Arrow's Journey - The Cellist of Sarajevo

            Throughout the entire book Arrow keeps the same morals for herself, as she wants to be able to return to the person she is before the war started. When Galloway writes, "That girl may be gone for now.Arrow believes it's possible that someday she might return" (196), it connects to the theme of hope/perseverance. Arrows character is determined to keep her purity throughout the war, not only so she can return to the person she is before but because she does not agree with just shooting anyone. Arrow shows she is 'different' from the other soldiers when she describes, "I'm not going to kill an unarmed civilian" (224). This is something that sticks with her throughout the entire book even though at the end she is tested as she is forced to kill a random person on the street. She refuses to do so and runs away and hides but when they find her she stays true to herself. This is obvious when "Her lips move, and a moment before the door splinters off its hinges, she says, her voice strong and quiet, 'My name is Alisa'" (258). When Arrow rebels, she can be killed, which shows how true she is to her beliefs and how she is distinctive in this war from other soldiers. .
             Arrow uses her natural shooting skills to protect her city. She does not do it for the sake of fighting or killing. To kill for these reasons is a heinous crime in her mind, which is why she feels it, is ok to kill the men on the hills as they are committing crimes. This is shown when she talks about the crimes the people on the hills have done which gives her tons of hate "Pulls the trigger because the soldiers have robbed her and almost everyone else in the city of this gift" (12), this links to the themes of survival/ hope and hate. Arrow does not feel that it is ok to kill random innocent people, she thinks thoroughly about whom she will shoot on the 'bad' side. The people who make the most impact on the other side such as the head chiefs which shows how she is different from all the other soldiers as she thinks through everything and this stuck with her throughout the book.