A Long Way Gone Theme Essay

A Long way gone: Family is significant in a child’s psychological development A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah is truly a fantastic and emotional read. It contains many life changing experiences for a young boy. Throughout the whole memoir, one major theme that is bestowed with Ishmael is family. Ishmael went from having an ordinary, happy family to being stranded alone in the forest with no one. When he finally encounters a group of boys that he once knew walking in the forest, he joins them and develops a strong family bond. When Ishmael joins the army and gets recruited as a child soldier, family was still important. He grew close to the other soldiers, as they were fighting for each other against the rebels and also developed a family bond. The theme of family is a big part of Ishmael’s story. The importance of family and the idea that anyone can be family whether they are blood related …show more content…
The importance of family had a huge presence in Ishmael, mentally and physically. Even without a blood-related family, anyone can develop a family bond, especially during the time of war and depression. Ishmael went from having an ordinary, happy family to being stranded alone in the forest with no one. When he finally encounters a group of boys that he once knew walking in the forest, he joins them and develops a strong family bond. When Ishmael joins the army and gets recruited as a child soldier, family was still important. He grew close to the other soldiers, as they were fighting for each other against the rebels and also developed a family bond. Family is something to take away from this story, to be grateful for having a family everyday because you never know what will happen the next day. Ishmael was a happy, joyful and ordinary kid when he had a family present with him, when they are separated and eventually killed; he is depressed, frustrated, and