Trainspotting is the first novel by Scottish writer Irvine Welsh.

It is written in the form of short

chapters narrated in the first person by various residents of Leith, Edinburgh who either
use heroin, are friends of the core group of heroin users, or engage in destructive activities that
are implicitly portrayed asaddictions that serve the same function as heroin addiction. The novel
is set in the mid to late 1980s.[citation needed]
The novel has since achieved a cult status, added to by the global success of the film based on
it,Trainspotting (1996), directed by Danny Boyle.[1] Welsh later wrote a sequel, Porno, in
2002.Skagboys, a novella that will serve as a prequel, is expected for publication in 2010. [2]

Characters

Mark Renton the main character and antihero of the novel, Renton is the voice of
(relative) sanityamong his group of friends, many of whom he cannot stand. He narrates his
daily life from supporting his heroin addiction with petty theft to interacting with the "normal
world" with a cynical, black-humoured eye. He is capable of fitting in well enough to
common society, is relatively good-looking and of above-average intelligence, but is socially
inept, and uses heroin as a means to withdraw.

Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson A slick, amoral con artist, and Renton's oldest friend.
He is always on the lookout for the "perfect scam", despite being perfectly inept at serious
crime. He picks up women with ease and flaunts this quality in front of his friends, often
gloating over his many hook ups. By the end of the novel, he has become a pimp of young
girls. Essentially, a combination Byronic hero and villain, he enjoys flaunting his ability to use
heroin semi-casually, then stopping at will, without developing an addiction. He becomes
worse after his daughter Dawn's death. In fact, Sick Boy considers himself above everyone
he interacts with in terms of class, restraint, and moral fibre, despite being one of the most
shallow and callous characters in the novel. When thinking to himself, he often imagines he is
speaking withSean Connery. While Begbie represents unavoidable, unanswerable violence to
the antihero of the novel, Sick Boy represents cold, calculated expediency, the type of life that
Renton would have if he had no conscience or moral restraints.

Daniel "Spud" Murphy Naive and childlike, Spud is both the whipping boy and only
real source of comfort among Renton's circle of friends; they feel genuinely protective of him,
even as they repeatedly mock and take advantage of him. Although very light-fingered, Spud
is the only genuinely kind-hearted character in the novel. He has a soft spot for animals. He
uses heroin because it feels good; he would not be able to achieve anything but a low
position in society even if he was sober and his sense of decency contrasts sharply with the

personalities of his friends, whose heroin use is sometimes the least objectionable of their
acts.

Francis "Franco" Begbie A violent sociopath, Begbie terrorises his "friends" into going
along with whatever he says, assaulting and brutalising anyone who angers him. This
violence is reflected in the manner in which he speaks. He is the only one in the group who
does not use heroin and, although he considers junkies to be the lowest form of life, he is
himself thoroughly addicted to alcohol, amphetamine, and violence. He is part of the YLT
(Young Leith Team) gang.

Davie Mitchell The "everyman" of the novel, Davie seems to be the most "normal" of
the characters. Unlike the others, he is a university graduate and holds down a decent job.
His life is thrown into chaos, however, when he contracts HIV; his experiences with the
disease form the basis of the story in the chapter "Bad Blood".

Tommy Laurence A childhood friend of Renton's, Tommy does not use heroin and
seems completely content to drink, use speed, playfootball, and listen to Iggy Pop. When his
girlfriend dumps him, he seeks to numb the depression by experimenting with heroin,
grudgingly provided by Renton. His resulting addiction weighs on Renton's conscience, and
in part provokes him to seriously attempt sobriety. Tommy contracts HIV at the end of the
novel

Structure
The novel is split up into seven sections: the first six contain multiple chapters of varying length
and differing focus. The novel's origins in short fiction are still visible though no segment or
chapter is wholly independent of the others.
Each character narrates differently, in a fashion comparable to stream-of-consciousness or
representative of psychological realism. For example, Spud will refer to people internally as "cats"
(Begbie is a jungle cat, while he himself is a house cat), and Sick Boy will occasionally entertain
an inner-dialogue between himself and Sean Connery. Chapters narrated by Renton are written
with Scots dialogue terms spelled phonetically, which conveys the character's accent and use of
Scots, while Davie's chapters ("Bad Blood", "Traditional Sunday Breakfast") are narrated
in Scottish English with dialogue appearing phonetically. Other chapters are written from a thirdperson omniscient stance (in Standard English) to cover the actions and thoughts of different
characters simultaneously. For example, "The First Shag in Ages" covers Spud and Renton's
outing to a nightclub where they meet Dianne and her pal, followed by Renton's return to
Dianne's and the awkward breakfast that ensues, all the while revealing what each character
thinks of the other.

