The story revolves around a 12 year-old boy who was unwittingly hurled into the wretched realities of human nature. The central theme of this story is violence; survival at all costs. At a very early age Ishmael Beah was forced to kill for survival. The innocence this child possessed was annihilated and replaced by ferocity to kill. The violence transformed him into a person unrestrained by conscience, immune to killing and guilt. He became an unwilling witness of savagery.
He became a hardened man whose sole purpose was to survive; he was freed from childhood yet imprisoned in war. Violence can break even the strongest person on earth. Its effects are detrimental to the formation of people’s characters. The violence presented on this book made me realized the inclination of man for barbaric acts.
Even though our society has come a long way transforming itself to a civilized group, we still have the tendencies to act in an uncivilized way.Violence forces us to act on instincts, to act like wild animals with no remorse for our actions. The effects of violence can be devastating especially on children. Children who witness violence display emotional and behavioral problems such as withdrawal, low self-esteem, nightmares, self-blame, and aggression against friends, family members and property.
Children who are exposed to violence are more likely to become delinquents in the future.Violence is a depressing societal fact that all of us need to understand in order for us not to fall prey on it or become agents of it. Its effects may be devastating but we can prevent it by understanding it and seeing its signals. The book illustrated very well the effects of violence on society specifically on children. We should find meaning in the experiences of Ishmael and take its lessons with us on our everyday lives.
