Other than Ishmael I believe that
Esther, the nurse has the biggest impact on me so far. She’s really only in the end of one chapter and
the whole next but overall she has affected Ismael in the biggest way
possible. She continues to tell him that
“It’s not your fault.” Even though at
the beginning, Ishmael refuses to listen and receive and sympathy from her, he
gradually warms up to her and begins to tell her his story and why he is and
the way he is today. An example from the
book is in chapter 17, page 154 when Esther gives Ismael a gift. The gift is a Walkman and even though Ismael
is hesitant at first, this is the first step towards realization and opening
up.
I believe that it truly isn’t Ishmael’s
fault he is the way that he is. The life
he has lived is hard and demanding. A life
that no kid should have, and because of this, the rehabilitation process will
take time for him to fully recover. It will
take time like I said, but I believe that with the right care and guidance,
Ishmael will soon become the loving caring young man he once was. At first I would be scared honestly to know
that I had a child soldier who is currently recovering living in my
neighborhood, but eventually I would realize that he is trying hard and I would
do anything I could to make him feel safe and that he belonged.
The best sensory detail that I believe
Beah uses in his story is sensory details.
There are countless times throughout the book where I stop, close my
eyes, and imagine what it was like for him in Sierra Leone and the hardships
that he constantly faced. An example is
in Chapter 11 page 95, “My entire body went into shock. Only my eyes moved, slowly opening and
closing. I tried to shake my legs to get
my blood flowing, but I Fell to the ground, holding my face. On the ground I felt as if my eyes were
growing too big for their sockets.”
My favorite passage that spoke and
still speaks to me is in chapter six on the first page, “People stopped
trusting each other, and every stranger became an enemy. Even people who knew you became extremely careful
about how they related or spoke to you.”
That right there is what this story in my opinion is formed and shaped
around. Friends will be torn apart,
families will be separated, and nothing was the same or ever will be normal
again.
I also believe that Esther had a great impact on Ismael. If it was not for her, I do not know if he ever would have been rehabilitated. I also really like you quote. I have that highlighted in my book and almost used it too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your first paragraph I wrote about the same thing. I think that she is the most important character in the story, besides Ishmael, for the same reason. For what he has been through it's so crazy how she has been able to get through to him and help him to start to trust others again. That would be so hard to do considering what he has been through and what he has seen.
ReplyDeleteLike others, I also thought that Esther was the most important character and I loved how she was able to get Ishmael to open up and speak to her to about the war along with giving Ishmael someone to trust. The gift is important in the hope of trust being given.
ReplyDeleteI really liked the passage that you chose as your favorite because it definitely sets the tone for the book AFTER Ishmaels war years. I thought of it as a major theme of the book too. Not being able to trust one another. NIce job
ReplyDeleteI also think that Esther is a positive influence in Ishmael's life. When he talks to her, we get the sense of happiness coming from him.
ReplyDelete