Long Way Gone Identity

“An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces and uses his experiences” - (James Baldwin). One's identity can be shaped by many things including people and experiences. In A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, Ishmael’s identity was also shaped by the people around him and his experiences. Ishmael lost his family and was forced to become a ruthless killer at a young age. He was also forced to leave the country he loved because he was too afraid to rejoin the fight. In this story, Ishmael’s identity was most affected by the loss of his family at a young age and war. Most young children do not go through life expecting to suffer the loss of their family or deal with the daily torture of rebels. The rebel army killed his family before he could rejoin them. While Ishmael was being checked on by Ester the nurse he said, “I was quiet for a bit, as I didn’t know what to say and also didn’t trust anyone at this point in my life. I had learned to survive and take care of myself. I had done this for most of my short life with no one to trust, and frankly, I liked being alone, since it made surviving easier” (153). He was not used to people caring for him. Once Ishmael lost his family it changed him forever. It made him be more independent and shy when around people he did not know. Additionally, Ishmael identity was shaped by war. Being in the army made him not scared of the rebels because he was part of a larger group going after rebel bases. Ishmael was thinking about his new life in the army and what he was doing. Ishmael said “ My childhood had gone by without my knowing and it seemed as if my heart had frozen” (126). Suffering from the loss of his family at a young age plus living life with the daily fear of being killed by rebels that caused him to suppress his feelings. When he suppressed his feeling he started to go crazy and thinking about how his parents died. Ishmaels identity was affected by many obstacles, the ones that stood