Trainspotting Literary Elements

Drama/Black Comedy

Scotland 1990's

The narrator of the book is mainly the main character Renton. However, most of the characters narrate the book at some point: Sick Boy, Spud and Begbie all act as narrators in sections.

The tone of the book changes; at some points in the novel it is euphoric when the characters have their fix of drugs. Then it changes to dark and depressing when they are coming down and facing consequences of their actions.

Mark Renton

There are several major conflicts in the novel - a child dies from neglect, Spud and Renton are arrested for theft, and Renton takes all the money he was meant to share with the other characters.

Renton runs off with all the money that the characters stole together and we don't get much detail of what happens after.

Sick Boy claims there are "no friends, just associates" in life. This idea foreshadows Renton's betrayal to the people who were supposed to be his "friends"

The effects of drugs and crimes are quite understated in the novel, as not many of the characters actually face major punishments for any of the crimes they commit

Allusions are created when the characters get their drug fix, everything in life seems perfect and euphoric however when they comedown it's back to being awful.

In the novel, much imagery is created around the use of drugs and what it is like to be on a "high."

Sick Boy is the paradox in the novel. Although he does heroin, he is not actually addicted like the rest of the characters, and while they battle their addiction and try to stop taking drugs he can take them and stop taking them when he pleases.

Parallelism occurs in the way the characters attempt to end their drug addiction and they all repeat the same spiral and end up back on the drugs.

"Trainspotting" is used to describe something boring and tedious .

When Renton is trying to quite drugs, Welsh personifies items in his room and makes them come to life as part of Renton's comedown.