James Frey in A Million Little Pieces is a drug addict, an alcoholic, a drug dealer, and a criminal. Recently in the memoir, James was sentenced to three years in jail. Although we aren't told much about what society thinks about James, I think it's safe to assume people would view him as a very ethically wrong person. However, I believe that people shouldn't judge until they've walked two moons in someone else's shoes. People who aren't addicted can't comprehend the mind of an addict. James knows that he's made bad decisions, and writes, "Don't...Need this bullshit to know i'm out of control" (200). His ability to be truthful with himself let's us know that he doesn't break the rules of society because he wants to, but rather because he must, due to the addiciton.
He writes about how his truly obsessed mind works, "The life of the Addict is always the same. THere is no excitement, no glamour, no fun. THere are no good times, there is no joy, there is no happiness. There is no future and no escape. THere is only an obsession. An all0encompassing, fully enveloping, completely overwhelming obsession" (178). He also describes himself, "In the terror of my addicted mind, all is Black" (200). James' illegal activity and bad decision making shouldn't be excused, but the reasons for his actions can be explained because of the way his mind works. People who are addicted can't stop themselves from doing everything and anything to get themselves drugs. Though it's ethically wrong, these people who that it's ethically wrong, and James getting himself on the right track and hopefully being able to resist the temptations will turn him into a morally correct citizen.
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4 comments:
Kristen,
its safe to say that addiction is a very powerful emotion, often leading to the change in one's decisions and view on things. I can see why James Frey was angered when people are telling him he's "out of controll" when he has to tell it to himself every day in jail. The addiction that takes his mind over sounds scary and really helps direct me away from that poison!
I agree with you on how an addict knows they are breaking the law and that their lives are messed up, but have to do these things to feed their addictions. I don't think this is an excuse for any actions, but I do see it as a reason. I am reading A Million Little Pieces, too, and am very surprised at how open James is about his problems. As is commonly said, the first step to recovery is admiting you have a problem. With James being such a total adict, I would think he would be in major denial. However, this is not the case so I am hoping it means he will have a good recovery and will be able to remain sober.
I never agree with the "don't judge someone until you understand them" statement, at least in this type of situation. And the fact that people who are clean aren't able to understand the mind of an addict doesn't matter. It's James's own fault that he started on drugs and alcohol and committing crimes in the first place, and this is something that only he himself can make happen. It's his actions, and we can judge him for it. For some reason I have quite some resentment towards this guy. He just doesn't seem honest at all, even in just his writing.
i think you are right when you say that people shouldn;t judge others before you know everything about them. However regarding addicts - i think if one knows why or how they became an addict, they might gain more insight and then be able to form an opinion on them. But just seeing someone without knowing anything about them and judging them is bad.
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