Trainspotting

These two chapters paint contrasting portraits of two very different characters, Frank and Danny. Frank is a clear monster. So far, he has picked numerous fights, beat his pregnant girlfriend, and peed in his friend’s beer (and then let him drink it). He even appears to justify beating June in Chapter 18 by saying the baby likely isn’t his.

The contrasting ways in which Mark and Frank handle the confrontation regarding the seat reservations with the other train passengers in Chapter 18 shows how different they are. Mark, who has been portrayed as someone with an interest in literature and an almost philosophically nihilistic worldview, comes up with an elaborate tall tale while Frank, portrayed as the violent brute, simply threatens the other people with violence. Frank equates any intelligent conversation with being snobbish, as he notes Mark is “tryin tae sound aw fucking posh” (115).

Danny seems to align more closely with Mark in terms of serving as a contrast to the psychotic portrayal of Frank. He demonstrates an interest in family (unlike Frank) and shows compassion and empathy for his Uncle Dode, who deals with racist harassment and violence. The altercation with the skinheads has him in tears of frustration afterward. He also has the emotional intelligence to know that he can’t understand Uncle Dode’s position fully: “He looks at us like ah’ll never really understand, n ah ken that he’s probably right” (129).

Frank is one of the few characters not on heroin, and it’s intriguing that the author chooses to make him one of the book’s true villains. Mark and Danny are capable of empathy. In Chapter 8, Mark is even so distraught at the thought of what a terrible son he is because of the drugs that he wishes he could get his mom a replacement son. When contrasting such sympathy against Frank’s monstrosity, a point is apparent: Yes, the drugs are bad and make people do bad (and stupid) things, but people who do drugs are themselves not inherently bad.