4/
What is more, Vic claims that there are people who actually say that he is the next most important man to vicar, therefore he asks to be called Vic.
The name of the horse that wins Ray 33 000 pounds is another symbol – Miracle Worker - and his jockey’s name – Irons – even strengthens the creation of the symbol.
A short stop at Canterbury and a visit paid to the Cathedral similarly evokes symbolism. The size, glory and the antiquity of the cathedral compared to the importance or unimportance of human life is evident in thoughts of the protagonists. How small we are, how unimportant for the history of a mankind our lives are compared to the lives of the saints and kings who are buried in the Cathedral. We all are just miserable sinners. The author creates this imagery to point out that no matter how important a particular person is for us, it is nothing compared to those who had done their share for the history of mankind. Swift sagely presents this point though the realisation of his protagonists.
“ It’s a big building, long and tall, but it’s like it hasn’t stretched up yet to its full height, it’s still growing. It makes the cathedral at Rochester look like any old church and it makes you feel sort of cheap and titchy. Like it’s looking down at you, saying, I’m Canterbury Cathedral, who the hell are you? “
/Last Orders, p. 194/

“ And I’m saying to myself, Miserable sinner. That’s what you’re supposed to tell yourself, miserable sinner. You’re supposed to sink down on your knees. But all I’d been thinking, suddenly, was that it’s a far cry, all this around me, from what I’m carrying in my hand, all this glory-hallelujah, from Jack and his drips. What’s a plastic jar up against this lot? What’s the click and spit of a human life against fourteen centuries? “
/Last Orders, p. 200-01/

In order to exponentiate the symbolism created by the contrast of a human life and the antiquity of the Cathedral, the author goes further and puts in contrast the cloisters of the cathedral with the lane that has a symbolic name – Butchery Lane - because everyone gets what he deserves according to Vic’s opinion.
“ Then we head back the way we came, out through the gateway and along the narrow streets, except we take a different narrow street from the one we came up. It'’ called Butchery Lane, which is why we take it. Vince says we ought to. "
/Last Orders, p. 226/

Symbols bring us directly to the discourse of this novel. The chief discourse observed is betrayal and failure of a man. In this novel, betrayal is portrayed in various senses. The crucial instance of betrayal is Jack’s betrayal. He betrayed both June and Amy when he insisted on forgetting about the poor girl:
“ Best thing we ca do, Ame, is to forget all about her..
You bastard, you butcher.”
/Last Orders, p. 275/
Another instance of betrayal can be seen in Ray’s affair with Amy.