Trainspotting Essay

Trainspotting: A Representation of Drugs in Media Stephanie E. Tirado Sociology 342, Section
A Dr. Nicole Pizzini December 5, 2016 Trainspotting: A Representation of Drugs in the Media
Every single day, millions of people are exposed to the world of drugs through the most unreliable
and unconventional methods, including the media. When you look at the way Hollywood
perceives drugs, there is a sense of dissent amongst an issue that is too complicated to be looked at
in black and white. The stereotypes are everywhere in movies and crime shows, some which
include: (a) the uneducated addict, (b) inner city minority who is part of a gang, (c) stoner in high
school with the careless parents, and (d) crack addicted mother who can't take care of her kids.
These examples which only aim to marginalize a part of the population without taking their
situations into account. The program at St. Ambrose University does a great job at making us think
about these social issues in more than just abstractions. There are always two types of ways to deal
with offenders. You either categorize them, and treat all of them accordingly without thinking about
their specific situations, or you compartmentalize cases and treat each with their respective needs.
The goal in these courses is to instill within students a curiosity that drives them into
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Trainspotting Film Analysis Essay
Trainspotting presents an ostensible image of fractured society. The 1996 film opens, famously, with
a series of postulated choicesВ—variables, essentially, in the delineation of identity and opposition.
Significant here is the tone in which these options are deliveredВ—it might be considered the
rhetorical voice of society, a playful exposition of the pressure placed on individuals to make the
"correct" choices, to conform to expectation.
As such, the introduction might be read as contributing to the formation of two narrative constructs:
that of "normality"В—or at least that considered "normality" by prevailing ideologyВ—and that of
"subnormality," the remainder. In its uncompromising rejection of the former, the commentary of
Ewan...show more content...
These subcultures operate because the world around them is open to interpretation, and if an
interpretation is justified, it is arguably as valid as one which directly opposes it.
The imposition of a universal set of values, like that of the law, for example, is a product of
powerВ—and, liberally speaking, an injustice. Renton notes that his mother, on tranquillisers, "is, in
her own socially acceptable way, also a drug addict." Because these particular characters' choice of
lifestyle conflict with that of the dominant order, they are marginalisedВ—forced to live in squalor
and filth. This is something signified in the mise–en–scene: theirs is a world of repugnant toilets; of
splattered walls, doors and floors; of soiled bed–sheets; of buckets for "urine," "vomittus" and
"faeces."
Fittingly, there is an equally strong argument to the contrary. Begbie proves an unreliable narrator,
yet appears to act without conscience or consequence; Sick Boy, portrayed early on as a closet
philosopher, is rendered mute after the death of his son. Some things are above and beyond words.
Similarly, despite its apparent emphasis on the relationship between power and subjectivity, the film
does pronounce ultimate ethical judgements, as I will describe in a moment.
Trainspotting essentially refuses to make up its mind. At the film's close, Renton's betrayal of his
friends is completely rationalised away. Were his

Running, eating, cooking, reading, there are countless of different hobbies to choose. Some of
them may seem useless in a way, trainspotting for instance. Even addiction to drugs is trivial to me,
and the characters' lives do not attract me. Maybe the drug addiction and the trainspotting hobby
have similarities, at least both of them can be considered as fairly special lifestyles. First of all,
trainspotting is one of the most pointless thing you can do. Waiting for a train to pass only to write
down the number of it. This so–called hobby needs patience and you cannot have much else to do.
This correspond to the characters in the film due to their addiction. Their lives have become
pointless, and they have not anything else to think of than

