Themes

The book A Long Way Gone is a very touching story. I have thought of three possible themes for the book.

The first theme I thought of is life goes on. Despite having gone through so many horrible things, Ishmael was able to eventually get on with his life after a few years. He was able to heal with the help of people at the rehabilitation centre and regain his life. He had lost his family and many friends, seen a lot of gruesome scenes, and had been a child soldier. When he was in rehabilitation, he thought that he would never get through the guilt and sadness he felt from his past experiences, but he did. It took some time, but he was able to realize that he cannot change his past and should continue on with his life. Even though he has been through a lot, it is not the end of the world. He is still alive and will be able to keep living his life.

The second theme is war affects everyone. Everyone in Sierra Leone felt the affects of the war at some point. Ishmael and many other people were losing family members and friends, people had to flee their homes and people were starving. Even the people who lived in Freetown (the capital of Sierra Leone), who did not initially feel the affects of the war, eventually were affected by the war when the government army and the rebel force (RUF) joined forces and attacked Freetown. In the end, throughout all of the Sierra Leone Civil War, everywhere in Sierra Leone was affected.

The third theme is bad things can happen to good people. Ishmeal, his family and friends were good people, just as most people were who lived in Sierra Leone. None of these people deserved to be affected by the war. Ishmael and his friends did not deserve to be forced into being child soldiers. Just days before Ishmael, his brother and friends were forced to go on the run, they had been practicing dance moves and rehearsing rap songs for a talent show. Thye were good kids just enjoying life. They did not deserve any of the hardships they suffered. During the war so may people were victims of violence for no good reason at all. Ishmael's family did not deserve to die. No one who was killed in the war deserved to die. However sometimes we do not know why things happen to people, they just do. It may not be fair, but we are not always in control of what happens to us or other people. Ishmael did not deserve what happened to him, and there is no good reason as to why it happened to him. Ishmael was such a good kid before the war and after he went through rehabilitation. It makes me wonder why he, a good kid, suffered when he had not done anything bad to deserve it. Why did he suffer and not someone else? Why was he forced to become a child soldier? Why did he have his childhood taken away from him? I don't know the answers to any of these questions, which proves the theme bad things happen to good people.