In Ishmael Beah’s personal memoir, A Long Way Gone, music courses through the story quite often. Music is first seen in Ishmael’s peaceful childhood. He and his friends enjoy singing and dancing along to music, in particular, Rap Music. As the story progresses, and the war becomes more prevalent in the young boys lives, rap continues to play a substantial role in their lives, just in a different way. At the end of Ishmael’s life story, there is yet another role that music plays. While music’s symbolism did change throughout the book, ultimately, the symbolism in the beginning matches that of the end. Music started off as a symbol of Ishmael’s youth and happiness before the war. As the war starts and progresses, music’s role shifts to from