Corruption in Trash by Andy Mulligan (Free Essay Example)

Trash, written by Andy Mulligan is an eye-opening story about friendship, growth, poverty, and community. Corruption is the biggest theme in my opinion. This is shown by characters, relationships, and language. The whole story is about how three boys have to find 6 million dollars which was stolen from the citizens by Senator Zapanta. This story gives me the idea almost everyone with power is corrupt.   

Some background characters have massive roles in showing how corrupt the government/authority is. Senator Zapanta steals money from the people through tax and international funds and uses it for himself instead of giving back to the community. He protects himself by bribing the police. The police are an incredibly violent force in the Philippines, they'll take bribes and kill innocent people because there is no proper justice system for the poorer people. Jose Angelico was killed at the wrath of the police because he was not giving the information that the police wanted to hear. Raphael also experienced this, in part 2 of trash, when he was held out the window and threatened to be killed if he didn’t say what the police wanted. "We can drop you out that window. Or we can take you out the back. We can do it right now – we have a special place, you know? Perfect for little scum like you. Where no one hears anything. And we will – if we want to – break every bone in your body." This quote shows the amount of power the police have, it's not from respect or trust that would've been earned over time. But from the fear of the citizens that the police have power. People won't overthrow the police or government because they know the amount of money and power the higher class has. The government seems to have its syndicate of people working together to keep the lower class in their place no matter how illegal it is.   

The relationship between the city residents and the police is not ideal. The government does not give enough to the places that need it, for example, prisons, dumpsites, and paying the government employed workforce better. I think one of the main reasons the police are so easy to bribe is because they aren't paid enough, this could make them more susceptible to bribery is the fact they are short on money or struggling to keep their family in a safe environment. But then again there is always greed and wanting to stay on the good side of the people with power. Innocent people are prosecuted for something they didn't do all the time to cover up the result of someone else's actions. The lower class people are then unprotected against the random and unnecessary accusations of the police. This creates fear, unknowing, and anxiety in the citizens who will do anything to stay out of the police's way. Me and Raphael stayed down, listening around for more 'information', me wondering all the time where this was going to end – knowing, because I knew, that people were going to be angry soon, and it would be these police losing patience first. When the police get mean, you don’t want to be around." This excerpt shows that even kids are aware that the police are not a joke and don't mess around. In my opinion, this shows how the fear of police is so deep-rooted in society and it will take a lot to turn around how people feel about the police if change were ever to happen. Even when the boys know they aren't doing anything wrong, they still doubt themselves. "We're not breaking the law – but it felt like we were, and everyone knows stories about what happens to kids when they get caught breaking the law. We've got prisons in this city, and the prisons take kids quicker than they take men. You also hear stories of boys not even making it to prison." I think Raphael is super aware of how easy it is to be thrown in a prison for doing the tiniest thing. He is scared to do something he knows isn't illegal just because he knows that he and his friends are the ones the police will take first.   

Raphael, Gardo and Jun-Jun all know that they are of the lowest social status someone can be. This often affects how you talk to other people. These boys often call everyone older and higher class than them; sir, ma'am, and will always watch what they say. You can tell at the start of the book that the boys don't think they are special or such inspiring people. Raphael especially thinks that there is no way out of this poverty loophole, which means not only do they talk extremely respectfully to higher class people but they talk badly about themselves. For example when Raphael introduces himself "my name is Raphael Fernandez and I am a dumpsite boy. People say to me, 'I guess you just never know what you'll find, sifting through rubbish! Today could be your lucky day.' I say to them 'friend, I think I know what I find' and I know what everyone finds, because I know what we've been finding for all the years I've been working, which is eleven years.' " For Raphael hope has been lost long ago. He's just surviving off the love of his family. He thinks he knows the future he has, sorting rubbish for the next 45 years. When Raphael was held hostage by the police he was forced to be respectful. He says, "I had to make myself a child – just a terrified, foolish child 'I promise, sir. I swear'. 'I swear to god, sir'. 'Yes sir'. 'Yes, sir, I did." This shows how the lower class people are forced to be cooperative and still are treated differently.   

Corruption is such a big topic in this book and it was covered in some places more than others which made it hard to write about certain parts. These kids have to go overcome the challenges created by corruption. This book teaches me about resilience and bravery. But it also makes me realize how small my problems are in scale to the massive issues in these countries we wouldn't even think have such a bad problem with poverty. This book gives us an idea of how privileged we are and how we don't appreciate the little things as much as we should.