According to Ricoeur 'Mourning is a reconciliation. With what? With the loss of some objects of
love; objects of love may be persons of course, but also, as Freud says, abstractions like fatherland,
freedom–ideals of all kinds' (7). Through reconciliation mourning is helpful, and allows one to
move forward by letting go of the 'object' (Ricoeur 7). Melancholia on the other hand is harmful
because there is no reconciliation with the loss of the 'object' and a continued yearning for it
(Ricoeur 7). This continued yearning leads to 'loss of self' (Ricoeur 7). In this loss of self and
self–esteem, it could be argued that one feels insignificant in the world. This is certainly true of the
characters in these novels; as their impotence is palpable as is their need to tell their stories in order
to remain relevant and ward off alienation. In 'Trainspotting at Leith Central Station' Begbie and
Renton encounter the changing world of Leith, as they make their way down 'The Walk' and
encounter a group of 'middle class' people leaving the play Carmen. Welsh juxtaposes this scene a
few pages later with the men standing in the 'barren, desolate hangar' (385) that was once Leith
Central Station. Renton states that it 'will be 'replaced by a supermarket and swimming center.
Somehow, that makes us sad, even though ah wis eywis too young tae mind ay trains ever being
there (Welsh 385). Although Renton acknowledges that he was never privy to the past that has
disappeared; he realizes that

The 1996 film Trainspotting, directed by Danny Boyle takes the audience on a fast ride exploring
the life of Mark Renton; a struggling heroin addict. The extremely energetic film shows the audience
the horror of the Scottish drug scene and the reality of how these addicts live. The life–style of these
characters is far from funny, yet Boyle and screenplay writer John Hodge are able to lighten the
situation with the use of black humour. Additionally, Boyle mixes reality with fantasy in his scenes
and creates an almost "in–between land". The film uses a variety of cinematic expression's to
communicate with the audience. Boyle plays with camera angles, the use of colour and sound as
well as imagery. A particular scene in which all these are present and one of the more iconic
moments from the film is known as "The Worst Toilet in Scotland". The scene has little dialogue, but
communicates with the audience. It gives an early insight into the character of Renton and the
lengths he is willing to go for his addition. Before analyzing the audio–visual means of expression
that are found in the scene, it is helpful to know some context. "The Worst Toilet in Scotland" scene
take places very early on in the film. We have only just been introduced to our protagonist Renton
and his buddies. The film begins with a couple of the characters being chased through the streets of
Edinburgh as we hear a poetic voice–over. It is Renton speaking and he begins with the line "choose
life", and ends

Irvine Welsh's 'Trainspotting'
Irvine Welsh: Trainspotting
In order to enrich my experience with this writer's work I also decided to read Trainspotting, which
is in fact Irvin Welsh's best known book. It too is set in Scotland, circulating around a life of drugs
and squalor (notably the famous toilet scene where Renton, the main character, sifts around a full
toilet bowl in a revolting toilet cubicle to retrieve his opium suppositories). Unlike the total darkness
and nastiness of Filth, whilst still raw and hard hitting, there are definite glimmers of light and hope
and even humour within the story, at times I even found myself laughing out loud. For this reason,
although I do rate filth highly, I gained far more enjoyment from Trainspotting. This encouraged me
to consider...show more content...
That is true however it pales in comparison to that of Trainspotting. Even after reading through the
whole of Filth expecting to have mastered the understanding of Welsh's writing style, it still took me
a while to for me to get to grips with the telling of Trainspotting. This is displayed a mere fourteen
lines into the very first chapter when the main character expresses his mind by saying 'Ah wanted
the radge taw jist fuck off ootay ma visage, taw go oan his ain, n jist leave us wi Jean–Claude'
(meaning he wanted his friend to go on his own to his drug dealer and leave him alone to watch
television). This is not an isolated case by any means. This alternative and challenging writing is
a factor than may both encourage and discourage readers. What allows it to work is the
exceptional craftsmanship Welsh has on both story and characters. In conclusion Irvin Welsh
certainly is a risk taker and I have very much enjoyed studying these two of his works and
definitely feel inspired as a result. The reading of Filth is particularly relevant to my own story due
to the almost psychopathic nature of the antihero Robertson, which I have studied in order to help
my portrayal of Anna Scabbard due to her comparable psyche. However, after comparing both Welsh
novels, although Filth may be more relevant, I decided that I would definitely like to avoid the
constant barrage of unpleasantness, and, inspired by Trainspotting, I would like to add humour into
my novel as I believed it to be highly valuable. Lastly my reading of these books led me to be more
confident in my use of first person narrative and present tense, due to the emotive power and feeling
of being inside the character's head that, at least in my opinion, is more intimate than third person.
Having read these books I was confident that first person will work to my favour, thus both Filth and
Trainspotting were highly useful

