Trash Essay Questions

Why is it significant that Senator Zapanta siphoned off "seed-corn" money in particular?

Beyond the issue of a corrupt politician finding means of enriching himself with international aid, Senator Zapanta's theft is particularly abhorrent because it blocked not only the money he embezzled, but further funds from reaching the poor. While Gardo and Olivia are talking to Gabriel Olondriz at Colva Prison, he explains that the thirty million dollars Senator Zapanta embezzled was supposed to be pumped into the national economy as grants intended for the construction of hospitals and schools. This infusion of international aid was "seed-corn" money that would have been matched dollar-for-dollar by the government. Thus, Senator Zapanta's thirty million dollar theft was effectively depriving the nation of sixty million dollars that would have been channeled into improving health care and education. Olondriz further emphasizes Zapanta's villainy when he points out that wealthy countries are less willing to donate to their country, and poor countries around the world, if they suspect the donations will only line the pockets of corrupt officials. As a result, Zapanta's theft fuels a broader problem of aid not reaching the billions of people who desperately need it.

Why is it significant that José Angelico uses the phrase "It is accomplished" in his letters?

José Angelico uses the phrase "It is accomplished" in his letters to Gabriel and the person who finds the stolen money because he is making a self-conscious reference to Jesus Christ. Said to be the final words Christ said during his crucifixion, the message suggests that Christ has fulfilled his role by sacrificing himself for humanity's sins and shown the way to God. José Angelico uses these same words to let Gabriel know he has fulfilled his goal of taking money back from Zapanta so it can be redistributed to the poor. José knows he will be punished for carrying out this act of defiance against the corrupt authorities, but he maintains his moral integrity. José thinks of himself as Christ-like in his self-sacrifice: a conduit for justice in a world of sinful corruption.

Why is it significant that the children in the novel casually smoke and drink?

Throughout Trash, the boys at the center of the narrative smoke cigarettes and drink alcohol in a way that suggests the indulgences are as normal to them as drinking water and eating food, although no less scarce. For readers in countries where the legal drinking and smoking ages are eighteen and above, the boys' casual approach to the substances may seem strange. However, Mulligan shows the boys smoking and drinking because it contributes to the story's realism, set as it is in a developing world country where norms around drinking and smoking are different than in post-industrial societies. Rather than treat smoking and drinking as vices that lead the boys into trouble, Mulligan depicts a social environment where sharing a cigarette is a means of showing solidarity among impoverished strangers, and where drinking is a way to numb one's nerves in stressful and dangerous situations.

Why do the boys throw the money into the wind as soon as they find it?

Although Raphael, Gardo, and Rat risk their lives to locate the six million dollars Angelico stole from Zapanta, less than an hour after finding it, they throw most of it into the winds blowing over Behala dumpsite. This gesture is significant because it shows how the boys don't let their individual needs outweigh their ingrained sense of solidarity with other poor people. The redistribution of so much money among the poor is also significant because it speaks to the boys' moral integrity. They know the money was meant for the poor, and so they honor Angelico's legacy by finishing his plan to steal from the rich and give to the poor. While the boys could have disappeared and kept the money to themselves, they retain just enough to purchase fishing boats so they can live in the island paradise of Sampalo as fishermen while taking care of Pia Dante, as Angelico requested in the letter he left with the cash.

Why is it significant that the boys meet Pia Dante in the graveyard?

The boys' meeting with Angelico's daughter, Pia Dante, is significant because her presence as a living being immediately tells them where the cash is hidden. Until they see Pia, the boys fret over having to break open the Angelico family's graves, and they doubt whether José would really hide the money with his wife's, son's, or daughter's corpse. However, Pia Dante reveals herself at a crucial moment, leaving the boys to understand that her grave is a decoy. Rather than desecrate the family members' real graves, the boys can go straight to Pia's—a decoy that is filled with cash.