In Kicking Again
we get a chance to see just how terrible Begbie really is. His girlfriend is pregnant with his kid
and when he becomes annoyed of her he “boots [her] in the fuckin fanny” (110)
without remorse. The thought of
being a father pains Begbie and he warns that he is not going to be a good
father to him. This moment
foreshadows a later moment when Begbie is at the train station and he
encounters his father. We
understand later why Begbie has such a disdainful view of parenting.
These chapters
also provides a much closer look into the character of Spud, who has been a
peripheral character so far in Trainspotting. We learn that he is quite sentimental
and values family. Furthermore,
that his family is comprised of both Irish and Scottish blood. When he goes to a pub with his Uncle,
who is also mixed. When the two go
to a pub they encounter Orange men, who Spud refers to as Nazis. They Orange men are enthusiasts of
claiming Northern Ireland as British.
When a fight breaks out Spud believes all the fighting as nonsensical. The conflict in Northern Ireland returns
over and over again in the novel, most notably when Billy, Renton’s older
brother, is later killed defending Ulster.
This section
of the novel contains one of the funnier and more awkward moments of the
text. Renton goes home with a girl
from a club and has sex with her, but she does not let him sleep in her room so
instead he sleeps on the couch downstairs. When he wakes up he notices that her roommates are very old, only to find out that they are actually her
parents. This scene is funny
because he had no idea just how young the girl was. His relationship with Dianne is a much more important part
of the movie, but in the book their relationship is short-lived and plays only
a small role.
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