Reflections Ch. 7-8

Chapter 7 -

In the most basic way, chapter 7 is when Ishmael loses everything. He is separated from his brother and friends when the rebels attack the village they had taken refuge in. They (the rebels) burn the Imam’s body ( a highly regarded spiritual leader), and left his body for the dogs. The rebels don’t care for authority and kill anyone, no matter how highly they are regarded. They terrorize anyone who stands in their way, even innocent townspeople.

Ch. 8 -

Lost, alone, and hungry, Ishmael finds himself completely alone in the forest. He has to keep moving to survive, and as the days are going by, he finds himself without food in this forest and his own thoughts are starting to plague his mind. He begins to fear everything around him, when he finally finds a relatively safe place to stay in the woods and his thoughts turn back to violence. He is becoming trapped in his own horrific thoughts. Ishmael is isolated. When he is chased out the forest by a pack of super aggressive wild boar, Ishmael finds a small group of boys he knew vaguely from his school years. As they travel together in a small group, the people and villages they come across are either empty or terrified and aggressive because no one knows who they can trust anymore. There are a few villages that after the initial fear and anger, become sympathetic towards the boys when they realize they are only running away from the war.