Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh is a gripping novel set in Edinburgh, Scotland. The story follows a group Scottish addicts as they deal with a series of random events. The story is broken into seven chapters that follow the heroin addicts’ lives. Welsh, a writer with a strong psychoanalytic background, uses satire to convey the truth about how addiction can affect a person’s behavior for their entire life. The author depicts the confusion and anger that heroin addicts feel and what they experience when they quit. Addiction is linked with selfishness, because characters have an imbalanced personality and narcissistic behaviour. Welsh portrays the impoverished neighborhoods of the working class as traps that characters will have to escape. In the book, Welsh highlights families who are jealous of the upper class. To deny that they belong to such a hierarchy of class, these families create a class structure within their own subculture. The characters in the book have been able to reach the top by using violence and bombast. They rationalize their failures as being victims of the greater society that keeps them down. Welsh characters are often intelligent and reflective. They have a good understanding of the world around them. The insight they gain helps them to move beyond envy but not out of the darkness, violence and boredom that is their life. This insight not only makes the characters aware of their social trap, but also provides a way to escape. People form relationships and friendships, but their self-interest is always put ahead of everyone else’s. Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting focuses on the selfishness of the characters and their decisions. Welsh highlights the prominent issues which are evident in Trainspotting, such as the selfish/narcissistic conduct between Renton’s parents. The novel also examines the connection between violence and addiction. The book illuminates the dark underworld that drug users live in, as well as the emptiness and obsession that are at the core of their lives.
Mark Renton’s character is first portrayed as an unrepentant selfish person who doesn’t care about anyone else. Renton, as depicted by the author, is an addict to heroin with a large ego. Renton’s addiction journey is shown in Trainspotting. The ecstasy of the first rush, the misery that follows and finally the descent into despair are all part of Renton’s journey. Renton is a man who refuses to accept the social norms and ignores all criticism, even from his parents. Renton appears to have a conscience and is aware that he has chosen heroin instead of a life, vocation, or good health. Renton is shown to have made many unsuccessful attempts at quitting substance abuse. He has recovered from this to a degree, but still struggles with addiction and withdrawal. Renton seems to be a smart person who doesn’t do drugs, unlike other characters from Trainspotting. Due to his drug addiction, Renton’s contact with family is limited. He is a heroin addict who does not want his family to be involved in his life. But he is more than the typical Scottish junkie. Renton’s selfishness causes him to become addicted to drugs, which has a negative impact on his behavior. Renton’s statement: “It seems easy, but it isn’t” shows this. Renton is saying that although it looks like it would be a good idea to do this, living in such a way can become a full time business. Renton spends his life injecting heroine, stealing, buying drugs, and coming to town. This quote is accompanied by frantic images that reinforce the idea of a drug abuser who completely dominates and controls their life. The addict has no time for work, friends that aren’t drug users, or anything else. The Mayo Clinic recently published an article about drug addictions and the impact it has on daily life. “Addiction can affect many aspects of someone’s life. It affects the brain and how a person interacts with others. Addiction can make a person incapable of performing many tasks. To regain full control and achieve your potential, you must stop using drugs and seek help for your addiction.
This article is a good example of how Renton lives his life. Addiction can be a very destructive force in someone’s life. It often takes over everything, and the individual becomes focused on the addiction. Renton can no longer do all the things he would like to. Renton’s addiction is the reason he can’t find the help he needs. Renton struggles to achieve his goals and lead a productive, fulfilling life. Renton is a junkie who has a hard time finding help because his addiction has gotten the best of him. He also struggles to achieve his goals and live a productive life. Renton, the main character of the novel, portrays selfishness through his heroin addiction, as well as through the lens of psychoanalytical theory, which identifies him with a narcissist and an imbalanced ego.
