The scene with the squirrel stuck out to me in this section of reading. Renton seems, from the beginning of the novel, to be one of the least violent characters. Yet here, he has no qualms about killing a squirrel, something that upsets Spud greatly. Spud speculates about this. He suggests that it's because the squirrel is "free. That's mibbe what Rents cannae stand. The squirrel's free, man." He then relates the squirrel to baby Dawn, and says how their lives were wasted for no reason, and how it makes him sad and angry. This scene paints an interesting picture of both Renton and Spud. The reader sees a slightly more violent side of Renton, and the very gentle, compassionate side of Spud.
Comparing the film to the book was fascinating. I had only read the first half of the book when I watched the film, so it was interesting to see how the events of the first half of the book ended up all over the film, not just the first half. Things were changed, and moved around, but the feel of the film was similar to the feel of the book. I also feel that the characters were portrayed well, and as expected, except Begbie. Not sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't him.
This squirrel episode is interesting. I guess it points up that humanity is one of the main things at stake here. Renton and the addicts are having trouble maintaining a sense of humanity because they are slaves to junk? The squirrel has dignity or value because it is free? Well-spotted.
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