Unlike the movie it inspired, the novel's plot is not linear. Characters are often introduced
without backstory and without any initially obvious connection either to the core group of
characters or to the junkie lifestyle.
[edit]Plot

summary

[edit]Section

1: Kicking

The Skag Boys, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mother Superior - Narrated by Renton. Mark
and Simon (aka Sick Boy) are watching aJean-Claude Van Damme movie when they decide to
go buy heroin from Johnny Swan (aka Mother Superior) since they are both feeling symptoms
of withdrawal. They cook up with Raymie (who kisses Sick Boy on the mouth) and Alison (who
states that heroin "beats any meat injection in the whole fucking world"). After being informed that
he should go see Kelly, who has just had an abortion, Renton instead eagerly returns home to
watch the rest of his movie.
Junk Dilemmas No. 63 - Narrated by Renton. A short (less than a page) piece comparing his
high to an internal sea, while noting: "more short-term sea, more long-term poison".
The First Day of the Edinburgh Festival - Narrated by Renton. Mark initially makes an attempt
to come off heroin by acquiring a bare room and all the things he will require when coming down.
When withdrawal begins to set in however, he resolves to get another hit to ease the decline. He
acquires opium suppositories, which after a heavy bout of diarrhea he must recover from a public
toilet (a notable scene recreated for the film) showing just how far a junkie will go for a hit.
In Overdrive - Narrated by Sick Boy. Simon attempts to pick up girls while being annoyed by
Mark, who wants to watch videos. Sick Boy loses Renton and launches into an internal selfglorifying, nihilistic diatribe.
Growing Up in Public - Third person narration following Nina, Mark's cousin. Nina is with her
family after her Uncle Andy's recent death. She initially feigns indifference but then breaks down
without even realising it.
Victory on New Year's Day - Third person narration following Stevie. At a party consisting of
almost all the key characters in the novel, Stevie cannot stop thinking about his girlfriend who he
has fallen out with. They optimistically reunite at the train station following a couple of phone
calls.
It Goes without Saying - Narrated by Renton. Lesley's baby, Dawn, has died. Though it appears
to be a cot death, it could also have been from neglect. The Skag Boys are uncomfortable and
unsure of how to respond to the tragedy as Lesley cries hysterically. However, Simon/Sick Boy
becomes notably more emotional and distressed than the others and eventually breaks down and

cries as well, stating he is kicking heroin for good and clearly implying Dawn was his daughter.
Mark wants to comfort his friend, but is unable to form the words and simply cooks a shot for
himself in order to deal with the situation. A sobbing Lesley asks him to also cook her up a hit,
which Mark does but makes sure he injects himself before her, stating the action "goes without
saying" and proving the harsh truth that no matter what; junk comes first for them all.
Junk Dilemmas No. 64 - Narrated by Renton. Mark's mother is knocking on his door while
crying. He ignores her pleas and cooks up a shot. He feels guilty about letting her down, but
continues to use drugs anyway.
Her Man - Narrated by Rab "Second Prize" McLaughlin. Second Prize and Tommy are in
the pub and Tommy confronts a man who is openly punching his own girlfriend. They are shocked
to find the woman supports her abusive boyfriend instead of her would-be liberators by digging
her nails into Tommy's face, inciting a brawl.
Speedy Recruitment - Varied narration. (third person while together in the pub, first person for
each interview.) Spud and Renton both have ajob interview for the same job, but neither of them
wants the job as they would prefer to be unemployed. Renton pretends to be an upper-class
heroin addict, while Spud takes Amphetamine and is incoherent.
[edit]Section

2: Relapsing

Scotland Takes Drugs in Psychic Defence - Narrated by Tommy. He goes to an Iggy Pop gig
on the same day as his girlfriend's birthday. He spends the entire chapter using speed and
alcohol. The chapter's title refers to an Iggy Pop lyric, which Tommy vehemently affirms.
The Glass - Narrated by Renton. Focuses on his "friendship" with Begbie. Renton, Begbie and
their girlfriends meet up for a drink before going to a party, but it ends when Begbie throws a
glass off a balcony, hitting someone and splitting open their head. After this, Begbie smiles at
Renton and proceeds to announce to the party he will find whoever threw that glass before
attacking random innocent people in the pub and setting off a huge pub brawl. Renton concludes
his thoughts on Begbie saying "He really is a cunt ay the first order. Nae doubt about that. The
problem is, he's a mate n aw. What kin ye dae?"
A Disappointment - Narrated by Begbie. Continues the theme of the last chapter. Begbie recalls
an ordinary story of being in the pub and staring at a man whom he wanted to fight.
Cock Problems - Narrated by Renton. Tommy comes round to Renton's flat (shortly after Renton
injected a shot into his penis, hence the title) after being dumped by his girlfriend. Tommy asks
Renton to give him some heroin, which he reluctantly does. This sets off Tommy's gradual decline
into addiction.

