Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.

Unexpected Kindness in Times of War

Although A Long Way Gone portrays many terrible aspects of war, it contrasts this disturbing content with instances of unexpected kindness. Even after the starving boys steal food from a small child, the child’s mother extends kindness by gifting the boys more food from her meager supply. Later the boys are captured by a village’s guards, and they are assumed to be child soldiers. But instead of killing the boys, the village chief decides to offer the boys food and a place to stay. A further example is when the boys meet an old man later in their journey. The old man should be afraid of the boys, but instead he shows them kindness by offering them food and guidance. Similarly, a fisherman saves the boys by offering them a place to recover from their injuries, even though he risks great personal danger in doing so. In spite of the violence that persists in their daily lives, instances of kindness endure.

The contrast between the horrors of war and these unexpected acts of kindness helps to paint a broad picture of humanity. That Ishmael, as narrator, consciously focuses on these details suggests he still has hope, despite what he’s seen and experienced.

Transformation During War

Ishmael and his friends are transformed by war in many ways. The death and destruction that they witness robs them of their childhood innocence, and they become more hardened and terrified with each act of violence they witness and with each loved one they lose. 

In other ways, the boys are intentionally forced to change, such as when the military coerces Ishmael and his friends to become child soldiers. When the boys are first captured, the military takes care of the vulnerable boys to gain their trust. They are then brainwashed into believing that the enemy, the rebels, are less than human. The boys are told that the rebels are responsible for killing their families. The military also mixes kindness with abuse to transform them into soldiers. For example, they are given food, but what they don’t finish within sixty seconds is taken away. This psychological manipulation, along with the use of drugs, allows the boys to become killers, permanently altering Ishmael and his friends. They will never fully regain their lost childhoods. War has transformed them completely.

Healing After Trauma

A Long Way Gone demonstrates Ishmael’s process of healing through the forging of new connections. The first friend Ishmael makes after he is rescued from the ongoing war is Esther, a nurse at the rehabilitation center. Esther’s forgiveness for the things Ishmael has done as a child soldier enables him to forgive himself in turn. Esther also shows Ishmael that he can trust a civilian, which is an important step for him in re-learning how to live a civilian life. By slowly learning to trust and relate to Esther, Ishmael once again sees the humanity in others. He learns how to have empathy for those he once thought of as enemies, which is a painful yet transformative step in his rehabilitation. Finally, Ishmael is granted the gift of continuing his healing journey with the support of family and his new friend Laura Simms. With the support of others, Ishmael undergoes another transformation, this time into his newfound identity as a reformed child soldier and, ultimately, as a storyteller.

At times the trauma Ishmael experiences during the war seems insurmountable, which lends emotional weight to the story of his healing. Since Ishmael is describing these events from some point in the future—and from New York City, far from Sierra Leone—the reader knows he must escape, so the question becomes not “Does Ishmael escape the civil war?” but rather “How does Ishmael reconcile his identity as a child soldier with his identity of a civilian?” In short, how does he heal from the trauma? Thanks to the intervention of UNICEF and his friendship with Laura Simms, he has the potential to live a relatively normal life after the war. The connections he forges with Esther, Uncle Tommy, the rest of his newfound family, and Laura Simms strengthen his ties to humanity that were previously severed in an act of self-preservation. Through his relationships, Ishmael learns to forgive himself and to re-enter society, and by becoming a storyteller like Laura, he learns the value of healing by sharing.