Keep up the Trainspotting Essay Example for Free

conserve up the Trainspotting EssayEscaping has been the main counseling of many pieces of literature. Escaping from an actual place, realism, or even ones self. In for each one case the person who is trying to escape is in reality escaping from some sort of underlying persecution. The motif of escaping is very comparable to many peoples drug habits. The journey of finding an escape is prevalent in two major themes in Irvine Welshs Trainspotting. In Trainspotting Welsh tells the story of a group of friends in a elude down Scottish town that argon addicting to heroin. Their heroin use is non only an escape from reality but also serves as a metaphor for them trying to escape from their town.Renton, the main character in Trainspotting, (Irvine Welsh) and his group of friends wander in their neighborhood causing trouble and trying to find a fix. In their lives the informs passing was a sad reminder of them being stuck. Their dream of finall(a)y escaping is very similar to new(prenominal) group of people from another generation, The Merry Pranksters. Ken Kesey was the founder of the pranksters. Kesey along with friends bought a 1939 International growth school bus. They traveled the country experimenting with acid and video taping their journey. The Pranksters were Hippies.Hippies came after Beatniks. Jack Kerouac, who coined the forge Beat Generation (Kesey) was not on the bus. However, Beat Neal Cassady, was on the bus, in fact, he drove the bus. timothy Leary, the Harvard professor who garnered recognition as the LSD Guru when he coined the phrase, Turn On, Tune In Drop Out, (Online Database) was not on the bus. Many Hells Angels were on the bus and the rock group the Grateful Dead was on the bus. The Pranksters hoped the Beatles would present on the bus, but they never showed up. Kesey and the Pranksters lived out the dream of escaping.An escape, is how many drug users see their habit as. To sire away from reality by taking one more than hit . But what ar they really escaping to a high that they will just come down from leading to an endless cycle of emptiness. They lie to themselves by saying that they just need one more hit. This lie just reveals an existential satin flower, which is that they are trapped. This honesty is very prevalent in Irvine Welshs Trainspotting. Trainspotting was written in several separately published chapters. The book is more of a collection of related characters, motifs and schemes.At first I thought that this might dilute the focus of the story however, it was quite the contrary. The chapters featured different points of view, which gave the book a higher-level insight. Train spotting is a British pass time where people stand around a railroad station for hours, in all kinds of weather, writing down numbers of passing railroad cars. In one part of the story, Renton and his friend Begbie are standing in an abandoned train-station. The trains are a metaphor for getting away. Just as the tra in station has no trains anymore, neither do Renton and his friends have a way to escape their lives.As they are looking at the empty railroad tracks, an old wino says, Keep up the Trainspotting. (Welsh, 167) In other words, keep up looking for an escape. This hobby of noting down numbers on trains in notebooks is another metaphor for the pointless lives of Britains modern working class. In Trainspotting Mark Renton, the main character is addicted to heroin, which results strictly in depravity. This is Rentons escape. His four friends Spud, softheaded Boy, Tommy, and Begbie are a group of crooks, liars, and psychos. Spud, is a shy, inoffensive junkie. Sick Boy, is a vicious, duplicitous con creative person whos obsessed with Sean Connery.Tommy, is a virtuous young man fighting the temptation of heroin who eventually is convince to do it by Renton. Lastly, Begbie, is a nutcase whose escape is not drugs, but beating up other people Begbie didnt do drugs he just did people (Welsh , 32). In the end, Renton chooses life against anything else. However, during the story its a struggle. When Renton is on heroin it is almost like an illusion, an illusion of happiness, much like a LSD experience. Images fill the mind, sometimes images of despair and hopelessness. Especially when Renton is off of it and struggling with coming down from his high, much like a tough trip.