Ishmael’s dreams are typically violent and often terrify him. His nightmares typically consist of violence consistent with what he experienced in Sierra Leone. As he describes: “these days I live in three worlds: my dreams, and the experiences of my new life, which trigger memories from the past” (Beah 20). While his dreams remind him of the horrors of war he encountered, it helps him cope with the issues of his childhood. As a result of his dreams, he is able to accept his treatment in Sierra Leone, while moving past his early tragedies and start a new life.
Beah’s use of figurative language functions as a way to connect the audience to what he is experiencing. For example, he uses the simile “others curled up like a child in the womb” (Beah
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Initially, he wants to avoid the war, but eventually he decides killing is the only way out and the rebel forces manipulate him into fighting in the war. After he is rescued by UNICEF, he must decide whether to remain loyal to the rebels or work towards changing his life. The lines are blurred between good and evil when comparing the government and the rebels. Beah encounters this while at the UNICEF camp with boys from both sides, recalling that “we began to fight each other day and night” (Beah 139). Both sides believe they are fighting for good. The novel suggests that everyone must decide between good and evil, and sometimes the distinction is unclear.
Fear is a constant presence during the novel. Towards the beginning, Ishmael hides in the forest out of fear of being captured. He is initially terrified once he is captured; however, he turns to drugs while fighting in order to suppress his fear, describing his experience as “all I felt was numbness to everything” (Beah 121). As a result, he loses his humanity as he becomes more lethal. He fights the government child soldiers at UNICEF out of fear for his own safety. Beah is constantly afraid of his surroundings and relies on drugs at a certain point to help him