Antagonist

Character Role Analysis

War

There's really not one person who messes with Ishmael's life. It's more like one thing that's always standing in his way. That one thing is war. The civil war in Sierra Leone takes everything from Ishmael—his family, his childhood, and his freedom. Sure, some bad guys show up like members of the RUF and Lieutenant Jabati, but they're just cogs in the war machine. If the fighting stopped, Ishmael could return to a normal life. Seriously, war stinks.