'Choose Life' meaning

'Choose Life' meaning


Out of all the characters in the 'Trainspotting' book, Danny Boyle chooses to make Mark Renton the character that we- as an audience- go along with. Out of all the characters Renton is the most sympathetic and relatable (within reason). He is the most sensible amongst his friends and the character that actually tries to change his ways and do good. He is also the character that has the biggest arc throughout the narrative as seen by both of his 'Choose Life' monologues at the beginning and end of the film.

All the things that he lists in the speech are seen as norms in the average persons life and a load of other things that have connotations to domestic living. However by the end of the opening we see Renton lying on his back smoking, alone in the middle of his empty flat showing that he has not chosen any of these options. He makes this clear by saying 'now why would I want to do a thing like that?' He claims that he has no reason to because he has heroin. This is one of the clear binary opposites in the film: life vs heroin.

His views by the end of the film change as he decides to give up heroin and takes the money that he received with his friends in order to start a better life. His 'Choose Life' speech slightly changes making it sound more positive and something that he actually aspires to do. The fact that he feels this way directly after ripping off his best friends can show that Renton is not the best character morally.
His morals throughout the film are probably the best out of his friends (excluding Tommy) and he portrays the theme and morals of the film in the best way. At the start he was focused on his friends and doing things with them but as the film ends he goes away from them saying he would prefer to start a family. 

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