I know it's only three days to the deadline and you may well be well on with this or have even finished it but here are a few pointers. For both essays you need to spell out the nature of the identity that is constructed in the film through location, characters, themes and subject matter, narrative, etc You obviously need to explore the going to 'the great outdoors' and Renton going to London to come to particular conclusions about what the film is saying about national identity and being British. Clearly the film challenges many of our preconceptions about a shared Britsh identity and gives us a very distinctive set of representations.
For the second essay you will need to analyse how the stories of the characters are distinctive and/or challenging. You should include how characters such as Begbie are developed in the narrative of the film as well as any of the other characters. Tommy, Sickboy, Spud and Dianne all have something to say about being Scottish and clearly Renton, as the protagonist, is particularly important.
This information may be useful:
Trainspotting
Class
Essentially deals with an underclass
Class here represents a social trap: the notion that one cannot escape ones class
An underprivileged class
A marginalized class
Work (ethic)
The ‘world of work’ is a largely absent institution
There is no sense of a strong work ethic
Success is not tied to work
Material wealth is not a goal achieved through work
Morality
A free floating morality regarding almost everything
Heroin use is not placed within a moral framework: it is not put forward as right or wrong
Crime is seen as an inevitable consequence of drug use
It challenges what might be described as widely held morality regarding many aspects of social behaviour.
Gender
A demasculinated representation of the males
Inadequate in many ways: sexually, socially mentally etc
Challenges the status of men in the wider society
Puts forward some strong representations of women
The female character, Diane, is strong, articulate, confident, purposeful and insightful despite her young age
Nationality (nationhood)
The film challenges a sense of Britishness
Examines a sense of Scottishness
Renton tells us that it’s ‘shite being Scottish’
Is critical of the conventional notion of Scotland
Arguably challenges the significance of the nation state