Aside from the death of Uncle Andy in 'Growing Up in Public', the deaths throughout Trainspotting
are of young characters in their twenties and early thirties. The deaths occur most often from HIV,
with the exception of Renton's brother; whom dies in Northern Ireland. Welsh seems to kill of
characters during the 'prime of their lives' a time when they could be growing, changing and even
creating new life themselves. However, in their existence in the perpetual present they are unable to
move the life cycle along organically. The death of Uncle Andy is important to note, because it
seems he is the only character that's death is the result of the natural cycle of life – and not from a
complete lack of concern for the future, and the only one that accumulates with the narrator of the
chapter remembering him in a positive way and finding both meaning and solace in her memories of
him. This is further proved by the fact that she begins menstruating in this chapter; a sign that the
future may continue if the characters come to learn from the past, incorporate it within the present
and create a more positive future. If this does not occur; life and death will become obsolete much
like the 'trainspottin mindset'. The overall impotence in each of these novels brings the question of
new life and therefore hope. If impotence and the circular patterns of violence that continue from one
generation to the next, what hope is there that future generations will be able to move on, and save

Who Is Trainspotting A True Heroin Addiction?
The movie I chose to watch and review for our midterm was Trainspotting, the fictional story of a
group of you heroin addicts living in Edinburgh, Scotland and actively involved in the drug scene.
Trainspotting's story centers on Renton, a heroin addict, as he lives from one fix to the next
sometimes trying to get clean, and his group of questionable friends. The movie portrays drug
addiction, the risks that come with this life, and much of the ugliest of addiction. I think Trainspotting
does a reasonably good job of portraying some of the horrors of heroin addiction, but in some cases
it falls far short and could have gone farther to express reality. The movie does an effective job at
presenting heroin as an incredible addictive drug that has horrible withdrawal effects. Renton and
his friends, Sick Boy, Spud and eventually Tommy are all addicted and spend every waking hour
either high on heroin or trying to steal money to get high on heroin. The story is very much
aligned with the lives of the Edgewater homeless in the book, Righteous Dopefiend. The drug
addicts living on the street near Edgewater Boulevard in San Francisco spend most of their time
either getting a fix or stealing, panhandling or working odd jobs to get cash for the next fix
(Bourgois and Schonberg 5). The characters in Trainspotting and those in the real world both cannot
go without the fix and their lives are wasted either high or trying to get drugs to get high.
I think the movie falls short of the

Trainspotting: A Novel By Irvine Welsh Essay
Trainspotting: A Novel By Irvine Welsh
Trainspotting is a captivating story of the random events that occur during a critical time in a group
of Scottish junkies' lives. Irvine Welsh illustrates the confusion, anger and turmoil many heroin
addicts are subjected to and what happens once they try to quit.
The story is centered around Mark Renton, an ordinary twenty–two year old who was raised by a
loving mother and father. He has two brothers: one was catatonic and the other was an overachiever.
Through court–mandated therapy he was told he envied his parents and resented his older brother.
This was what contributed to Rents (what his friends call him) starting to use heroin.
Bit...show more content...
Rents' date on occasion, Hazel, was abused by her father when she was young, and she chooses to
shoot up to solve her problems. Rab McLaughlin, or Second Prize, drinks himself into oblivion
every chance he gets. Davie, a cousin of Renton's has recently become HIV positive from a girl
who was raped by a psychopath. Davie chooses to take revenge on him by pretending to kill the
only thing he ever loved, an illegitimate child the psycho fathered but is no longer allowed to see.
Tommy,
Davie's and Rent's friend, was the only one of the group who was completely normal. He even had
a beautiful girlfriend that made him the envy of many of his friends. But when the two of them
broke up, he became the most wasted on heroin of the whole lot.
Throughout the story Rents is on a rollercoaster of highs and lows; trying to kick his habit and
being so wasted he doesnt care about anyone or anything There is no intricate plot to this story;
just small bits and pieces that give the reader insights into each characters' life. There are amusing
anecdotes and deep thoughts to contemplate all on one page. The author does a great job
conveying his feelings, through the characters, to the reader. It takes a while to adjust to the dialect
the story is written in. Also, in some parts it is hard to know who is speaking as almost every
chapter is written in first person, with different characters speaking to the reader.

