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A Long Way Gone Chapter 19
In the book A Long Way Gone; Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beauh, his uncle did not believe him when he shares the news that he had been chosen to travel to the United States of America. His uncle Tommy did not want to consider such a thing happening because he was of the opinion that many other people had been made to believe that and nothing had materialized so far. He laughed sarcastically when Beauh told him that he was chosen to attend the United Nations conference in New York City to give an account of the way and how it related to the children. He even told Beauh that maybe the new clothes that had been bought for him were to enhance his African look.
Uncle Tommy just told Beauh not to raise his hopes so high because he believed such people were always out there to give false promises to such needy young boys and just put up their hopes. His uncle was very sarcastic and could ironically ask Beauh every morning how his plans of traveling to the United States were coming along. To the time of his departure, Uncle Tommy still had not come into terms with the fact that Beauh was actually leaving. The chapter narrates how he called the other children and told them to come and bear farewell to their brother because he did not know where he was going. His sarcasm is noted in the text when he tells
This shows that Uncle Tommy was in denial and did not want to believe that Beauh was actually leaving Sierra Leone. This could probably have been caused by the fact that he was not Beauh’s real father so he had no business being happy for him. The probable reason why he did not want to believe it was that he could have been jealous of the recently added member of the family who seemed to get all the opportunities.