One would think that young children would not take part in the warfare, but think again. Ishmael Beah, the author and the main character of the novel, A Long Way Gone, is a child soldier during a civil war in Sierra Leone. This memoir recalls the journey of Ishmael’s life during the war and the struggles he has faced since then. The death of his family made him want to go against the rebels, but to survive he had to kill blameless civilians. In return, he was forever damaged with terrible memories of his childhood days. This memoir increased by knowledge of the African region and Sierra Leone, while allowing me to learn about the difficulties during the Sierra Leone Civil War. To better understand the feelings of the people of Sierra Leone,
…show more content…
A major theme that represents this region of African during this time period is crime and aberrant behavior. Ishmael looks back on his experiences during the war and “those days I live in three worlds: my dreams, and the experiences of my new life, which trigger memories from the past” (Beah 20). Even after a month of living in the safety of New York City, Ishmael is still haunted by nightmares of his time fighting the war in Sierra Leone. He cannot protect him from returning to the past terrors of his young life, and worse, his vivid dreams constantly draw him back to the terror of his life in Sierra Leone as a victim of the Revolutionary United Front violence. The oppressive tactics used by the RUF made an impact on Ishmael’s life, that he cannot forget. Weapons and torture were the main causes of his mental breakdown because his family was killed right in from of his eyes. He is a young boy divided against himself, as his country had been divided against itself due to the rebels' violent actions. This connects to aberrant behavior because it mentions the struggles and punishments the citizens of Sierra Leone faced, even though they were innocent. These kinds of memories left long-lasting memories in peoples’ minds, which made it hard for them to overcome. Ishmael later in the novel, mentions “one of the unsettling things about my journey, mentally, physically, and emotionally, was that I wasn't sure when or where it was going to end. I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. I felt that I was starting over and over again” (Beah 69). Ishmael’s memories shed light on the complicated damage done by civil war and terrorism in his country. As a victim of the violence and a young boy who has lost his family, is now considered dangerous by the civilians he encounters. This ties to the excessive amounts of crime in the country, caused by child
A major theme that represents this region of African during this time period is crime and aberrant behavior. Ishmael looks back on his experiences during the war and “those days I live in three worlds: my dreams, and the experiences of my new life, which trigger memories from the past” (Beah 20). Even after a month of living in the safety of New York City, Ishmael is still haunted by nightmares of his time fighting the war in Sierra Leone. He cannot protect him from returning to the past terrors of his young life, and worse, his vivid dreams constantly draw him back to the terror of his life in Sierra Leone as a victim of the Revolutionary United Front violence. The oppressive tactics used by the RUF made an impact on Ishmael’s life, that he cannot forget. Weapons and torture were the main causes of his mental breakdown because his family was killed right in from of his eyes. He is a young boy divided against himself, as his country had been divided against itself due to the rebels' violent actions. This connects to aberrant behavior because it mentions the struggles and punishments the citizens of Sierra Leone faced, even though they were innocent. These kinds of memories left long-lasting memories in peoples’ minds, which made it hard for them to overcome. Ishmael later in the novel, mentions “one of the unsettling things about my journey, mentally, physically, and emotionally, was that I wasn't sure when or where it was going to end. I didn't know what I was going to do with my life. I felt that I was starting over and over again” (Beah 69). Ishmael’s memories shed light on the complicated damage done by civil war and terrorism in his country. As a victim of the violence and a young boy who has lost his family, is now considered dangerous by the civilians he encounters. This ties to the excessive amounts of crime in the country, caused by child