Next, it is easy to see that selfishness is what drives the characters who are addicted. There appears to be a relationship between selfishness and pleasure for heroin addicts. The cycle of selfishness, not pleasure, seems to be the main factor that turns the non-users into addicts. When discussing drugs, it is common to dismiss the concept of pleasure as something only the rich can afford or that they must earn. According to societal standards drug users don’t seem to live a happy life. In one section, the needle-marked arm and frail body of a drug user make it seem as though the person is suffering. Renton says, “people forget that it’s about the pleasure.” The pleasure is, he says, immense: “Take your best orgasm and multiply it by twenty and you’re still miles off pace.” Renton mentions this in his opening narration when describing the reasons why he and friends use heroin. He says that the main reason he and his buddies do heroin is for its pleasure, and compares it to sex. Renton, his friends, and the heroin addicts themselves are all linked by sex. Renton, after quitting heroin, seeks sex, but their bad experiences with sex lead them to go back to heroin. Tommy uses this line in an attempt to get Renton to purchase drugs for him. Tommy, who has lost his partner and no longer enjoys sex due to Renton stealing his sextape, wants to test out the alternative that Renton repeatedly claims is superior to sex. Renton, his friends and the Pleasure Principle can be used to explain this. The more Renton wants pleasure the more he wants of it. Renton’s narration is a little more realistic than Boyle’s, and the notion of a happy and productive life on heroin seems to be overvalued. Renton focuses on heroin’s pleasures and pains, while Boyle shows a society that has completely abandoned and ignored the heroin addict. The New York Times published an article about the journey to addiction. From the outside, you look like you are unconscious. You feel like you’re in control of the universe on the inside.” (New York Times). After the high has worn off, some people’s brains regain their balance. The novel doesn’t differentiate between genders when it comes to drug consumption. In line with more modern perceptions, the primary reasons for heroin consumption are to have fun and to temporarily escape the mundane reality. Both men and woman can use drugs for these purposes. Through the New York Times article and psychoanalytic theory, it is concluded that the theme selfishness and heroin are linked.
The novel is a constant reminder that selfishness and self destruction are closely linked. Renton becomes depressed after all his attempts to escape have failed. In his desperation, he returns to the solution that has worked for him in the past, his heroin habit. Baby Dawn dies soon after Tommy’s addiction. Renton is trying to show sympathy but the only thing they can offer Allison (the mother of Baby Dawn) is another dose of heroin. Lesley’s mother is a perfect example. Lesley became so addicted and dependent to heroin that her child died because she was neglecting it. The most disturbing part of the book is when Welsh contrasts the drug-using gang with the innocent baby. If this was not enough to make Lesley mad, she is then shocked by the reality of the situation when heroin becomes her first thought. ‘Ye cookin? Ah need Mark. Ah need some fuckin shots. Marky’s a jerk, make us a shot …”.In the following quote, Simon reacts differently to Baby Dawn dying than Lesley. Lesley’s reaction to the death of her baby is different from Simon’s. She is immediately drawn to heroin, wanting it to make her forget the truth. Simon replies: “I will never touch it again.” Ah’m clean now, oan”. The reaction of his character fits in with the idea that the heroin addiction is not as strong as it was for some characters from Trainspotting. The fact that he uses heroin again reinforces government anti-drug messages. In a recent article published by Psychology Today, the differences between addiction and friendship are briefly explained. “People who have active addictions cannot form the best of friendships. In part, it is due to the fact that our users are amongst our most valued possessions. Addicts have a very selfish nature. It’s not that we care about virtue or character. It’s hard to say, but addicts are not the kind of friends who have a good moral code. Renton gives Lesley a heroin shot to ease the pain. Renton knows that Lesley is in fact devastated, so he can tell the real percentage of the child. Renton is also doomed to fail because he has empathy and affection.
Welsh shows the strong emotions of selfishness and narcissism in Trainspotting, addressing the truths of addiction through the psychoanalytic lens. The novel sheds light upon the dark underworld and the obsession and emptiness that is a drug addict’s life. It also highlights certain families who are envious of the upper class and, to deny their place, create a hierarchy within their subculture.
