A Long Way Gone: Themes

A Long Way Gone is a very emotional story of the journey of a boy soldier named Ishmael. I've thought of some themes for the book:


One theme is War is hard, Ishmael describes the terrors and tragedies of war that are very hard to comprehend. The things that Ishmael sees happening to civilians gives the war meaning and shows that war is like hell. He witnesses the hardships of war. For example loosing family, having to be on the run as a refuge, seeing the wounds and suffering of others and almost loosing his life several times. He also witnesses whats it's like to be a soldier by becoming a boy soldier for the government army. He has seen people die and he has killed people with his own two hands just to get food to survive.


Another theme is There is always hope: Ishmael's life was full of challenges that he had and learned to overcome. His life was not an easy one and full of terrible events. Through it all he finds a way to overcome it all and find love again. It wasn't an easy path, but in the end through all of his new challenges he finds himself again and meaning to his life. Ishmael is an excellent example of how there is always hope to overcome hard paths in life.


The last theme I came up with is When everything is tough and seems impossible there is always love: Ishmael had love but when the war came to his village it was taken away. To regain love was a very hard path for him. There was the family environment that the soldiers gave him and the love and friendship that grew between Ishmael and Alhaji. Then there is the love from his uncle Tommy and his family. They wanted him to be a part of their family and made him feel accepted. Finally there is the love that Esther and Laura gave him. They accepted him and welcomed him into their home when he had nowhere to go and needed help. They supported him through all his hardships.