How Friendship Helps Characters Overcome Hardship in Andy Mulligan's 'Trash' Jasmeen Prasad 8th Grade

Andy Mulligan's novel “Trash” illustrates the numerous concepts based around an impulsive world full of exploitation and corruption. Where there's a major imbalance in the society, where the poor have to endure a world of suffering, danger, unliveable conditions and a dilapidated atmosphere. Where poverty sweeps over the people of Behala. Readers come to understand that through these hard circumstances friendship and companionship can uplift the inscriptions made by corruption and suffering. However, without the prominence of resilience, the protagonists wouldn’t have been able to survive.

Mulligan illuminates how vital the conception of friendship is, as readers learn that companionship deeply influences the protagonist's lives and is a directive through life terrorizing circumstances. This concept is made apparent when Raphael states "I just threw myself and they caught me" referring to Gardo and Jun Jun. This instance portrays the importance of their dependable friendship and their conviction in each other. Readers learn the boy’s friendships stays strong through struggle, doubt and life threating situations. Without friends Raphael expresses his vulnerability throughout various scenes in the novel, therefore, friendship is...