The symbolism of drug addiction
In the movie, drug addiction is symbolized by criminal characters such as Renton, Spud, and Begbie. For instance, Spud falls into heroin abuse after his life crashed and becomes hopeless. Drug addiction is not a new concept, as demonstrated in the movie 'T2 Trainspotting' because people think drug abuse can heal depression. Spud thinks that the use of heroin can heal him from depression after his life becomes hopeless.
Renton as a symbol of treachery
Renton symbolizes betrayal because after stealing 16,000 pounds, he abandons his friends instead of sharing the loot with them as earlier agreed. After many years later, Renton realizes that he made a mistake and tries to get back to his old friends. For instance, he gives Sick Boy his share of the loot to accept him back.
Begbie’s criminal actions
Begbie's criminal activities symbolize vengeance against Renton. Immediately after he escapes from prison, Begbie remembers that Renton messed with him when he ran away with 16,000 pounds that were supposed to be shared equally among friends. For instance, Begbie forces his son to commit a crime meant to punish Renton for his earlier actions.
The symbolism of fraud and money laundering
Renton is an architect and symbol of money laundering and fraud. The viewer realizes that Renton leads a deal that sells drugs to acquire 16,000 pounds together with his gang. Later, Renton runs away with the money to Amsterdam. Twenty years later, Renton returns to join his gang and asks for forgiveness to engage them in fraud. Later, Renton and his gang scrupulously apply for 100,000 pounds loan from the European Union using fake documents. Luckily, the fraud is discovered, and the gang gets nothing.
The motif of crime
The entire movie is about the life of crime, and it repeatedly shows how Renton and his gang friends crash on each other. The viewer notices that the life of crime has no good ending. Despite stealing a lot of money, Renton is not happy. Renton decides to relocate from Amsterdam to join his old friends because he finds that life is vanity. However, the hatred among the characters continues to recoil because they kidnap each other and fight often. Similarly, most of the proceeds of crime are consumed on drug abuse, implying that the characters do not benefit from their malicious activities.
