Summary

David Joy begins his essay, “Digging in the Trash” by describing his grandfather as a man who was driven by his anger at not having any luck in life. The writer talks about how his grandfather had a dysfunctional relationship with his wife, who once even shot him in the back. However, he would always return to her because she was the only one who could keep him away from drinking.

Joy recounts how his own father loved the grandfather even though the man treated him badly and Joy’s father ended up being raised by an aunt. The writer argues that his father could not help loving the grandfather despite his flaws.

Joy goes on to talk about his latest novel The Weight Of This World, explaining that people fail to see the humanity in people living in trailers and associate these types of people with trash. He...