The Transformation of Beah's Family

Beah had a long journey just through the first seven chapters. His life transforms in many different ways. One of the ways that he transforms is his family. In the beginning of the novel, Beah and his brother leave their home to go to the town of Mattru Jong. They are both just typical teenagers who's parents are divorced. They feel that nothing could ever happen to the people around them, and that their life would always be the same. "Since we intended to return the next day, we didn't say goodbye or tell anyone where we were going. We didn't know that we were leaving home, never to return." (Ch. 1, pg. 7) They don't really feel that their parents care about them that much. That is why they leave and don't tell their father where they are going. "I had not seen him for a while, as another stepmother had destroyed our relationship again. But that morning my father smiled at me as he came up the steps." (Ch. 1, pg. 10) His relationship with his father was a not all that good, and was far from worried that his father would care he left. As Beah was initiated into the war, he began going on the run. Beah ran out of food and went from traveling to an event, to escaping from the war that was starting to ruin his life. As they were running from the war, Beah started thinking, "I thought about where my family was, whether I would be able to see them again, and wished that they were safe and not too heartbroken about Junior and me." (Ch. 4, pg. 26) Beah starts to really miss his family, and also starts to understand the true meaning of what he left behind. The riff that the war has caused between him and his family, made him really look at the relationship he had with his family. He misses them, and even though he is with his brother, he misses and wonders about his mother and father. "I pressed my fingers on my eyelids to hold back my tears and wished that I could have my family together again." (Ch. 7, pg. 45) Forced into his loneliness after loosing his brother, Beah realizes that he misses his family. And understands that they are a really important aspect of his life. Beah's transformation from not really caring about his family, to missing them and hoping to one day see them again is a very important transformation that he goes through.