Traditional Sunday Breakfast - Narrated by Davie. Davie has woken up at the house of his
girlfriend's mother in a puddle of urine, vomit andfeces, after a night of drinking. Embarrassed, he
attempts to make off with the sheets and wash them himself. However, Gail's mother starts
tugging at the sheets, he resists, and the contents fly all over the family, their kitchen, and their
breakfast. (In the film, this unfortunate event is attributed to Spud.)
Junk Dilemmas No. 65 - Narrated by Renton. Mark has cooked up with Spud and stresses how
cold he is. Spud is completely unresponsive and Mark thinks he may be dead, seeming
unsurprised if he is.
Grieving and Mourning in Port Sunshine - third person narration. Renton's brother Billy and his
friends Lenny, Naz Peasbo, and Jackie are waiting for their friend Granty to arrive for a game of
cards, as he is holding the money pot. They later find out that Granty is dead and his girlfriend
has disappeared with the money.
[edit]Section

3: Kicking Again

Inter Shitty - Narrated by Begbie. Begbie and Renton have pulled an unknown crime and have
decided to lay low in London. The chapter covers their train journey.
Na Na and Other Nazis - Narrated by Spud, who has managed to kick heroin. He visits his
grandmother, where his mixed-race uncle Dode is staying. He recounts the trouble that Dode has
had with racism growing up, particularly an event when he and Spud went to a pub and were
soon assaulted by white power skinheads saying slogans such as "ain't no black in the Union
Jack". This abuse led to a fight, which left Dode hospitalised, where Spud visits him. "I've had
worse in the past and I'll have worse in the future" Dode tells Spud, who begs him not to say such
things. "He looks at us like I'll never understand and I know he's probably right."
The First Shag in Ages - Third person narration. Renton has kicked heroin and is restless. He
ends up picking up a girl at a nightclub, Dianne, and sleeping with her, unaware that she is only
fourteen. He is later forced to repeatedly lie to her parents at breakfast the following morning.
Strolling Through the Meadows - Narrated by Spud. Spud, Renton and Sick Boy take
some Ecstasy and stroll to the Meadows where an excited Sick Boy and Renton try to kill a
squirrel but stop after Spud becomes upset by their actions towards the animal. He states to the
reader that you can't love yourself if you hurt animals as it's wrong and compares their innocence
to that of Simon's dead baby Dawn. He also notably states "squirrels are lovely and free. Maybe
that's why Renton hates them" indicating Mark envies those he feels are completely unbound and
free. Mark, in reaction to Spud's distress and disappointment in his actions, is clearly ashamed

and Spud forgives him quickly and the pair embrace, before Simon humorously breaks them up
by stating they should either "go fuck each other in the trees" or help him find Begbie and Matty.
[edit]Section

4: Blowing It

Courting Disaster - Narrated by Renton. Renton and Spud are in court for stealing books.
Renton gets a suspended sentence due to his attempts at rehabilitation, while Spud is given a
short prison sentence. Renton becomes increasingly despairing at the "celebrations" and the
people around him.
Junk Dilemmas No. 66 - An extremely short passage, assumably narrated by Renton. Renton
reflects that his heroin hit has removed his ability to move.
Deid Dugs - Narrated by Sick Boy. Using an air rifle, Sick Boy shoots a Bull Terrier, which then
attacks its skinhead owner, giving Sick Boy the excuse he needs to kill the dog. He delights when
a police officer arrives and informs Sick Boy that he will be recommended for a commendation.
Searching for the Inner Man - Narrated by Renton. An important chapter in which Renton
reflects on why he used heroin after seeing several psychiatrists, all of whom have different
unrelenting approaches to clinical psychology taken from various 20th century psychologists.
Renton's cynicism has stopped him from forming meaningful relationships with anyone, and he is
unable to get any enjoyment out of anything. It is also revealed that Renton had a catatonic
younger brother who died several years before.
House Arrest - Narrated by Renton. Renton relapses and has to suffer heroin withdrawal at his
parents' house, where his hallucinations of dead baby Dawn, the television programme he is
watching, and the lecture provided by his father interlink. He is later visited by Sick Boy and goes
out to a pub with his parents, who are unnervingly enthusiastic.
Bang to Rites - Narrated by Renton. Renton's brother Billy dies in Northern Ireland with
the British Army. Renton, obviously under the influence of drugs, attends the funeral; there, he
almost starts a fight with some of his father's unionist relatives, and ends up having sex with
Billy'spregnant girlfriend in the toilets. Demonstrating some topicality, Renton discusses the
hypocrisy of Unionism, and the British in Northern Ireland (commencing with an internal rant
against his father's family, who are largely bigoted Orangemen).
Junk Dilemmas No. 67
[edit]Section

