Ishmael Character Analysis

As Ishmael’s life as a boy soldier slowly came to an end, these changes were the hardest to accept. He was given all knew clothes, lots of help, and was practically given his life back. A normal person would be happy to accept that, but Ishmael wasn’t exactly a normal person. His life was dedicated to being a boy soldier, and through that he develops a very violent mindset. When he is taken away from this atmosphere, he resorts to violence and has extreme drug withdrawal. ALong with that, he had severe migraines and wanted to be fighting for his country. Many other soldiers looked up to him for his dedication and contribution. Even though all they wanted to do was help him, he just wanted to fight.

Even though Ishmael was provided with proper clothing, his body was still in very poor condition. Scars and abrasions could be seen all over his body page number. His feet were still very damaged.

Obviously, he slowly heals, but those scars will live with him forever. example about one minute to eatWith meal provisions given everyday, he started to return to a healthy weight. This did not happen until he got past his drug withdrawals, anger, and the first stages of rehabilitation. After he passed through this phase, things could only get better, and they did.
During the final phase of the book, Ishmael starts experiencing emotion again.

Once he is taken to the rehablilitation center, he gains a violent perspective of everything. He starts geyting into fight in chapter 16. “We got more upset day by day and as a result, resorted to more violence,” Ishmael write on page 139. On the same page it reads, “We would fight for hours between meals, for no reason at all.” He describes destroying furniture, cursing, and overall destroying themselves and the people/objects around them. Most of this violence was from withdrawals from drugs and wa. As he is rehabilitated, he gains back emotion. He lacked this quality for so long it seemed very new to him. His main wonder is why he didn’t die and he strives to protect what he has left. In chapter 17, Ismael says, “At that time I didn’t think I was lucky, I thought I was brave and knew how to fight. Little did I know that surviving the war that I was in, or any other kind of war, was not a matter of feeling trained or brave.” This is the most emotional growth seen throughout the whole

book.
Ishmael’s actions during his post-war rehabilitation were very dangerous. Even though he acted so poorly, he did not know any different. The past 3 years of his life were dedicated to killing as often and quickly as possible. Not only that, but he still wanted to be killing. This is the main factor in fueling his anger. Page 140 reads, “One of the boys stabbed his foot and he fell down. He put his hands over his head and we kicked him relentlessly and left him lying on the floor bleeding and unconscious.” He also tells of punching through classroom windows and getting his hand stuck in glass, also on page 140. After he is taken to the hospital for his hand, he soon returned from fainting. This all occurred in chapter 16. Now that he has passed his roughest stage of rehabilitation, he becomes close to a nurse at Benin, Esther. This acquaintanceship is what gives Ishmael his ability to trust back. Ishmael writes, “I joined the army to avenge the deaths of my family and to survive, but I've come to learn that if I am going to take revenge, in that process I will kill another person whose family will want revenge; then revenge and revenge and revenge will never come to an end...” (Page 199) He even meets his uncle and starts to live with him, until his uncle dies. He goes to New York only to discover many new things like snow and elevators. (Chapter 20) His behavior took time, but slowly improved.
When Ishmael goes to the Benin Rehab Center, he loses all authority and leadership in his squad. Junior lieutenant has been stripped of his holding, but this doesn’t stop him from taking charge in violent encounters. His friends that he has left still look up to him, but he is ignored by all the MP’s and if not ignored, he was yelled at. After he meets Esther, he gains feelings for her. On page 166, it says “She shook me to get my full attention before she started. ‘Think of me as your family, your sister.’”this friendzoning upset him, but later he realizes it is nice to have someone to consider family and is grateful. After he leaves Sierra Leone for New York, everyone looks at him as a survivor or an inspiration. Ishmael’s importance to others declines in the last section of the book.
Ishmael’s life revolving around war is taken away from him in a matter of minutes. Although his appearance, thoughts, and behaviors made a positive change for the first time, he lost respect and leadership from his squad. Unlike most people, Ishmael did not want to be taken out of an environment filled with death.