression, "the gross expression of what was a universal process", and I am wondering what it means in the following sentences:

They made a ritual of it [=the whole business of eating] on every level, the Fascists as a punishment, the religious as a rite, the cannibal either as a ritual or as a medicine or as a superbly direct declaration to conquest. Killed and eaten. And of course eating with the mouth was only the gross expression of what was a universal process. You could eat with your cock or with your fists, or with your voice. You could eat with hobnailed boots or buying and selling or marrying and begetting or cuckolding——

- William Golding, Pincher Martin, Chapter 6

This is a novel published in the United Kingdom in 1956. The novel mainly follows the state of mind of a sailor called Christopher "Pincher" Martin, a temporary naval lieutenant who is apparently desperately fighting for his life in the Atlantic after the military ship has sunk. Here, he has arrived at an island in the sea. He is thinking how the whole business of eating was important.

In this part, I wonder what "gross" would mean in particular.
Would that mean "the general/total way to express a universal process"...? Or perhaps "the disgusting/vulgar way to express a universal process"...?

I would very much appreciate your help.

 

[Tarheel]

None of it makes sense to me. In fact, I wouldn't even try to make sense of it.

Probably the only way I could understand that would be if I had read the whole book up to that point. Maybe not even then.

 

[Rover_KE]

I'm surprised you got to chapter six before encountering something baffling.

 

[jutfrank]

I think gross here means something like 'obvious' or 'common' or 'familiar' or 'vulgar'. Or a combination of all of these.

 

[Coffee Break]

@Tarheel, @Rover_KE, @jutfrank,

Thank you very much for the comments and explanations.
Probably, then, it would mean that eating was the common/vulgar way to express a universal process (whatever that may be).
Maybe the narrator wanted to say, "eating" was a form to make others surrender. And that "winning-surrendering" was a universal process, which happens commonly in the world.
Just like one wields fists to hit others, just like one uses one's voice to make others obey, "eating" was the purest/the most complete form of making others surrender.
But... this is just my poor and humble interpretation that came after reading your explanations.
I truly appreciate your help.

 

[Tarheel]

I would use present tense to express something that was true yesterday is true today and is going to be true tomorrow. Also, try:

He was a navy lieutenant fighting to survive after his ship had sunk.

Also:

He had arrived at an island.

You don't need "in the sea" there. (I would probably try to find a verb other than arrived" there, but it will do.)

 

[Coffee Break]

@Tarheel,

Thank you very much for the explanation.
I would make sure that I would correct the book description in my next questions as you suggested!
I sincerely appreciate your help.