"Poison or Pearls, Reality or Fantasy?" (Street 110): How do the makers of Trainspotting depict
British youth sub–culture and what methods of filming do they use to communicate their message in
the surrealist way the film is famous for?
Trainspotting (1996) is a "depiction of the squalid depravities and exploitative self interest that
characterises the everyday life of heroin addiction." (Petrie 90) Its' realistic style, use of language
and unflinching portrayal of drug use was what first attracted me to look at it a bit closer. Based
on the novel by Irvine Welsh, it tells the story of a group of working class unemployed drug addicts,
focusing on their problems with heroin abuse, inability to get a job and family problems. Set in
...show more content...
In 1950 Roman Jakobson introduced a theory concerned with the way that language and
communication is used. This is used in film to convey a message to the audience. His system is that
the `addresser' sends a message to the `addressee', and the dominant function of the message
determines the meaning. The various forms that the function can take are; Referential; Emotive;
Conative; Phatic; Metalingual and Poetic. One of these functions will be dominant according to
Jakobson, "thus playing a determining and shaping role with respect to the meaning of the message
the addresser sends to the addressee" (Lothe 15). This is used in films such as Trainspotting in a way
that is not entirely obvious to the audience, as it is disguised by the narrative.
The scene where Tommy takes them into the typical Scottish countryside for a walk, and Mark
Renton (Ewan McGregor) starts complaining about Scottish people, when Tommy says: "Doesn't
it make you proud to be Scottish?" and Mark replies with: "I hate being Scottish, we're the lowest
of the fucking low, the scum of the earth, the most wretched, servile, miserable, pathetic trash that
was ever shat into civilisation. Some people hate the English, but I don't. The English are wankers.
We, on the other hand, are colonised by wankers. We can't even choose a decent race to be
colonised by. We are ruled by effete arseholes."
This scene highlights the youth of today's views on

Trainspotting
"Over the years, heroin and addiction have provided the subject matter for more than a few
noteworthy films." The cult film Trainspotting, based on Irvine Welsh's book of the same title,
offers an attractive case study as it represents a wide view of British youth culture by considering a
large number of issues such as the critiques of consumerism, Thatcherism, class stratification and
gender identities. The film portrays the lifestyle of a group of young drug addicts which places its
emphasis on youth culture and links it to the drug subculture, and while also involving female
characters in this drug subculture it manages to successfully relate the issues of drugs and gender.
Therefore I will attempt to trace the...show more content...
This belief that tabloids instigate moral panic is prominent in the book Hooligan by Pearson
(1983). He introduces us to the concept of moral panic and heightens our awareness of the image
of the criminal. This concept was evident in the aftermath of Trainspotting, as people believed
that the major cities in Britain were all filled with drug addicts and that if you visited there you
were putting yourself in serious danger of being mugged by one. Pearson believed that the public
were put in a state of fear due to the misrepresentation of criminals in the tabloids. A fine example
of this could be seen when, in Easter of 1964, the entire front page of many significant tabloids was
plastered with stories of how youngsters had beaten up an entire town and a community had been
invaded by a mob В‘hell bent on destruction'. Mods and Rockers had been accused of assaulting
local residents and destroying a great deal of public property. However, after extensive research,
Cohen(1973) discovered that this was untrue and the amount of serious violence and vandalism
estimated by the tabloids was actually very small. "The typical offence throughout was not assault or
malicious damage, but threatening behaviour." After Cohen confronted

