Trash (Junior Cert English): Revision Notes

Raphael

Raphael is the main character in Trash and serves as one of the novel's narrators. He is a poor dumpsite boy living in desperate circumstances, but throughout the story, he demonstrates remarkable courage, loyalty, and an unwavering sense of justice. His journey takes him from being a frightened, quiet child simply trying to survive, to becoming a confident and brave young person willing to stand up against corruption and injustice.

Who is Raphael?

Raphael Fernández is approximately fourteen years old and lives at the Behala dumpsite, one of the poorest areas imaginable. His home is a makeshift shack constructed entirely from scrap materials, which he shares with his aunt and cousins. This living situation highlights the extreme poverty that defines his daily existence.

As a "trash boy", Raphael spends every day working through mountains of rubbish, carefully sorting through waste to find anything valuable – plastic bottles, paper, metal scraps – that can be sold for a tiny amount of money. This money is essential for buying food and surviving another day. Despite the grim nature of this work, it is simply a fact of life for the children at Behala.

His closest relationships are with his best friend Gardo and a younger boy called Rat. These three boys form a tight-knit group, relying on each other to survive the harsh realities of dumpsite life. Together, they scavenge, share what they find, and support one another through the challenges they face daily.

Raphael's personality

Raphael possesses several key character traits that define who he is and shape his actions throughout the novel. Understanding these traits is essential for appreciating his role in the story.

Bravery and courage: Raphael shows incredible bravery when he decides to hide the wallet he finds, even though he knows it will put him in danger. When the police arrest him and subject him to brutal beatings and torture, he refuses to reveal the wallet's location or betray his friends. This demonstrates extraordinary courage, especially for someone so young who has every reason to be terrified of authority figures.

Loyalty to friends: Throughout the story, Raphael consistently protects Gardo and Rat, keeping them involved in the mystery rather than trying to save himself by acting alone. He could have distanced himself from them to reduce his own risk, but his loyalty never wavers. This sense of friendship and solidarity is one of his most admirable qualities.

Hopefulness and dignity: Despite living in appalling conditions, Raphael maintains a sense of hope and even pride. He describes himself as "a trash boy with style", which shows that he refuses to let his circumstances destroy his dignity or his dreams of a better life. This optimism is remarkable given what he faces every day.

Kindness and fairness: Raphael treats others with kindness, particularly Rat, who is often bullied and looked down upon by other children at the dumpsite. His consistent kindness to someone even more vulnerable than himself reveals his fundamentally good nature and sense of fairness.

Determination and persistence: Once Raphael discovers the bag containing money, a key, a map, and an ID card for José Angelico, he becomes absolutely determined to follow the mystery to its conclusion. Nothing can deter him from discovering the truth, even when faced with violence and danger.

Raphael's role in the story

Raphael is the catalyst for the entire plot of Trash. While sorting through rubbish one ordinary day, he discovers a leather wallet that contains several mysterious items: money, a key, a map, a photograph, and an ID card belonging to someone named José Angelico. This discovery transforms his life completely.

Shortly after finding the wallet, police officers arrive at Behala searching for this exact item. Their presence and their aggressive questioning immediately signal to Raphael that the wallet is far more important and dangerous than he initially realised. The police are not making a routine enquiry; they are desperate to recover this wallet.

Raphael's decision to keep the wallet hidden rather than handing it over sets the main plot in motion. This choice pulls him, along with Gardo and Rat, into a dangerous mystery involving stolen aid money. They gradually discover that six million dollars meant to help poor people has been stolen by the corrupt Senator Zapanta, and José Angelico was somehow connected to this crime.

As the story progresses, Raphael becomes the driving force behind following the clues. He helps navigate the boys' journey to various locations: the prison where José Angelico was held, Father Juilliard's mission school, meetings with Olivia (a volunteer teacher), and eventually to the location of the hidden money. Throughout this journey, he must make difficult decisions that balance survival, loyalty, justice, and hope.

How Raphael develops and changes

One of the most important aspects of Raphael's character is how much he grows and changes throughout the novel. His transformation is central to the story's themes about courage, resilience, and the power of ordinary people to make a difference.

At the beginning of the story: Raphael starts as a shy, unconfident boy who has learned to "keep his head down" and not draw attention to himself. His life consists of a dull routine focused entirely on the basic necessity of finding enough to eat each day. He does not see himself as special or important; he is simply trying to survive in an extremely difficult environment. There is little excitement or hope in his life, just the endless cycle of searching through rubbish.

The turning point: The brutal beating and torture Raphael suffers at the hands of the police marks a crucial turning point in his character development. This traumatic experience leaves him physically and mentally scarred – he struggles to sleep, becomes paranoid, and constantly watches his surroundings for danger. However, these terrible events also reveal an inner strength that Raphael did not know he possessed. He discovers that he is capable of enduring suffering without breaking, and this realisation fundamentally changes how he sees himself. He becomes more cautious and aware of danger, but simultaneously more determined never to give in to injustice or intimidation.

By the end of the story: Raphael has transformed into a much more confident and brave young person. He willingly takes enormous risks – running from police, hiding, travelling to unfamiliar places – all to expose corruption and reach the stolen money that rightfully belongs to the poor. By the novel's conclusion, he has escaped the dumpsite with his friends and found what he describes as "paradise" – a new life that offers genuine hope and happiness. He has evolved from seeing himself as an "unextraordinary trash boy" into recognising that he is a strong, resourceful young leader with an important story to tell. His character arc demonstrates that circumstances do not have to define a person's potential or worth.

Important ideas about Raphael's character

Several key ideas and quotations help capture the essence of Raphael's character and his journey:

Raphael's self-description as "a trash boy with style" is particularly significant. This phrase reveals that despite his poverty and the degrading nature of his work, he maintains a sense of personal dignity and pride. He refuses to be entirely defined by his circumstances or to see himself as worthless.

At the dumpsite, people often say "today could be your lucky day" when sifting through rubbish. For most trash boys, this is just empty optimism, but for Raphael, finding the little bag genuinely does change his entire life. This irony highlights how one moment of chance can transform everything.

After enduring police torture, Raphael comes to an important realisation: he possesses a strength he never knew he had. By refusing to tell the police the truth despite their violence, he proves to himself that he is braver and more resilient than he ever imagined.

By the end of the novel, Raphael expresses a belief that captures his newfound optimism and faith in change: "you walk far enough and the world does turn into soft sand." This metaphor suggests that if you persist and keep moving forward, life can eventually become easier and more comfortable. It represents his belief in hope, transformation, and the possibility of reaching a better place.