5: Exile

London Crawling - Narrated by Renton. Renton finds himself stranded in London with no place
to sleep. He tries to fall asleep in an all-nightporno theatre, but there he meets an Italian man
named Gi, who makes a pass at him. Renton says he's not gay and after Gi apologetically offers

him a place to sleep, Renton takes him up on the offer. However, in the middle of the night,
Renton wakes to find Gi masturbating over him and his semen on his cheeks and face. Renton
reacts violently, but then takes pity on the sobbing old man. He then decides to take Gi to a late
night party. On the way, Gi tells him the tragedy of his life - how he had a wife and children who
he cared about deeply, yet he could not help falling in love with another man named Antonio and
after their affair was revealed the two suffered extremely violent homophobic abuse, leading his
lover Antonio to kill himself. At the party, Renton notes sadly how frightened and confused Gi
looks and thinks to himself he may end up having sex with him out of pity.
Bad Blood - Narrated by Davie. Davie, now HIV-positive, takes a particularly horrible revenge
upon the man he suspects raped his girlfriend and gave her HIV, leading to his own contraction of
the disease. Davie befriends the man, and when the man is on his deathbed Davie tells him that
he just savagely raped and violently murdered the man's 6 year old son. After the man's death,
Davie reveals to the reader that he never actually hurt the boy and the whole story was made up.
There is a Light That Never Goes Out - Third person narration. After a marathon drinking and
partying session, Renton, Spud, Begbie, Gav, Alison and others venture out for another drink and
then something to eat. Spud and others reflect upon their sex lives. The chapter is named after a
song by The Smiths, in whose lyrics Spud finds solace after his failed attempt at making a pass at
a woman.
Feeling Free - Narrated by Kelly. Kelly and Alison create a scene in front of a construction site by
getting into an argument with some construction workers. They meet some backpacking women
and the foursome end up returning to Kelly's where they get high and their new found friends
reveal they are in fact lesbians from New Zealand. The girls have a general laugh about and then
notice Renton has arrived to visit Kelly. In her high state, she and her friends pick on Renton, who
reacts in a surprisingly understanding and gentle manner, taking it with good humour and leading
Kelly to appreciate this. However, she ends noting that she feels men are only alright in the
minority when they are on their own.
The Elusive Mr Hunt - Third person narration. Sick Boy prank calls Kelly's pub where she works
from across the street. He asks her to look for a "Mark Hunt" and only after she has called the
name out "Has anyone seen Mark Hunt?" around the pub a few times does she realise how much
the men in the pub are laughing at her and how the name sounds like "my cunt" causing her a
great deal of embarrassment. Renton is present in the pub at the time and laughing along with
the other men at Kelly, until he realises she has tears in her eyes. At first he thinks she is being
silly and shouldn't take the laughter to heart, but then he recognises the laughter from the men in

the pub isn't friendly. "It's not funny laughter. This is lynch mob laughter. How was ah tae know, he
thinks. How the fuck was ah tae know?"
[edit]Section