Analysis Of The Movie ' Trainspotting '
The movie Trainspotting, released in the July of 1996, depicts a group of heroin addicts and
their peers eking out an existence in 1980's Edinburgh, Scotland. Based on a 1993 book of the
same name by Irvine Welsh, the movie was a commercial success as well as critical one. It is
ranked as the 10th best British movie of All Time by the British Film Institute in 1999 (Best 100
British Films). When the book was published Welsh was condemned for glamorizingheroin abuse, to
which he responded that he was only depicting what was going on, what he knew, and who he
knew. The book and the movie mirror the reality of the creation of an underclass in Edinburgh in
the late 1970's and 1980's. Historically opiates have been a part of Edinburgh since the late
1600's. After heroin was synthesized and began being used as a painkiller in 1894 Edinburgh
became the capital of opiate production as discussed in an article from The Guardian in 2009.
The article quotes Michael Fry as saying "'By the end of the 19th century,' writes Fry, 'Edinburgh
produced most of the world 's opiate drugs, heroin included.'(Edemariam and Scott)" In the 1980's
however the situation changed dramatically. Cheaper heroin from South Asia became readily
available which was met with a growing receptive audience. The same outsourcing that created the
US Rust Belt and condemned Detroit to become a shadow of former self was felt in Scotland as
well. So when that influx of drugs came in the early 80's it was met with

How To Write A Trainspotting Movie Essay
"Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a f##ing big television...
But why would I want to do a thing like that?" (Boyle, "Trainspotting") With the rocking beat of
Iggy Pop's 'Lust for Life', the film's opening scene shows two men running down a boulevard giving
an account of the society's instructions to youth and adults alike to live life in a certain manner. The
movie 'Trainspotting' begins with an act of youth rebellion, something that was a widespread
phenomenon during the 1990s in Britain. The characters in the movie are running away from jobs,
careers and the conventional lives that people live, to find their own paths (Reynolds, 46). The
movie depicts the audacity of youth who are fighting to break the norms...show more content...
"Rave spread from the original metropolitan cliques in London and Manchester to become a
nationwide suburban/provincial leisure culture". (Reynolds, 96) The music choices were being
influenced as the era of Iggy Pop was being overtaken by techno–dance music from Bedrock and
ICE MC. "The world is changing, music is changing, drugs are changing, even men and women
are changing", said Diane as she explained to Renton that he had to find something new (Boyle,
"Trainspotting"). She added by saying, "You can't stay in here all day dreaming about heroin and
Ziggy Pop. He's dead, anyway" (Boyle, "Trainspotting"). Iggy Pop's music had died as the new
Britain turned their faces now towards the popular dance electronic music. Even at the end of the
movie when Renton deceives his 'friends', the scintillating music in the background – Underworld's
"Born Slippy (NUXX)" with pounding fast beats is an indication of shifting musical culture.
Reynolds also talked about this Second wave of Rave in 1991–92s when he experienced an 'entirely
different and un–rock way of using music'. He experienced "a liberating joy in surrendering to the
radical anonymity of the music, the meaning of which pertained to a macro level of the entire
culture" (Reynolds, xxi). The British music was undergoing a drastic change in the 90s when the old
pop from

Abstract In the following paper, I will analyze the movie; Front of The Class using two of the
theories were taught in class. The movie, Front of The Class, is about the journey of a boy named
Brad who for many years was living with un–diagnosed Tourette Syndrome, which Brad referred to
as his "constant companion". Tourette Syndrome is a nervous system disorder which causes the
person to suffer from "tics" which can be described as sudden movements, sounds or twitches that
are involuntary and repetitive (CDC, 2015). The movie exhibits the ways in which Brad suffered
from discrimination at many levels (individual, familial, educational, societal) due to his
disability. Brad was raised primarily by his mother as his parents divorced when he was young.
Brad was ridiculed at school from class mates as well as teachers who did not understand he was
suffering from Tourette Syndrome. Brad was seen by a psychiatrist who told Brad's mother she was
in denial about his poor behavior and prescribed Brad medication. Brad did not have a secure
attachment to his father he like others thought Brad could control his behavior, often scolding him
and telling him to focus and use self–control. Although Brad's mother was overwhelmed at times, she
and Brad had a good relationship. She believed there was something more to Brad's behavior. It
was Brad's mother who did her own research and informed Brad's doctor that she believed he had
Tourette Syndrome. Brad and his brother Jeff had a

