a long walk to water theme essay

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A Long Walk to Water: Based on a True Story Themes

Perseverance

Perseverance and working towards and attaining goals are central themes of the novel. Salva is taught the importance of perseverance, never losing hope, and always continuing to work towards his goals, and attain them, by his Uncle Jewiir as they are crossing the Akobo Desert. Near the end of the first day in the desert Salva's feet are sore and gored by thorns, the heat is so intense that he can hardly breathe, and he finds himself falling behind the rest of the group as he starts to give up hope. His Uncle Jewiir senses what Salva is feeling and points out a clump of bushes, telling him to just concentrate on walking there; he then points to a rock, and tells him to make his goal walking there. By doing this over and over again, Jewiir teaches Salva that nothing is too great a challenge to overcome...

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A Long Walk to Water

By linda sue park, a long walk to water essay questions.

What was the political background in the year when the novel started?

The novel started in the year 1985, a few years into the Sudanese civil war. The war was between the Muslim government of the country, which tried to impose sharia law, and the southern rebels, who did not want to be Muslim. Another reason was the fight over natural resources. Either way, the Sudanese civil war is considered one of the most brutal civil wars in history, and millions of lives were affected. Many villages were destroyed, and millions of people were forced to flee their homes and run to neighboring countries such as Ethiopia. Some of the challenges the people had to face during the war are presented in the novel, including descriptions of what it was like to live in a refugee camp.

Why did Salva spend the night vomiting after eating food for the first time in an extended period of time?

When Salva’s uncle managed to hunt down an antelope, everyone in the group ate that night, but instead of feeling good, they all spent the rest of the night sick, throwing up the food they ate before. The reason why their body reacted this way is that their stomachs became accustomed to eating little food. Because food was introduced into their diets in a chaotic manner, the members of the group got sick, their bodies not being able to stomach and keep down the food they ate.

Why was Salva sent to America in the year 2001?

The civil war in Sudan left more than 20.000 children were separated from their families and forced to flee to either Nigeria of Ethiopia, seeking help. The children never reunited with their families as most became orphans during the war and in 1996, at least 17,000 children still remained in the refugee camps. In 2001, the United States of America started a program entitled the "Lost Boys of Sudan" that had the purpose of resettling some of the orphans in the country. As a result, that year more than 3800 children were sent from Sudan and adopted by American couples. The children then were either sent to school or helped to find a job in the new country. Salva was among the children chosen to go to America and there he was able to receive a good education that enabled him later to start a non-profit organization.

How are the horrors of Salva's journey conveyed in the text?

Park's prose is sparse and lucid. She does not favor metaphor or overwrought imagery, nor does she provide a ton of description or dialogue. Rather, she lets the simplicity of her style speak volumes about what Salva endures without ever making it too inappropriately graphic or prurient for her young readers. In her review of the work, Hope Morrison noted, "[Park's] short, reflective passages detail the significance of water to her people and chronicle the installation of a well that would forever change life in her village. In the novel's final pages, Nya meets Salva, who is in her Sudanese village overseeing his organization's water project. This powerful dual narrative packs suspense and introspection into Park's characteristic spare description; while there are lots of details offered to the reader, they come not in long, prosaic lines but in simple, detached observations."

Why don't some of the adults in the text want Salva to journey with them?

In the case of the old woman, it is because she knows she will not be accosted if she travels alone, but if she has a young man with her then she will most likely encounter trouble. As for the larger group, they worry that Salva will not be strong enough, that he will lag behind because he will tire more easily. If he lags behind, he'd have to be carried, and few of the people are strong enough for that. He cannot carry a gun or heavy loads. He requires food and water. If he gets sick, since a child has a greater propensity to do so rather than an adult, he will be a burden. Overall, it makes sense in an objective, utilitarian way why the group would not want Salva to go, but thankfully they take him on because he is one of their own.

A Long Walk to Water Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for A Long Walk to Water is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

How did Salva’s circumstances change from good … to bad … to good?

You can check out the short summaties of these chapters below:

https://www.gradesaver.com/a-long-walk-to-water/study-guide/summary-chapters-1-4

What is the main event in chapter 14-16

The main event is Salva as a young man. Now an engineer, he is finding water for his countrymen. This is really Salva's transition from boy to man both in the United States and in Africa.

are the dinka loyal people?

That's purely subjective. One can't label a whole population of a certain people loyal or not. They are individuals.

