Trash Essay

Question “Novels are important because they teach us about other people and other places. How does the novel Trash do this?”

When reading novels it is important that we are able to understand different way of life of other people, in other places. In Trash we learn about three Trash boys who make a discovery that will change their lives. Readers learn about the dangers of poverty through the setting of the Behela Prison and the importance of bravery through the character Raphael. They also learn about what hardship it is to live in Behela through the point of view of Olivia who is a english traveler. This novel teaches readers that it is very fortunate to live in a first world country.

It is difficult to imagine what it must be like to live in a city like Behela. In Trash, Raphael is a dumpsite boy whose first hand experience is the cruelty of police corruption. Raphael is taken from his family and beaten by the police for answers and shown no mercy. “I’m going to kill you, you liar!” Raphael was just telling the police that he didn’t find a bag, in which he was beaten some more. This gives the reader the effect of sympathy for Raphael. Hence, we learn about one of the difficulties of being in a unstable government.

One of the most important themes in the novel Trash is The Dangers of Living in Poverty. The boys live on a rubbish dump and face challenges that children should never have to. In more than one instance they have to look though human poop. “But all we find is stupp.”

“Stupp” means human faeces in their language. The boys are exposed to all different kinds of germs and deceases. We learn that many people around the world face many unhygienic situations. This is something children in a more developed country would not have to go through.

In Trash we learn about the dangers of living in poverty through the setting of the Behela Dumpsite. This is where Gardo, Raphael and Rat live. They work all day sorting through Trash trying to find items they can recycle to earn money. “-you spend your life wading through it, breathing it , sleeping beside it…” In this section they are talking about trash. They spend their life’s trying to make enough money, The reader would never have to go through which is why Trash is so important for people to read. Olivia’s point of view helps readers to understand how badly treated the people are in the prison cells are. Since Olivia is from England the readers get a better understanding of the quality of the prison as they have a similar lifestyle to Olivia. In this setting Olivia and Gardo go to meet Gabriel Olondriz who might be part of their mystery. “I had expected cells, but all i saw was cages.” Olivia has just walked into the prison and all around her were cages, it was like a zoo but it held people. This is a event that the reader really

Trash Essay
Question “Novels are important because they teach us about other people and other places. How does the novel Trash do this?” connects with the Trash boys. It is something we would never have to go through and gives us sympathy for the boys.

By the end of the novel, the reader has learnt a lot about the harshness of life in countries like Behala. The setting of the Behala Prison caused the reader to feel sadness that this is the “norm” for people in cities like this. The character of Raphael reminds us that no matter how hard life gets, we should never stop being brave. The reader understands the challenges faced by some people around the world though the relatable point of view of Olivia. The theme; the dangers of living in poverty, shows the reader how lucky we are to live in a developed country. When reading this book the reader realises how much they take their necessities for granted.