When they enter the village, they find it eerily abandoned, as if the rebels had already attacked.Instead, the boys are attacked, bound, and dragged to the chief.Rather than kill them, the villagers steal their shoes and chase them from the village.Ishmael and the boys are forced to walk barefoot in the sand in 120-degree temperatures.
At the end of the day, Ishmaels feet are covered with peeling flesh and congealed blood laced with sand. The group collapses in a hut, and the man who lives there tends their injuries and feeds them. The boys must stay and heal their feet before they can move on. He continues to care for them with food and water and salt water soaks for their feet until his mother comes to report that the villagers are on their way to attack. For the second time the cassettes of rap music save Ishmael and the boys. The chief then realizes that they are only children and lets them leave the village in peace. They hide in the forest before realizing that the terrible sound they fear is the crashing of waves on the shore. This shows how inexperienced the boys truly are in the world and how the unknown brings fear rather than wonder. When they learn that they dont have to be scared of the ocean, they behave again like children, playing in the sand and running in and out of the surf with delight. The scene is powerful because it reveals the childhood Ishmael may have had if war had not consumed his life. Regardless of the war, Ishmael is still a child who has been forced to grow up much too quickly. They never talk of their past nor of the horrors of war theyve seen. Numbness prevails and protects them from each other and themselves. When they ask their hosts name, he tells them that its better to be quiet and anonymous in order to protect them all. ![]() Even their conversations seem dangerous as they reveal too much or open up topics that they dont have the capacity to discuss nor understand. In this chapter, Ishmael listens to the words for the first time rather than simply feeling the beat and mimicking the lyrics. Ishmael has always relied on rap music to tether him to the outside world, but he now associates it with his survival and, for the first time, doesnt enjoy the music.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |