Purpose. War. Peace. Family. The reasons why something is done or created with one’s intention or an objective. In the novel A Long Way Gone, by Ishmael Beah, Ishmael experiences war in his country, Sierra Leone. Ishmael then becomes a child soldier. He experiences hardships during the war and is sent to a rehabilitation center. There he found his peace after the war. He still experienced post traumatic stress disorder, during the night, but he was able to have fun with his friends during the day. At the rehabilitation center, Ishmael found his family. They were not his immediate family, but Ishmael was happy that some of his extended family had been found and were willing to take him in. Ishmael’s purpose in writing this heartfelt
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Ishmael came so far in his life after the war, but it still affected him in a negative way. He was cautious around his uncle, aunt, and cousins because he, “..still believed in the fragility of happiness,” (Beah 173). Ishmael’s purpose in putting this quote in A Long Way Gone is to show the effects of war on a young boy. Even after rehabilitation, Ishmael is still frail and fragile. He is unsure about what his purpose is in life and what the world has to offer him. He is scared to put his trust in someone or something again, and to put his happiness in another family that may be taken away from him again. Ishmael understands how wonderful happiness is, but he also understands how quickly it can be taken away. Ishmael is scared to find happiness again, and his feelings are justified when war comes to Freetown. Ishmael is afraid when war comes to his new village because he thinks that if his old friends see him, they may want him to fight in the war again. He says, “I was thinking about the fact that we had run so far away from the war, only to be caught back in it,” (Beah 207). Ishmael’s life has been taken over by war again. Ishmael had been away from the war, trying to get rid of the memories. The war found him again. He wanted to get away from it and never return. War severely affected Ishmael’s life. Ishmael want to create awareness for boy soldiers so that other children do not have to go through what he had
Ishmael came so far in his life after the war, but it still affected him in a negative way. He was cautious around his uncle, aunt, and cousins because he, “..still believed in the fragility of happiness,” (Beah 173). Ishmael’s purpose in putting this quote in A Long Way Gone is to show the effects of war on a young boy. Even after rehabilitation, Ishmael is still frail and fragile. He is unsure about what his purpose is in life and what the world has to offer him. He is scared to put his trust in someone or something again, and to put his happiness in another family that may be taken away from him again. Ishmael understands how wonderful happiness is, but he also understands how quickly it can be taken away. Ishmael is scared to find happiness again, and his feelings are justified when war comes to Freetown. Ishmael is afraid when war comes to his new village because he thinks that if his old friends see him, they may want him to fight in the war again. He says, “I was thinking about the fact that we had run so far away from the war, only to be caught back in it,” (Beah 207). Ishmael’s life has been taken over by war again. Ishmael had been away from the war, trying to get rid of the memories. The war found him again. He wanted to get away from it and never return. War severely affected Ishmael’s life. Ishmael want to create awareness for boy soldiers so that other children do not have to go through what he had