A Long Way Gone

by

Ishmael Beah

Junior Character Analysis

Beah’s brother, who accompanies Beah for the first part of his journey. Although Beah and Junior were once close, the terrible things they see makes it difficult for each to support, or even talk to, the other. They are eventually separated during a rebel attack on a village where they have taken refuge, and never see each other again.

Junior Quotes in A Long Way Gone

The A Long Way Gone quotes below are all either spoken by Junior or refer to Junior. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Children in War Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

We were so hungry that it hurt to drink water and we felt cramps in our guts. It was as though something were eating the insides of our stomachs. Our lips became parched and our joints weakened and ached.

Related Characters: Ishmael Beah (speaker), Junior, Talloi, Khalilou, Gibrilla, Kaloko
Page Number: 30
Explanation and Analysis:

We decided to leave the village the next day and go somewhere safe, somewhere far away from where we were. We had no idea where we would go or even how to get to a safe place, but we were determined to find one.

Related Characters: Ishmael Beah (speaker), Junior, Talloi, Khalilou, Gibrilla, Kaloko
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

Being in a group of six boys was not to our advantage… People were terrified of boys our age. Some had heard rumors about young boys being forced by rebels to kill their families and burn their villages.

Related Characters: Ishmael Beah (speaker), Junior, Talloi, Khalilou, Gibrilla, Kaloko
Page Number: 37
Explanation and Analysis:

This was one of the consequences of civil war. 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.

Related Characters: Ishmael Beah (speaker), Junior, Talloi, Khalilou, Gibrilla, Kaloko
Page Number: 37
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

I longed for the gentle, dark, and shiny old hands of my grandmother; my mother’s tight enclosed embrace, during the times I visited her, as if hiding and protecting me from something; my father’s laughter when we played soccer together and when he sometimes chased me in the evening with a bowl of cold water to get me to take a shower; my older brother’s arms around me when we walked to school and when he sometimes elbowed me to stop me from saying things I would regret; and my little brother, who looked exactly like me and would sometimes tell people that his name was Ishmael when he did something wrong.

Related Characters: Ishmael Beah (speaker), Junior, Beah’s Mother, Beah’s Father, Beah’s Younger Brother, Beah’s Grandmother
Page Number: 71-72
Explanation and Analysis:
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Junior Quotes in A Long Way Gone

The A Long Way Gone quotes below are all either spoken by Junior or refer to Junior. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Children in War Theme Icon
).
Chapter 5 Quotes

We were so hungry that it hurt to drink water and we felt cramps in our guts. It was as though something were eating the insides of our stomachs. Our lips became parched and our joints weakened and ached.

Related Characters: Ishmael Beah (speaker), Junior, Talloi, Khalilou, Gibrilla, Kaloko
Page Number: 30
Explanation and Analysis:

We decided to leave the village the next day and go somewhere safe, somewhere far away from where we were. We had no idea where we would go or even how to get to a safe place, but we were determined to find one.

Related Characters: Ishmael Beah (speaker), Junior, Talloi, Khalilou, Gibrilla, Kaloko
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 6 Quotes

Being in a group of six boys was not to our advantage… People were terrified of boys our age. Some had heard rumors about young boys being forced by rebels to kill their families and burn their villages.

Related Characters: Ishmael Beah (speaker), Junior, Talloi, Khalilou, Gibrilla, Kaloko
Page Number: 37
Explanation and Analysis:

This was one of the consequences of civil war. 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.

Related Characters: Ishmael Beah (speaker), Junior, Talloi, Khalilou, Gibrilla, Kaloko
Page Number: 37
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 10 Quotes

I longed for the gentle, dark, and shiny old hands of my grandmother; my mother’s tight enclosed embrace, during the times I visited her, as if hiding and protecting me from something; my father’s laughter when we played soccer together and when he sometimes chased me in the evening with a bowl of cold water to get me to take a shower; my older brother’s arms around me when we walked to school and when he sometimes elbowed me to stop me from saying things I would regret; and my little brother, who looked exactly like me and would sometimes tell people that his name was Ishmael when he did something wrong.

Related Characters: Ishmael Beah (speaker), Junior, Beah’s Mother, Beah’s Father, Beah’s Younger Brother, Beah’s Grandmother
Page Number: 71-72
Explanation and Analysis: