A Long Way Gone Movie Analysis

A memoir vs a fictional film A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah and The Inevitable defeat of Mister and Pete written by Michael Starrbury and directed by George Tillman Jr. show similarities in poverty and family but also differences. Poverty is represented by food, shelter and money. In the book and the movie, family is something that keeps the main characters going. A memoir and a fictional film are similar but different in certain ways. Poverty is shown in the memoir when the war starts. Ishmael has to start thinking about ways to find food and shelter on his own. After losing friends and family, Ishmael decides to join the war just for survival. Ishmael fears the rebels will kill him so he has to avoid them. In the movie, poverty is
shown by where he lives. Mister lives in a beat up apartment building that is always getting robbed. Pete stays with Mister so mister has to find ways to get money and food. When Mister gets banned from the convenient store, he has to start stealing from other people. Because Mister gets banned they have to avoid the police so they don’t get sent to Riverside. Ishmael has to avoid the rebels and certain villages to not get killed. Poverty is similar but shown a little different. Mister lives in his apartment with Pete and has other people around him. Ishmael becomes homeless and is usually on his own. Family keeps both characters hopeful and determined.
In the book, Ishmael loves his family a lot and the thought of them keeps him going. Before Ishmaels parents died, His father told him “If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die”(54). Ishmael uses this to help him have hope and faith that there will be a better day. In the movie, Misters mom is addicted to drugs and doesn’t work enough to provide for Mister. This makes Mister act more mature and deal with problems he shouldn’t have to deal with. This is different from the book because Mister only has his mom. When his mom gets taken to jail, Mister uses the thought that she will come back to help him live day by day. After his mom comes back from rehab, Mister believes she is sorry and will try again to make things better for him. Both situations are different but family is a key part is keeping the boys hopeful. Memoirs are written about memories someone has that took place in their life. A Long Way Gone is based on Ishmael Beahs memories during the war in Sierra Leone. This allows Ishmael to reflect on what happened during the war. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete show us real life situations involving poverty and family issues. Both involve real issues that young kids face in the
world. The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete and A Long Way Gone are alike because of poverty and family. Both characters use family to keep them going and to help them survive. While trying to survive, they have to find money and food. This memoir and fictional film show real life situations that people have to go through but are different because of what’s real and what isn’t.