Why Do We Strive To Be Like The Moon

Ishmael Beah’s grandmother explains the local adage that “we must strive to be like the moon” by telling him that people complain about the heat when the sun shines, but when it is cold or rainy they want the sun. Although people complain about this they never complain about the moon shining, therefore we must strive to be what people don’t complain about. Ishmael has remembered this saying ever since his childhood because when he understood what his grandmother was telling him, he begins to observe the moon, and even though he is an adult he still continues to observe the moon.

Another point in A Long Way Gone where we encounter the brutal and harsh behavior of the young rebels is when they were considering cutting a five year old boy’s head off for his corn. This shows purely how much the war has had a direct effect on the way these young people behave in the types of situations where their lives are on the line.
After they finished and arrived back to the house, it was empty and Junior disappeared. When Ishmael turned on the lamp he was surrounded by men who had guns and knives, who began to stab and shoot each other but they would not die, the room would only fill with blood. Ishmael felt the pain of each man who was wounded and began to bleed in the spots that they were bleeding in. The men then disappeared and when Ishmael went outside the blood drained out of the room and he found his family waiting for him as if they were never apart. They were eating outside but when it started to rain his family left him and then when he wanted to go in his house disappeared. This nightmare differs from all of his other dreams because he was not fighting in the war or being killed but instead him being alone without a family. This relates to his inner conflicts because it makes him rethink whether or not he want to join the war