Study Guide for A Long Walk to Water

A Long Walk to Water study guide contains a biography of Linda Sue Park, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About A Long Walk to Water
• A Long Walk to Water Summary
• Character List

Lesson Plan for A Long Walk to Water

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to A Long Walk to Water
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• A Long Walk to Water Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for A Long Walk to Water

• Introduction
• Water for South Sudan

A Long Walk To Water Essay Example

The inspiring short story, A Long Walk To Water,  shares two stories. One of a young girl, Nya, who goes on journeys for water. The other, Salva, is about a boy who leaves his home from a war going on in his town. Salva wanted to be safe and find his family yet he was forced to leave because of the war going on. But, Salva could not wait and look for his family as the fighting was getting closer and closer. So, he had to leave his hometown without anything and his family. Then, Salva continues his journey with hope for his family and for himself. Nya on the other hand, Nya wanted to get her family water. But, one day when she went down to the pond, there was a problem. The water in the pond had vanished leaving nothing behind. So, Nya was full of concern knowing that there was basically no water left. Then, she came across a group of hard-working men and they had provided a clean water pump. Although they are different stories and different characters, this novel showcases many physical and emotional challenges that both characters faced in their lives. 

To start with, Nya and Salva both faced physical challenges such as having a hard time finding water and traveling up hills and mountains. To prove this, the author writes, “Every year when the rains stopped and the pond near the village dried up” (Park 26). This shows how Nya had a hard time getting water. Also, this shows how Nya would walk down the lake by her village and see nothing but dry, crinkly dirt, she would not have any water to give to her family and or herself. To add on, The author also includes, “Nya would make her second trip to the pond” (Park 20). This shows that Nya had to make more than one trip to the pond. This pond was further than the lake by her village, so she had to travel up and down hills and mountains multiple times because the lake in her village had dried up. Salva on the other hand was traveling countless miles to get to Sudan away from the war happening in his hometown. Since he wasn’t traveling for water and he was traveling to get away from war, water was not his top priority most of his journey, but it was something Salva needed to keep an eye out for. Salva had a hard time walking to Sudan at a young age and no water made his journey more difficult. To show, Linda Park writes, “Each time, Salva would think of his family and his village, and he was somehow able to keep his wounded feet moving forward, one painful step at a time” (Park 54). This shows that Salva had a hard time to keep walking and moving as he made his way through his journey. Salva had to keep pushing through the pain in honor of his family and for himself. Although he knew it was going to be hard, he was a fighter and kept pushing through the pain and torture. Also, to continue, the author adds, “But there was no water anywhere, though they searched for miles” (Park 37). This shows how Salva traveled miles to get to Sudan and on his way with his walking buddies, there was no water in sight. Water is a very important thing to have and Salva did not have a sip of water I a couple of days which was very bad for him. Both Nya and Slava did travel but Nya was traveling over hills to get water, as, on the other hand, Salva was traveling to get away from the war with no water in reach of him. 

To continue on, Salva and Nya both faced emotional changes during their walks. Nya changed emotionally and faced emotional challenges because Nya worries about her family. The author writes, “Fear. Her mother was afraid. Afraid that the men in the family would run into Dinka tribesman somewhere, that they would fight and get injured- or worse” (Park 33). This shows how Nyas’ mother is affecting the way Nya is starting to feel because as Nya is getting older, she is realizing how dangerous the world really is and can be.  As Nyas’ mother worries, Nya feels worried for her mother because she is scared about her family. Furthermore, the author includes, “ They had been lucky for all these years” (Park 33). This proves that Nya had been understanding how they had been safe all these years and then if something bad were to happen, Nya wouldn’t know the feeling because she would not be used to it nor would she be ready for it. This is making Nya start to realize bad things can happen pretty quickly and more often than ever. Now, Salva faced emotional challenges because he loses his uncle and finds his dad to be suffering in a hospital. To support, the author includes, “ As Salva watched, one of the men aimed his gun at Uncle. Three shots ran out. Then the men ran away” (Park 63). This is an emotional challenge for Salva because Salva has to live with the vision of his Uncle getting shot and dying. Again, Salva faces big emotional challenges when he sees his father suffering in the hospital. The author writes, “He learned more about his father’s illness. Years of drinking contaminated water had left Mawien Dut’s entire digestive system riddled with guine

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A Long Walk to Water

Linda sue park, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Linda Sue Park’s A Long Walk to Water is a story about the lengths to which people will go in order to survive. The book is divided into two storylines, which remain separate until the final chapter (in fact, the final sentence). In the first storyline, set in Southern Sudan in 1985, an eleven–year-old boy named Salva Dut is forced to flee his village due to the outbreak of civil war. In the second storyline, set in 2008, a young Sudanese girl named Nya works hard to gather water for her family, often spending entire days walking to and from the nearest pond to collect the dirty water. The storylines offer two variations on the theme of survival: in each, extraordinarily difficult circumstances force children to fight for the most basic necessities of nourishment and safety.

