Trainspotting

Chapter 22 opens with Mark and Danny standing in front of a judge. Mark is narrating. They were caught stealing books, which they intended to sell for drugs. Danny admits immediately to this fact, while Mark tries to convince the judge that he planned to read them and is interested in Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard. Danny gets sentenced to 10 months in jail while Mark gets off, on the condition that he attends rehab.

Mark pulls his trick of switching to “proper” English and puts on a big act for the judge when discussing his desires to get off heroin: “I’m no longer indulging in self-deception. With god’s help, I’ll beat this disease” (167). All the while, he’s internally mocking the judge.

After the hearing, it’s time to celebrate the “positive” outcome, especially Mark’s “stunning coup de maître.” Frank and Simon attended, as do Mark’s and Danny’s mothers and Mark’s brother, Billy. Mark’s brother makes fun of him for stealing books, and Mark points out that he’s stolen all the books in their mother’s house: “That’s a four-grand profit oan nickin books, doss cunt” (168). Realizing that she’s sitting in a house-full of stolen goods, Mark’s mother looks “heartbroken” (168).

Mark’s mother isn’t the only one to express her sadness at her son’s state. Once the group makes it to a pub, Danny’s mother accuses the other Skag Boys (Mark, Simon, and Frank) of getting Danny hooked on heroin. Mark and Simon don’t respond, giving Danny’s mother some respect. Frank, however, can’t keep his mouth shut; as Mark notes: “There were no sacred cows for that cunt, not even auld ones fae Leith whose ladies had jist been sent tae jail” (170). Frank tells Mrs. Murphy that he was the one trying to get Danny off drugs and that Simon has been clean for months. Frank himself has never touched the stuff. Danny’s mother leaves the pub, upset, her image of her son shattered.

From here, the narrative stays in a dark place. Mark discovers Simon trying to pimp out Maria Anderson, a junky girl he has sex with occasionally, to an unattractive man the boys refer to as “Planet of the Apes.” Mark is shocked and sickened. He envies Danny in jail, as it would be an escape from the drug-driven society. When Mark confronts Simon about pimping Maria out, Simon accuses Mark of introducing Tommy to heroin. Tommy is now an addict.

Tommy shows up in the pub only minutes later. He asks Mark, “Goat any smack?” (175). Mark’s mood deteriorates from this point on, and he ends up leaving the pub to find Johnny Swan “for ONE hit, just ONE FUCKIN HIT tae get us ower this long, hard day” (177).