Trainspotting Analysis
Abandon all Hope: Impotence and Fragmented Communities in Last Exit to Brooklyn and
Trainspotting The late capitalist novel has become an area of interest to authors, critics and readers
alike. Novels such as Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk, American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis and the
novels of J.G. Ballard, all gained notoriety as novels that commented on the effects of globalization,
hyper–consumerism and hyper–individualism. However, these novels tend to focus on the upper and
middle classes and do not comment on the effects that globalization and deindustrialization had on
the working class. The much understudied Last Exit to Brooklyn (LETB) by Hubert Selby Jr.
(1964) and Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh (1993), however do just that. The novels– although set
almost 30 years and an ocean apart – share many commonalities, and with Welsh's introduction to the
LETB 2011 edition, it is surprising that no one has studied the two novels together. Perhaps this is
because LETB has often been studied within the context of religion, violent sexuality and naturalism.
While these are all valid contexts of studying the novel I would like to take a different approach by
analyzing it together with Trainspotting. The novels have many similar themes, ideas and styles and
it seems important to read them side by side because they both convey the conditions and effects of
late capitalism and neoliberalism on the working class, and show what happens 'when the working
class stops working'

Trainspotting By Irvin Welsh: Character Analysis
By the 25th I had enough of an initial idea for me to have completed and sent my proposal. I
found choosing a title for my project very difficult. Not just a title of the artefact but of the
project as a whole. I evaluated my brief plot notes I wrote the previous week and have actually
decided I want to focus more on the side of character development more than on what makes a
thriller novel, both to question why the character is the way they are but also in an attempt to make
them relatable and even likable to the reader. I will do this be evaluating the idea behind the plot
element of their head injury. I remember reading somewhere about Phineas Gage whose personality
changed dramatically after a head injury but need to look at the extent...show more content...
This was an interesting book to read due to its very unconventional layout as well as the dialogue
style with accents heavily spelt out on the pages making it often difficult to work out straight away
without context who is talking. As I am only a beginner at novel writing I feel that such techniques if
incorporated in my own works would detract rather than enhance but still it was very useful to
study the dialogue At this point I feel I will base the inspiration of the dialogue more off Filth; a
book by the same author. Both books also offer inspiration into writing from the first person and
the present tense, two things I have never before attempted, and thus I believe the reading of these
books was very helpful and I shall certainly cite them as inspiration when I come to write my lit
review. Later in the week, Having a basic idea of the plotline already in my mind I decided to start
writing. However I did not begin by writing from the start of the story, I just wrote a passage that I
am not even sure yet if I will include. It describes the scene in where the main character is drunk at
a bar with a very negative mindset. I spent a short amount of time thinking of possible settings.
Without including the rest of the novel I wrote basic plot ideas for situations she would face whilst
working as a waitress in a strip club. In addition to this I began thinking up the other characters she
would face in this particular environment. I thought up the ideas of a power struggle in this location
and decided on the personalities for the various protagonists and antagonists she would face. I did
simply as an attempt to get my mindset into both the setting and the behaviour of the main
character. I had no set direction and just wrote it quickly. As well as Filth, this has also been
inspired by the book Of Mice and Men in both the style of dialogue and also the poetic language
techniques. Although

Heroin Addiction In Trainspotting
It does not matter what the user is chasing; so long as it keeps them distracted, and takes over
every other aspect of life. Heroin addiction is an excellent way to stay distracted because of its
cyclical nature; stealing to buy, buying to use and using. Renton does not need reasons; because the
reasons are already embedded within the social constructs that shaped his addiction. Like
Trainspotting in general, this cycle is meaningless – however it does pass the time, alleviate boredom
and allow the user apathy towards everything in his life outside of the drug. The addicts as a
whole in Trainspotting remain indifferent to anything outside the drug; refusing to both get tested
for HIV and see the debilitating effects that it has on their relationships; which will be discussed
in the next section. In LETB, Georgette's 'void' seems to stem from not only her insular
surroundings; but also from her alienation from both her family and society. Like Renton, she is
highly intelligent, however it is impossible for her to fit into the world of 1950s America,
because of its traditional values and her identification as both transgendered and homosexual. She
is rejected and abused by her brother, and attempts to fill the void created by his rejection and
society by being a part of a group of shallow transgendered women, who wile away the hours
consuming narcotics and fighting over men. Also, her cathexis concerning Vinnie allows her to
create a false world of superficial love and

