Summary Of A Long Way Gone By Ishmael Beah
In the memoir A Long Way Gone, the author, Ishmael Beah, relates his story to the title. On page 65, the author says: “We were a long way from Mattru Jong. A long way gone.” The title, A Long Way Gone, gives the reader a glimpse of how far Ishmael is away from Mattru Jong, his life before being a soldier, and how distant he is with himself. Mattru Jong is a city in Sierra Leone, which Ishmael, his brother, Junior, and a few friends travel to in chapter 1 to attend a talent show. While on the way to Mattru Jong, the boys stopped in Kabati and spoke to their grandmother. They left Kabati and continued on to Mattru Jong, met up with more friends, and spent the night off with them. The next day, the boys learn their hometown, Mogbwemo, has been
attacked by rebels. The boys decide to return to Mogbwemo to check on their family. Along the way, they see horrifying scenes of people bleeding and looking for loved ones. This was not the Mattru Jong the boys knew. Ishmael continued to look for his family, but along the way, he gets recruited into the war, misplacing him further away from what he was accustomed to. The quote: “We were a long way from Mattru Jong. A long way gone.”(page 65) correlates to the title by establishing the whereabouts of Ishmael, in terms of location.
On page 12, Ishmael and the gang are in Kabati, where Ishmael describes a grown man crying and bleeding helplessly. "... we saw a man run from the driver's seat to the sidewalk, where he began to vomit blood. His arm was bleeding. When stopped vomiting, he began to cry. It was the first time I had seen a grown man cry like a child, and I felt a sting in my heart." The quote represents how rare it was to see a man crying. It is far from the happy and joyous life he saw people, including himself, live. Throughout the book, Ishmael often reminisces on happy memories of his family and friends. This encourages him to stay alive and motivates him to find his family. When Ishmael describes his memories in the book, they seem to contradict his circumstances.
attacked by rebels. The boys decide to return to Mogbwemo to check on their family. Along the way, they see horrifying scenes of people bleeding and looking for loved ones. This was not the Mattru Jong the boys knew. Ishmael continued to look for his family, but along the way, he gets recruited into the war, misplacing him further away from what he was accustomed to. The quote: “We were a long way from Mattru Jong. A long way gone.”(page 65) correlates to the title by establishing the whereabouts of Ishmael, in terms of location.
On page 12, Ishmael and the gang are in Kabati, where Ishmael describes a grown man crying and bleeding helplessly. "... we saw a man run from the driver's seat to the sidewalk, where he began to vomit blood. His arm was bleeding. When stopped vomiting, he began to cry. It was the first time I had seen a grown man cry like a child, and I felt a sting in my heart." The quote represents how rare it was to see a man crying. It is far from the happy and joyous life he saw people, including himself, live. Throughout the book, Ishmael often reminisces on happy memories of his family and friends. This encourages him to stay alive and motivates him to find his family. When Ishmael describes his memories in the book, they seem to contradict his circumstances.