Many of the most moving scenes in A Long Walk to Water revolve around the harsh truth that the concern for one’s own survival trumps almost everything else. In a recurring motif of Salva’s storyline, adults and other families refuse to give Salva food or protection, even though Salva is an innocent kid who has lost his parents and is in need of help. The adults reason that Salva is so small that he’ll slow down the entire group—a serious problem, considering that the group is trying to flee enemy soldiers as quickly as possible. At the most basic level, other people refuse to help Salva because they value their own survival more highly than that of others. Similarly, in Nya’s storyline, Nya is forced to spend her days fetching water from the pond—a physically demanding task that consumes almost all of her time and strength. No child should have to work as hard as Nya works. However, the difficult conditions of south Sudan (in particular, the almost total lack of drinkable water) force Nya and the rest of her family to sacrifice their comfort, since the alternative is to die of dehydration. Even though Nya is only a small child, she seems to understand the gravity of her family’s situation; as a result, she works hard to gather water. Here, and throughout A Long Water to Water , the necessity of surviving forces the characters to sacrifice their compassion, their happiness, and more.

But even as survival is of enormous importance to the Sudanese characters in the book, Park demonstrates that, at times, some things do trump survival. In various instances, characters risk their own survival in order to help others—usually because these other people are a part of their family, or share some kind of strong cultural bond. For instance, when a group of refugees eventually decides to take Salva with them, even though doing so will slow down the group, they offer a simple reason for their decision: Salva is Dinka, a member of the tribe to which they also belong. Along similar lines, Salva’s most important protector during the long march out of Sudan is his uncle, Jewiir. Jewiir repeatedly sacrifices his own safety, food, and energy to make sure that Salva stays safe. He makes impractical decisions in Salva’s interest—and does so without any hesitation—because Salva is a part of his family. Everyone wants to survive, A Long Walk to Water suggests, and yet, sometimes, people are willing to risk their own survival to help others out of of a sense of compassion or kinship.

Although A Long Walk to Water is a book for young adults, it poses some difficult questions about the nature of survival. At one point, Salva witnesses the adults he’s travelling with sacrifice a portion of their water supply—an action which seriously endangers their own lives—in order to save the lives of men who are dying of dehydration. Salva wonders if he would do what they had done, and risk his own survival to help other people. Interestingly, Salva never answers his own question, suggesting that many of the moral problems that he encounters in Sudan are too difficult for any easy answer. Nevertheless, A Long Walk to Water suggests that people who have been prosperous and fortunate do have an obligation to help less fortunate people survive. For instance, after being adopted by an American couple and growing up in New York, Salva founds a nonprofit organization with the mission of providing clean water for impoverished Sudanese villages. In this case, Salva isn’t sacrificing his survival in any way—rather, he’s making relatively small sacrifices in his own life (and encouraging donors to do the same) in order to make a big difference in the lives of countless Sudanese people. Ultimately, A Long Walk to Water has an altruistic message, championing the everyday efforts of those who do what they can to improve their corner of the world. Park isn’t asking readers to risk their lives for the sake of others’ survival, but she is asking that they use their resources to work together to improve the lives of people who struggle to survive.

Survival ThemeTracker

Survival Quotes in A Long Walk to Water

Nya filled the container all the way to the top. Then she tied the gourd back in place and took the padded cloth doughnut from her pocket. The doughnut went on her head first, followed by the heavy container of water, which she would hold in place with one hand.

The tears were hot in Salva's eyes. Where had everyone gone? Why had they left without waking him? He knew the answer: because he was a child . . . who might tire easily and slow them down, and complain about being hungry, and cause trouble somehow.

Nya nodded. She picked up the plastic container and took Akeer by the hand. Home for just long enough to eat, Nya would now make her second trip to the pond. To the pond and back—to the pond and back—nearly a full day of walking altogether. This was Nya’s daily routine seven months of the year.

The man nodded and turned to the group. "We will take him with us,” he said.

Salva looked up quickly. A few in the group were shaking their heads and grumbling. The man shrugged. "He is Dinka” he said, and began walking again.

