Reading Response # 1: A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Parker

Yousef Abou Areda                                                                                                       811                                                                                               Reading Response # 1

            The book, A Long Walk To Water, by Linda Sue Parker is a powerful novel based on a true story that conveys a first hand account detailing the struggles of a child refugee in Southern Sudan, 1985. During this time period, there was a civil war in Sudan between the North and the South over Sudan becoming an Islamic nation. Two million died, four million were displaced, and 17,000 fled into the bushes. These people became known as the Lost Boys of Sudan. Salva Dut is the main character in the book. His family belonged to the Dinka tribe of Sudan, and they were wealthy. His father was their village elder. He had 11 brothers and sisters to play with, so he had never felt lonely. Although he lived in the poorer areas of Sudan, he was never hungry. At the age of 11, Salva, fled attacking rebels in his village and wandered the lands of not only Sudan, but of several countries in Africa, including Ethiopia, Kenya, the Akobo Desert, and the Nile River, plagued by the erupting violence. Some of the atrocities Salva faced included witnessing his Uncle tied to a tree and shot multiple times, men dying of dehydration in the middle of the desert, his best friend Marial being eaten alive by a lion, and gun violence that killed innocent people at the hands of the opposing rebels. Some of the despairs that Salva had to face was coping with the loss of his family at such a young age. He had to wake up everyday not knowing if his family was alive, and if they were, if he’d ever see them again. The reader sees a transformation in Salva where he starts off as a gentle boy and slowly becomes a strong, young leader. He never gave up in the face of the hardships he encountered throughout his journey in order to continue fighting to be reunited with his family. The overall message Linda Sue Parker wants readers to take away from the story is to never lose hope no matter how terrible a situation might be and to continue facing all challenges with bravery, hopefulness, and perseverance as the character of Salva demonstrated throughout the duration of his experience in Sudan.

To begin, Salva’s bravery illustrates how one should never lose hope or give up on their goals regardless of the difficulties they may face throughout the journey in order to achieve their goal. While on his journey to find his family and a place he can call home, he willingly faces many challenges that could easily put him in danger or even the extreme, get him killed. This idea is expressed in the scene where he leads 1,500 refugees to safety. After being in a camp in Ethiopia for six years, it was suddenly attacked. His only choice was to lead the people through the dangerous parts of Sudan in order to get to Kenya, a safe haven from the rebels. Salva is aware of the dangers and risks he’ll be taking during this task. Even after witnessing the death of his uncle for being the group’s leader, Salva continues to demonstrate a level of leadership knowing the potential perils he’ll face. His uncle made him strong. In the text, it says, “ I will get us safely to Kenya he thought. No matter how hard it is” (page 81). Salva is fully aware of the potential outcome and knows how his life is at stake if he assumes this leadership position, but accepts it willingly. From this excerpt, it is evident that Salva is a courageous character because his actions won’t really benefit him or bring back the lives lost including those of his family, but still he puts others before himself because he knows that this job could give freedom to the kids following him. He knows what it’s like for them. He is fully aware of the heartache and pain of losing a family, and essentially having to live in a never-ending nightmare. Salva identifies with the feeling of having to everyday wonder if you’re family is still out there and the feeling of having nothing. However, Salva works with nothing, and that’s where his bravery comes into the play. It’s his bravery that moves him forward and leading these boys to freedom was his symbol of freedom and a way to regain something that he lost at the hands of the rebels, which is control over his life. Even if he doesn’t make it, he’ll die knowing he led over a thousand boys to safety. He’s willing to die in the name of freedom, which is true bravery. True bravery doesn’t mean you’re not scared. It means putting that fear aside, and to channel all of your emotions to succeed at the task at hand. All in all, Salva’s character is a symbol of bravery, and apart of the author’s central idea that describes one to be valiant even in the face of danger.

