Outside Reading Post 2 (Q2)

The further along I move into the book the more I see James Frey’s unique writing techniques. He often swears which suprisingly adds to the development of his character. I am interested to see if by the end of the book he changes his ways and does not swear as often. Again we see we Frey’s opposition to openly expressing emotions. He is talking to someone whom he refers to as “Old man” at a clinic. Frey writes: “Come here, I’m gonna give you a hug. I stay where I am. I agreed to twenty-four hours. That doesn’t mean I’m hugging you and that doesn’t mean we’re friends. He laughs again, steps forward, puts his arms around me, hugs me. All you got to do is try. I pull away”(109). It furthers the argument, proving to us it is not that he just has something against his parents (from my last post), he does not want a relationship with anyone.

Another character trait of James Frey is revealed to us. He provides insight by saying: “I’ve destroyed, another thing I can’t fix or bring back, another beautiful thing ruined by my carelessness. I don’t stop. I don’t stop destroying and I don’t change my course and I don’t look back. Looking back hurts too much, so I just keep going”(116). Frey’s words show us that he knows the damage he has been causing, he realizes it, he accepts it, and he knows it is real. Hopefully he will come to a point where he sees that it has to stop and he must eventually change his ways, instead of continuing as he does now. I think that this foreshadows a change that will soon take place in James Frey.

Outside Reading Post 1 (Q2)

A Million Little Pieces is a memoir written by James Frey. It is about his life and journey through rehab. He portrays himself in an unusual way thought the book.“I am an Alcoholic and a Drug Addict and a Criminal”(73). This is not the only time we see this quote, as it reoccurs several times. There are multiple techniques used by James Frey to add meaning to this quote. Frey uses no commas to soften the sentence, and capitalizes letters to draw attention to each term. This is a sentence which strikes us hard. This sentence is so important because whether Frey realizes it or not, he has taken a huge step. The first step in AA’s program is to admit you have a problem. Here Frey admits that he has a problem with drinking and drugs. At no point in the book does James Frey deny this. When his parents come to get him and take him to a clinic after he has been placed on a plane and flown home he does not object. He is passive and unreceptive, but he puts up no fight.

Another quote that is filled with great meaning is shown when he is in the car with his mother and father.”She leans over and she tries to hug me. I push her away. Let’s just get out of here, Mom”(3).His carelessness about his mothers feelings show how much he has been hardened by his experiences as a drug addict and alcoholic. It shows that he does not have sympathy for anyone, not himself, and not his mother. We see that his feeling is no one should have sympathy on him either. This is powerful because it takes place right after James Frey has been found with his teeth knocked out and a hole in his cheek. They have no clue what he was on or what happened, yet through it all his mother loves him and cares about him. The memoir is complex and provides us with a fascinating view into life as a an “Alcoholic and a Drug Addict and a Criminal.”