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Character Analysis: A Long Walk To Water

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Linda Sue Park, the author of A Long Walk to Water, tells the story of Salva and the Lost Boys of Sudan. Salva ran from fighting in his village, alone, at the age of eleven. He faces many challenges, but he possesses certain qualities and had people with him who help him survive. Salva has his Uncle and his Uncle’s strategy, Salva has his maturity and his determination. The challenges Salva faces are very hard to get through, but Salva finds a way to survive the dangerous countries of Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya and makes it to America, away from the brutal civil war in his home country. Throughout Salva’s trek, his Uncle Jewir encourages Salva to keep going. Although Uncle is shot and killed, the memory and thought of him continue to help Salva go on. Uncle shares this one idea with Salva, his way to get through life; to just take one step, one problem at a time. Many years after Uncle died, Salva finds himself leading a …show more content…
Salva was eleven years old when he had to flee, so he basically lost his entire childhood to the war. He had to take up the role of an adult. If Salva had acted like a child and broken down, he definitely would not have made it to the end of his grueling journey. At one point, the group with Salva is treating him like he is worthless, so he keeps this mindset, “The way they 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.” (p. 66) Salva had to act much older, so his group would accept bv him. If he didn’t contribute to the group as an “adult”, than his group probably wouldn’t have abandoned him. If Salva had ever started to act like a child or had decided to just stop going because he had nobody to help him, then he wouldn’t have survived. Because Salva acted mature, he made it through this terrible situation and was able to continue on with his

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