6: Home

Easy Money for the Professionals - Narrated by Spud. Spud, Begbie, and a teenager have
engaged in a criminal job, exhibiting A Present - Narrated by Renton. Gav tells Renton the story
of how Matty died.
Memories of Matty - Third person narration. The group attends Matty's funeral, where they
reflect on his downfall.
Straight Dilemmas No. 1 - Narrated by Renton. Renton finds himself at a small gathering in a
London flat surrounded by casual drug users. While the others at the party indulge in joints,
Renton muses on the idea that they have no clue what true drug addiction entails.
Eating Out - Narrated by Kelly. Kelly is working as a waitress in an Edinburgh restaurant and
gets some revenge on some unpleasant customers.
Trainspotting at Leith Central Station - Narrated by Renton. Renton returns to Leith
for Christmas. He meets Begbie, who beats up an innocent man after having seen his alcoholic
father in the disused Leith Central railway station.
A Leg-Over Situation - Narrated by Renton. Renton goes to see a previous drug dealer, Johnny
Swann, who has had his leg amputated due to heroin use.
Winter in West Granton - Narrated by Renton. Renton goes to visit Tommy, who is dying
of AIDS.
A Scottish Soldier - Third person narration. Johnny Swann is reduced to begging, pretending to
be a soldier who lost his leg in the Falklands War. Swan is quite optimistic and exclaims that he is
making more money begging rather than dealing heroin.
[edit]Section

7: Exit

Station to Station - Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Second Prize go to London to engage
in a low-key heroin deal and see a Poguesgig. The book ends with Renton stealing the cash and
going to Amsterdam. As the movie and sequel, Porno, both imply, Spud is compensated.
[edit]Themes
The novel is basically a series of short stories. Each chapter focuses on a given event and does
not necessarily contribute to Renton's eventual betrayal. For example, some chapters focus on
Renton's sexual morality: in one chapter an old man masturbates onto him while he is sleeping,

and in another he has sex with his dead brother's pregnant fiance in the bathroom after his
brother's funeral.
Welsh explores in depth the absence of a true Scottish national identity. Renton displays a great
self-loathing of his country, which he views as a nation colonised by the English. Welsh suggests
that the idealised image of "Scotland the Brave" is a false heritage, a sentimentalised vision of
Scotland perpetuated by events such as the Edinburgh festival. Welsh also
attacks Unionism through Renton's description of his father'sProtestant loyalist family.
However, drug abuse (both heroin and alcohol) is certainly the main issue dealt with. The novel
explores what causes drug abuse and what sustains it in its many forms. Many chapters focus on
Renton's continual attempts to kick the habit and their accompanying relapses. The novel ends
rather ambiguously, with Renton betraying his friends and heading for Amsterdam with money
they had all acquired from a drug deal.
The novel refers to bands that influenced Welsh's writing, including David Bowie, Joy
Division, The Fall, the Pogues, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground, Frank Zappa, The
Smiths, The Stooges and especially Iggy Pop, whom all the characters idolise. Sick Boy's
nickname comes from the lyrics of the song "Death Trip" by The Stooges, and also from the
character's amorality and sexual perversions.
[edit]The

title

The title is a reference to an episode where Begbie and Renton meet "an auld drunkard" in the
disused Leith Central railway station, which they are visiting to use as a toilet. He asks them if
they are "trainspottin", as Renton is urinating onto the stonework. Trains have not run to Leith for
many years. As they walk away from the drunk, Renton realises the drunk is Begbie's father.

Flaubert's Parrot is a novel by Julian Barnes that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1984
and won the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize the following year. The novel recites
amateur Flaubert expert Geoffrey Braithwaite's musings on his subject's life, and his own, as he
tracks a stuffed parrot that once inspired the great author.
[edit]Plot

summary

The novel follows Geoffrey Braithwaite, a widowed, retired English doctor, visiting France and the
Flaubert landmarks therein. While visiting various sites related to Flaubert, Geoffrey encounters
two incidences of museums claiming to display the stuffed parrot which sat atop Flaubert's writing
desk for a brief period while he wrote Un coeur simple. While trying to differentiate which is
authentic Geoffrey ultimately learns that (n)either could be genuine, and Flaubert's parrot could
be any one of fifty ("Une cinquantaine de perroquets!", p. 187) that had been held in the collection
of the municipal museum.
Although the main focus of the narrative is tracking down the parrot, many chapters exist
independently of this plotline, consisting of Geoffrey's reflections, such as on Flaubert's love life
and how it was affected by trains, and animal imagery in Flaubert's works and the animals with
which he himself was identified (usually a bear).
[edit]Themes
One of the central themes of the novel is a figurehead of Postmodernism; subjectivism. For
example, the novel provides three sequential chronologies of Flaubert's life: the first
is optimistic (citing his successes, conquests, etc.), the second is negative (citing the deaths of
his friends/lovers, his failures, illnesses etc.) and the third compiles quotations written by Flaubert
in his journal at various points in his life. The attempts to find the real Flaubert mirror the attempt
to find his parrot, i.e. apparent futility