Ishmael Violence

Ishmael talks of the violence events that have not only affected him, but also something he helped create. Ishmael 's new American life is haunted by his violent past. The only solution is to live in the present and claim some of the joy from his childhood. Once captured by rebels and forced to join other groups of refugees. The rebels start to torture and taunt these children as Ishmael’s group watched. Therefore, making it evident of the before and after of the war, no one at that age would be disrespected before the war, which made the effects of the social norms evident. They are continuously reminded of the rebels that killed their families and that they are inhumane. The theme of the horror of war is prevalent throughout the novel as Ishmael and the other boys face

The violence comes to end once the UNICEF men arrive to take the boy soldiers from the war zone. Even in times of desperation, horrible violence, and struggle, love and compassion exist. Later on in the novel he 's frustrated with how little the outside world understands about the civil war in Sierra Leone. Ishmael becomes annoyed with how little they seem to be aware of the conditions of boys his age in Africa. He meets this new challenge of travel in his life with courage, curiosity, and contempt. He realizes that war and conflict have stolen other childhoods like his. He and the other delegates have long discussions about how to end the suffering in war-torn countries. The theme of revenge is returned to when Ishmael makes his speech before the UN, but this time he speaks of the multiplying effects of revenge. Rather than seeing revenge as a solution that might satisfy his grief, Ishmael speaks of revenge as a tool that brings more war: " . . . if I am going to take revenge, in that process I will kill another person whose family will want revenge . . . " (Eggers, 99). This shows the transformation that has occurred from the bloodthirsty soldier to the thoughtful child who wants to change the