Traitor? Whistleblower? OTW

In On the Waterfront, the difference between Traitors and Whistleblowers isn't very clearly defined other than by the character Terry.  Terry goes against the unethical mob to stick up for the people they are oppressing.  Although the mob considers this act to be one of a traitor, this is where instead he should be considered a Whistleblower, because he is standing up for more than himself and is trying to benefit many other people.  A whistleblower's actions usually stem from something personal, but the realization that other people have been affected by the same corruption is what pushes the whistleblower to act.  In Terry's case, the murder of his brother is what starts his revenge.  Everybody agreeing is what keeps him going on his difficult journey to defeat the mob.  

I think the difference between a Traitor and a Whistleblower is that a whistleblower's actions are benefitting not only themselves, and stand up against something on a large scale, such as a problem in society.  A Traitor acts out of a mean nature, trying to get someone in trouble just to get them in trouble.  Something that a traitor would do is help someone steal a pencil, and then tell on the person they were helping.  A whistleblower in this situation would argue against the high price of a pencil to help everyone else.

A Million Little Pieces 6

The book A Million Little Pieces is a graphic and touching autobiography by James Frey about his time in rehab.  He's been through many, many ups and downs, wanting to leave rehab, suffering emotional and physical pain, renaissance in family life and with his friends, etc.  The last section includes two major tests for James.  One, before he is released from rehab, is when he is on a quest to find Lily and finds himself resisting the power of drugs during the journey.  After he is released, while out with his brother he orders a drink and refuses to drink it.  James is sober, and his self blazed path worked out for him in the end.  He's still sober, and after reading the entire account, I have slightly mixed feelings about James.

James is smart, and self-willed.  But after reading the comments on my last post, my view of him is slightly different.  Yes, he conquered his addiction, but then again, he was the one who let himself do it in the first place.  I'm proud that he stayed sober, but there is still a possibility of relapse.  In the very last pages of the book, little summaries of how his friends and other patients lives are included.  So many of them relapsed, or were found dead in crack houses, etc. and it makes me think that rehab isn't very effective.  It will be interesting to see if we hear any more from or about James, and I'm curious as to if it will be positive, or negative.  His story is truly amazing and touching, but I do have a bit of doubt about the whole story and his future success.