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Beah’s Cassette
As a boy before the war, Ishmael Beah looks to the moon as a model for good behavior. But the horror of the war brings Beah to believe that the moon is hiding to avoid seeing what is happening, and its role as a model in his life wanes. As the adult narrating the book, Beah notes that he can again look at the moon and remember what it was like to see images in the shapes of the moon, and is pleased to see some of his innocence lives on.
The Moon Quotes in A Long Way Gone
The A Long Way Gone quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Moon. 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:
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Chapter 1
Quotes
Whenever I get the chance to observe the moon now, I still see those same images I saw when I was six, and it pleases me to know that part of my childhood is still imbedded in me.
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Chapter 10
Quotes
Under those stars and sky I used to hear stories, but now it seemed as if it was the sky that was telling us a story as its stars fell, violently colliding with each other. The moon hid behind clouds to avoid seeing what was happening.
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The Moon Symbol Timeline in A Long Way Gone
The timeline below shows where the symbol The Moon appears in A Long Way Gone. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...himself from what he has seen, Beah remembers his grandmother’s directive to “be like the moon,” as the moon always makes people happy. Beah has always followed her advice, and as...
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Chapter 3
...is scary to Beah, who notices that bird and crickets won’t sing and that the moon isn’t in the sky. But the rebels don’t arrive when they say they will, and...
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Chapter 10
Beah looks upon the moon one night, noticing how it is often covered by clouds, but continues to shine all...
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Beah says that the moon followed them at night, but that it also hid at night behind clouds so it...
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Chapter 11
...run for hours with Gasemu’s encouragement, which continues to enrage Beah. Beah says that the moon disappeared and made the sky cry, which saved him from the bullets. When they finally...
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Chapter 12
...go off to fight, and the boys can hear the gunfire in the distance. The moon shows its face in Beah’s window, and no one is at play.
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