Beasts of no Nation: post #1

"Commandant is saying it is like falling in love. You cannot be thinking about it. You are just having to do it, he is saying.
And I am believing him. What else can i be doing?
They are all saying, stop worrying. Stop worrying. Soon it will be your own turn and then you will know what it is feeling like to be killing somebody. Then they are laughing at me and spitting on the ground near my feets."

This passage represents the fear and confusion going on with Agu. Confusion is the biggest theme in this book, so far. Agu is god fearing. He believes that if he is forced to kill, he will go to hell. Eventually, he will have to kill someone. I think Agu likes the idea of being a soldier, but is desperately trying to figure out if he belongs here. From what I have read so far, Agu is forced into everything. All he can do is ask himself what his other options are, sadly he has no way out. He is surrounded by dangerous men who seem to be father figures at points, but they are really only harsh, cold, and insensitive men.

Predictions:
K-dub told me it was depressing, so, I bet Agu's situation is about to get a lot worse. I have no guesses in particular though.

Questions:
I want to know where his parents are, or what happened to them.

How did he end up in the stables?

Will Agu turn into a killing machine? Or, will good nature prevail against the rebel soldiers? (unlikely)

Will Agu escape? And if so, at what cost?