In addition, Linda Sue Parker demonstrates how an individual should never concede to forces attempting to prevent them from achieving their dreams. While on his journey with his uncle in the desert, Salvas’s uncle would ask him if he could make it beyond a pair of rocks. Once they made it, he would ask if Salva could make it beyond a different destination and he will continue to bagger him with this remark until they made it beyond the desert. Even though his uncle wasn’t with him, his words of motivation stayed with Salva. This sentiment is proven every single day when he led the boys to safety. In the text, it says, “One step at a time… one day at a time. Just today-just this day to get through…” (page 82).  At the end of each day, there was something Salva saw, and this was a glimpse of hope and freedom and for being reunited with his family. Salva never lost hope for being reunited with his family, even after 12 years of struggle. Although it took a year and a half to lead those boys to safety, he always saw a glimmer of hope for freedom. It was because of this hope that helped him achieve his goal. He successfully led over 1,200 boys to safety. It was hope that helped him get through each and every single day. Hope becomes Salva’s gateway to survival during his long fight for freedom. Throughout the course of the book, during the more difficult journeys Salva had to confront, this newly renewed hope directs his path toward freedom. Now matter how terrible a situation might have seemed, Salva continued to overcome all odds in hope of finding his family. When he had almost died crossing a river full of crocodiles, he asked himself why he wasn’t of the thousand that died back in Sudan. This gave him a reason to keep going. He was given a second chance for a reason to continue fighting, and he had to make the best of it. The worse the situation got during his journey through the treacherous desert, the more hope Salva felt that pushed him to find his family. Salva knows how lucky he is to still be alive. He knew that as long as he was alive, there would always be hope for a better life. The only way Salva would lose his hope was if he were to die. Even with nothing, he could make something filled with despair seem like all hope still wasn’t lost. Overall, the author wants the reader to know never to give up on one’s aspirations in hopes of achieving it one day as illustrated by the hopeful character of Salva.

Furthermore, Linda Sue Parker portrays how one should never give up on what  they wish to accomplish in the face of adversity as depicted by Salva’s resolute character. This can be exemplified in the scene after his uncle gets shots. The rest of the travelers treated Salva very badly, and he eventually had to beg for food, which was given to him grudgingly. The men went on about how he was to small to fight or to hunt. In the text, it says, “ The way that the were treating him made Salva feel stronger still. There is no one left to help me. They think I am weak and useless. Salva lifted his head proudly. They are wrong, and I will prove it.” (page 66). Determination is Salva’s strongest character trait. From this passage, it is clear that Salva isn’t a character that gives up easily. Even though he has no one left to look after him, he keeps going. He lost his uncle, his best friend, and most likely all of his family members. However, this doesn’t hold him back. He is determined to prove that he is not weak or useless. Salva never complained to anyone about his feelings during the rest of the journey. He would be so hot from the summer sun, have terrible hunger pains, and very little water to drink but continues to ignore it all and endures in order to keep moving forward, no matter how brutal the conditions would become. Salva never ceases to figure out new ways to stay focused on achieving his goals. He always takes a step forward, and never a step backwards no matter how much easier the latter option may seem. In the face of everything he comes across, Salva never allowed those setbacks to affect his goal of freedom and finding his family. Overall, he’s determined to survive no matter the obstacles he’s forced to confront on his journeys through Africa. All in all, Linda Sue Parker wants readers to know that you should never give up on what you hope to achieve no matter how difficult the challenges may be. You must remain strong-willed if you wish to overcome all odds throughout life.

To sum up, Linda Sue Parker wants readers to know what hope really means in all of its different forms. Hope isn’t just being ready for the future, but hope encompasses this idea of love that helps one to prevail through all odds. Although bravery, hope, and perseverance are all of Salva’s character traits, love was the greatest driving force that pushed him the hardest. It was his love for his family that gave him these traits that he emulated such as his father’s bravery and determination and his mother’s care. Without love, there would truly be nothing left for Salva to live for. Memories of his childhood, memories of eating rabbit around a campfire with his siblings, his mother waiting for him everyday to return from school, and then having a bowl of milk ready for him just the way he liked it. This boy witnessed people being slaughtered before his very eyes, and always remained a gentle, hard-working boy. Hope, determination, and bravery all played a crucial role in Salva’s own survival from the rebels. Throughout life, we have goals that we want to achieve and that will inspire us to be great, valiant people like Salva. The author evidently wants us to know that a combination of hope, determination, and bravery plays a key role in maintaining a person’s success.