The boy was still looking at him. "Your family?" he asked. Salva shook his head. "Me, too,” the boy said. He sighed, and Salva heard that sigh all the way to his heart. Their eyes met. "I'm Salva.” "I'm Marial.” It was good to make a friend.

As Salva spoke, Uncle nodded or shook his head. His face became very solemn when Salva told him that he had not seen nor heard a single word of his family in all that time. Salva's voice trailed of, and he lowered his head. He was glad to see Uncle again, but it looked as if he might not be much help either. Uncle was quiet for a moment. Then he patted Salva’s shoulder. "Eh, Nephew!" he said in a cheerful voice. "We are together now, so I will look after you!"

A trip like that would be very difficult for Akeer. Should they stay at the camp and let her rest so she might heal on her own? Or should they begin the long hard walk—and hope they reached help in time?

The water from the holes in the lakebed could be collected only in tiny amounts. If her mother tried to boil such a small amount, the pot would be dry long before they could count to two hundred.

Salva looked at the hollow eyes and the cracked lips of the men lying on the hot sand, and his own mouth felt so dry that he nearly choked when he tried to swallow. "If you give them your water, you will not have enough for yourself!" the same voice shouted. "It is useless-they will die, and you will die with them!"

Salva made up his mind. He would walk south, to Kenya. He did not know what he would find once he got there, but it seemed to be his best choice.

Crowds of other boys followed him. Nobody talked about it, but by the end of the first day Salva had become the leader of a group of about fifteen hundred boys. Some were as young as five years old.

Whatever food or water they found was shared equally among all of them. When the smaller boys grew too tired to walk, the older boys took turns carrying them on their backs. There were times when some of the boys did not want to do their share of the work. Salva would talk to them, encourage them, coax and persuade them. Once in a while he had to speak sternly, or even shout. But he tried not to do this too often. It was as if Salva's family were helping him, even though they were not there.

The rumor was that about three thousand boys and young men from the refugee camps would be chosen to go live in America!

Salva stood still inside the terminal doors for a few moments. Leaving the airport felt like leaving his old life forever-Sudan, his village, his family. . . . Tears came to his eyes, perhaps from the cold air blowing in through the open doors. His new family was already outside; they turned and looked back at him. Salva blinked away the tears and took his first step into a new life in America.

Nya went back and picked up the plastic can. She felt as if she were flying. School! She would learn to read and write!

"I will come to the village,” Salva promised, “as soon as it is safe!”

“We will be there waiting for you,” his father promised in turn.

Salva pressed his face tightly to his father's as they hugged goodbye, their tears flowing and blending together.

Whenever he found himself losing hope, Salva would take a deep breath and think of his uncle’s words. A step at as time. One problem at a time—just figure out this one problem. Day by day, solving one problem at a time, Salva moved toward his goal.

In a few more days, the school would be finished. Nya and Dep and Akeer would all go to school, along with the other children. Next year there would be a marketplace where the villagers could sell and buy vegetables and chickens and other goods. There was even talk of a clinic someday—a medical clinic, so they wouldn’t have to walk so far to get help, as they had to when Akeer was ill.

The man smiled. "What is your name?” he asked. "I am Nya." "I am happy to meet you, Nya," he said. "My name is Salva. "

Home — Essay Samples — Life — Survival — A Long To Water Quotes

A Long to Water Quotes

• Categories: Hope Resilience Survival

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Published: Mar 19, 2024

Words: 664 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

I. introduction, a. linda sue park's novel "a long walk to water", b. quotes in literature serve as powerful tools, c. the quotes in "a long walk to water" shed light, ii. the theme of survival in "a long walk to water", a. the quote "i will make it to nya's village. i must. i will. i will make it or die trying", b. this quote reflects the characters' relentless pursuit of survival, c. the theme of survival in "a long walk to water", iii. the theme of resilience in "a long walk to water", a. the quote "it was my father who taught me to value myself", b. the characters in the novel exemplify resilience, c. through the various characters' journeys of resilience in "a long walk to water,".

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A Long Walk to Water

61 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-4

Chapters 5-7

Chapters 8-9

Chapters 10-11

Chapters 12-13

Chapters 14-15

Chapters 16-18

Character Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Discussion Questions

The author combines two parallel plots that only connect at the end. How do they connect? What does that connection demonstrate?

What is the significance of Uncle Jewiir? What part does he play in Salva's life and personal philosophy?

Though the travelers never encounter the war itself, they are constantly running from it. What does Park seem to be saying about the unnamed casualties of war?

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