The major conflict in this book is between the real James Frey and the “Fury”, which is his mental and physical addiction to drugs and anger and rage that has built up from a lifetime of terrible experiences. This conflict is established from the first night he is in rehab and he has no choice but to fight the “Fury” and deal with it. This conflict is developed by the repetition of his morning sickness, which consists of him viciously throwing up bile, blood, and chunks of his stomach that burn the inside of his throat and get caught in his teeth. However after some time he begins to learn some ways to deal with the “Fury”, or at least diminish the control that it has over him. Firstly he finds friends, especially Leonard and Lilly, who are able to let him talk about things and express his feelings. Also his brother gives him a book the Tao, which is a book that James really enjoys due to its simplicity, and as he says “it makes sense to him.” This book contains little poems that are extremely elementary in language, but have a profound effect on Frey. These new ways for him to deal with the “Fury” and relieve his stress allow him to conquer and resolve his conflict, which ultimately lead to him staying sober. 

Throughout the memoir, A million little pieces, by James Frey his character changes very significantly. In the beginning of the book he is “an alcoholic, an addict, and a criminal” as he would put it. He has no positive ways to deal with his stress, he is extremely addicted to drugs, and was very confrontational. On top of that he had a huge problem with authority and hated being told what to do, nor does he have any desire to make friends or be friendly. These traits made the beginning of his stay at rehab very difficult. However his is a very dynamic character and throughout the book you learn that he had was very callous and deep down he was a nice guy who just needed to be loved. His dynamic personality allows us to respect him because of how much he was able to change while in rehab. In the beginning he didn’t really care about anything, and had a terrible attitude towards everything and everyone. For example when he is given a coloring book as his “first step” he didn’t complete it, also his goal on the goal board was an absolute joke. He is also very stubborn to the idea of the twelve steps, although everyone tells him  that it is the only way to stay sober, Frey says that he has the power to make the choice between drinking and drugs or not even though it will be hard. His philosophy is that he is an extremely messed up person, and has become that way through his actions and his choices. Therefore it is his responsibility to fix it and get better. He is involved in many conflicts in the beginning and everyone is kind of afraid of his strength and his willingness to fight. However by the end his friends think of him as a trustworthy and reliable companion. He is always there for his friends when they are miserable, despite his own feelings. He also becomes a very compassionate and genuinely nice person. 

            A major theme in the memoir, A Million Little Pieces, By James Frey is that of self-reliance as his way of getting better. Throughout the novel he insists that these decisions are his, and he has gotten so messed up from the decisions that he has made. The first passage that illustrates this is His first conversation with Joanne, one of his doctors, where he gets angry just thinking about one of the twelve steps. Supposedly the twelve steps are the only way to stay sober for a long period of time. However James angrily rejects this philosophy, he doesn’t find any satisfaction in seeking a higher power. He also feels that following the twelve steps and always going to the AA meetings is simply replacing one addiction with another. For James, he feels that either he has the will power to stay sober or he doesn’t. This is a prime example of his self-reliant nature that he translates to the daunting process of getting sober. Another passage that shows this is when Ken, another one of his doctors, gives him the first step of his recovery. It is simply a coloring book with some words on it. Yet instead of doing it James writes “I don’t need this bullshit to know I’m out of control.” Which does not only show his problem with authority but also how he feels that he doesn’t need any of these steps and he just needs to learn how to cope with what his life has become. He feels that after he is able to put the past behind him HE, James Frey, will be able to resist the temptation of drugs and alcohol. His self-sufficient and reliant personality is eventually put to the test at the end of the book. He was just released from the facility and is with his brother, who is taking him home, and James demands that they go to a bar. Once they arrive at the bar, James orders forty dollars worth of Bourbon and just sits there with it in front of him. This is his final test to see if his will power would be enough to keep him sober, because if he did it once he was free from the bondage of addiction.