In 1980's Scotland, socioeconomic conditions and morale suffered due to the implementation of
Thatcher policies, placing the lower class in a deplorable state of hopelessness. The film
Trainspotting, directed by Danny Boyle, depicts the plights of young heroin junkies during the
Thatcher Era in Edinburgh. The film's focus is not heroin addiction, but rather, uses the silver screen
as a platform to portray the depressing impact Thatcherism had on Scottish socioeconomic conditions
as conveyed through the protagonist, heroin–addicted Mark Renton. Trainspotting illustrates that the
social struggles of the Scottish lower class during the Thatcher Era are significant contributing
factors to cause Renton to become a heroin user in order to escape the depressing and monotonous
existence to which he is subjected.
The Thatcher Era negatively influenced the socioeconomic conditions of Scotland for eleven years,
during which time Trainspotting is set, which illuminates the impact of Thatcherism on the morale
and pride of the Scottish people. During her tenure as Prime Minister, from 1979 to 1990, Margret
Thatcher hoped to restore a sense of British pride following the Winter of Discontent, but in doing
so, she implemented taxes and limited the creations and power of labor unions. These changes were
not received well and profoundly influenced the conditions of the Scottish social system and
diminished both their British and national pride (Stewart 13). Although Thatcherism was intended

Criticism In Trainspotting
"Choose your future. Choose life."
This week, audiences will once again hear the famous mantra to the 1996 cult–classic,
"Trainspotting," in its new sequel, "T2 Trainspotting."
The delivery of those last lines from Ewan McGregor's opening monologue was a moment that will
live on forever in film. The words illuminated the understated, emotional punch that the frenetic,
thinly–veiled comedy delivered more than 20 years ago. An adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel, "
Trainspotting" told the story of four heroin addicts in Edinburgh, Scotland. Viewers saw a glimpse
into their impulsive, drug–fueled lives, experiencing all their highs and lows.
McGregor's monologue laid out the driving force behind the original "Trainspotting" – the
consequence of our choices. The paths the four men took in the film were their own, but as
McGregor said, they had the ability to choose their future, to choose life. "Trainspotting" didn't
overlook the inherent struggle in dealing with addiction and the fight that it takes to reverse
damaging decisions.
The maturity and life perspective in original 1996 film will be further investigated in its sequel, "T2
Trainspotting." More than 20 years have passed since audiences last saw the four men together, and
much has been left to brew between them during that time. The sequel is a reflection on the past, on
aging, on regret.
The film's general sentiments are explained perfectly by one of the four main actors, Ewen Bremner
("Snowpiercer," "Black Hawk

Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting's depiction of Scotland's heroin–addicted subculture elicits a number of
questions regarding issues of heroin addiction, choice, and societal dissociation; questions which will
be explored and subsequently answered in this paper. Jason Middleton notes that it has been argued
that influential pop–culture works such as Trainspotting are to blame for "'glamorizing' heroin and
'making it look cool'" (Middleton). However, I argue instead that Trainspotting provides a
complicated viewing of a besmirched and quite unglamorous side of Edinburgh through characters
such as Mark Renton, whose articulation on the importance of choice highlights the interplay
between heroin use and the societal and cultural disconnect he experiences in the novel. Middleton,
on the idea of societal disconnect, suggests that "negation of all affect and even the body itself [is] a
possible consequence of disengagement from dominant social standards" (Middleton). In regards to
the cause of this disengagement, Judy Hemingway contends that "spatial politics of culture are
exemplified in Trainspotting through its portrayal of divisiveness which took place during the
Thatcherite 1980s when lines of demarcation were drawn between those who were valued and those
who were not" (Hemingway 328). Using Middleton's ideas on "disengagement from dominant social
standards" (Middleton) as the catalyst for this paper, I aim to explore Renton's choice to disconnect
from British and Scottish

Trainspotting Essay

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Trainspotting Essay