The Ending

On page 212, Beah writes, “It sickened me to see that Sierra Leoneans asked money from those who had come from the war. They were benefiting from people who were running for their lives.” This reminded me of another instance in which people should be helping and supporting each other rather than exploiting. After a natural disaster strikes, such as a hurricane or flood, “vultures”, people that selfishly exploit others that are vulnerable for their personal gain, often sweep in. Prices on basic needs will often get inflated simply because these people are desperate and the “vultures” know they will be willing to or forced to pay this higher amount, the elasticity of demand is not flexible. So, victims of the natural disaster find themselves paying outrageous prices for things such as water, food, and gas. This happens because of the greed of some people. They are not willing to put what is moral or fair above what is selfishly economically beneficial to them.

The ending is abrupt. Because it does not have an extensive denouement it leaves you thinking. The book left me somewhat unsettled it did not give me a feeling of finality or a happy ending. I found myself pondering many of the issues and situation presented in the book over the next couple days and I think this is what the author intended. If he would have tied a ribbon on the package I would have considered the package done and move it to the corner of my mind. But, because he left the box still open, I was probed to think.

Beah ended with a conundrum about a monkey. The significance of this story was that it posed a question that was thought to be unanswerable. A question, where both options were unfavorable. The issue of child soldiers and many of the conflicts that revolve around it are very complicated. There really is no clear answer or no easy answer that is favorable for all. In the last paragraph Beah proposes his personal answer. That he would shoot the monkey in order to prevent other hunters from finding themselves in the same predicament. I think he is proposing that when faced with a difficult choice where neither option is favorable, we should do what will help others in the long run. Look at the big picture of the situation and decide from a utilitarian standpooint.

Issues of Family and Freedom

“My squad was my family, my gun was my provider and protector, and my rule was to kill or be killed. . . . and it seemed as if my heart had frozen” (p. 126). As humans we need to feel cared for. We will always try and instill some sense of family, some sense of association. The idea of family is re-configured in this book. These children that are ripped from their actual families are challenged to try and re-establish their sense of place. Their squad, the militia they’re in, etc. often comes to aid this need for association. They replace what would be a family. Child soldiers become attached to other members, leaders, their weapons, and the dogma they are fed. The fact that people will go to such extremes, re-affirms how strongly we need a sense of family.

“High we exalt thee, realm of the free, great is the love we have for thee…” Based on the atrocities seen in the novel, A Long Way Gone, Sierra Leone does not seem like a free country. People’s personal freedoms and rights are violated countless times. Even the most fundamental right humans have, their right to life, is taken away. But as we see from this line in their national anthem, they do consider themselves to be a free country. How can they do this? What does it mean be free or live in a free country? This is deeply troubling. Sierra Leone considers themselves to be a constitutional republic, perhaps this is why they consider themselves to be free. But, the theoretical implications of their government type are far from reality. Under these conditions the U.S. is considered free. But the U.S. and Sierra Leone are drastically different. A country may call themselves free based on how their government is set up. But, how their government actually runs and the reality of the country is the actual indicator to whether it is free or not.

Part Of Me Dies

On page 70, Saidu, one of the boys says, “How many more times do we have to come to terms with death before we find safety?” He goes on to say, “Every time people come at us with the intention of killing us, I close my eyes and wait for death. Even thought I am still alive, I feel like each time I accept death, part of me dies. Very soon I will completely die and all that will be left is my empty body walking with you. It will be quieter than I am.”

Humans have the ability to adapt to their situations. We are wired to adjust to what is thrown at us in a way that will best protect us. In the situation Saidu describes, he is faced with what he believes to be the ending of his life. The way he instinctually protects himself is by coming to terms with it, by accepting his death. Once one accepts their death they cannot fully recover. To accept death is to devalue your future. This is a scarring action. Each time one accepts death a part of them, in a sense, does die. A necessary component to living is the value you place on your future. We have all heard the phrase “Which does not kill us makes us stronger”. These hardships may have made Saidu stronger, but who said stronger was a good thing? In adapting to these unfavorable situations Saidu’s innocence and free spirit has been killed. And as his hope for the future and value of life slowly diminishes with every near-death experience, he is slowly being killed. In this case strength has done nothing but weigh down this poor mistreated soul and callous his spirit.

All Strangers Are Enemies

  Beah writes, “This was one of the consequences of the civil war. People stopped trusting each other, and every stranger became an enemy”(Pg. 37, A Long Way Gone).  
I tried to think of a time when I experienced this feeling. My mind lead me back to a time when I was much younger. My mother used to force me to go to a Korean Saturday School, this way I could learn the language and learn a little about my heritage. I am half Korean and when I showed up I stuck out like a sore thumb among all the “100%” Koreans. They had all been raised in households less Americanized than mine and many of them could already speak the language quite well. I felt very left out and very excluded, nobody talked to me and frankly I didn’t really want to talk to them. They scared me and I had my mind made up that I didn’t like them. I had this feeling that they were all my enemies. I felt like I didn’t fit in, and they didn’t like me, and all I wanted to do was leave. Now that I look back this seems very immature of me and I wish I would have tried to make friends. But, I can sympathize with my 10 year old self and understand how feeling that I was different could cause me to react in this way. 
The case that Ishmael speaks of is very different than mine. It is a similar feeling but on a different more serious level. There are times in “A Long Way Gone” where we see this behavior. When the boys sneak back into Mattru Jong to find money for food, a situation like this occurs. “At one point, as soon as we had crossed the road, we heard footsteps. There was no immediate cover, so we had to swiftly run onto a verandah and hide behind stacks of cement bricks”(pg. 27, A Long Way Gone). The boys have no clue who might be approaching, but they scramble for cover assuming that whoever it is, is a threat and an enemy. There is no trust among people here. All strangers are enemies. 

Consolation

             While Ishmael is in the bush, similarities to his old life console him. The moon is something that reminds him of how things used to be. It still shines the same way and makes the same shapes. It’s there every night just like it was years ago. Ishmael’s grandmother had explained to him why the moon was something one should strive for, as the old man in Kabari would say. The moon “served to remind people to always be on their best behavior and to be good to others”(pg. 15). So the moon not only reminded Ishmael of a more peaceful time in his life but it reminded him of who he was and who he wanted to be. Keeping a sense of identity during this time was crucial and very difficult. The moon served as a constant reference point of what good was and of what he should strive for even in this time of extreme difficulty. During hard times, I myself have things that console me. Comfort foods, things that remind me of good memories when I was little seem to console me. One of my favorites is warm white rice with butter, a seemingly strange combination that never fails to warm my insides. Something else I turn to for consolation is music. I play piano and I know no matter what I am going through that instrument will always be there. The chords will sound the same and provide the same therapeutic, mind-clearing melodies. And even when I feel helpless, the ability to makes music gives me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.

Of course my hard times are nowhere near comparison to the atrocities that Ishmael has undergone. But, I believe it is human nature to establish things in your life that can console you.