“Every time people come at us with the intention of killing us, I close my eyes and wait for death. Even though I am still alive, I feel like each time I accept death part of me dies. Very soon I will completely die and all that will be left is my empty body walking with you.” ( Saidu 70)

I think this is a very important quote from A Long Way Gone. This quote is so important because it leaves a huge impact on Ishmael, when he heard Saidu say it. He realized that being a boy soldier impacted him greatly, because it changed the way he looked at war when people tried to kill each other. When Saidu made the remark about slowly dying on the inside, this was one of the reasons it impacted Ishmael.


I felt like Ishmael was starting to realize that he would lose all his friends. The little boys he got to know were slowly being turned into soulless soldiers. Ishmael knew that his life was slowly degrading, all the violence was slowly killing him from the inside.

I feel terrible for Ishmael. He went through so much and he knew he wouldn’t be the same. He was such a normal child until he was forced to join the military. It ruined his life. The military forced him to take lives, and taking lives changes people. They become harsh and become lifeless soldiers that just do what they are commanded. Ishmael was better than that.