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A Long Way Gone Hero's Journey

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In A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, a young boy who runs away from home because of the war that was currently happening in his country. Throughout his life, he had to witness a lot of horrible things which lead him to becoming a whole other person. One of the key parts which made Ishmael complete his journey was the second stage of the Hero’s Journey, which is called Initiation. In Initiation there is a significant substage called Apotheosis. Apotheosis is when the hero is “down for the count” and no one has faith that they’ll survive. Because of this, the hero gains confidence. Ishmael experiences his Apotheosis when he didn’t know if he was going to survive his journey. His goal in life was to “survive each passing day” (Beah, 69). This

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