A Long Walk to Water

In this part of the story, Salva must accept that—young as he is—he cannot afford to emulate the heroic actions of the adult women who give away some of their water to help the men dying of thirst. This experience—seeing people dying of thirst and being unable to help them—becomes a crucial source of inspiration to him later in life, as he dedicates himself to building wells and bringing water to remote Sudanese villages like Nya’s.

The episode with the Nuer demonstrates that they must fear not only the government forces from the North but also other tribes with whom they have warred for generations. These Nuer soldiers have not had the experience of bonding with strangers that the wanderers have had. For the wanderers, the relationship between Identity and Displacement is such that old allegiances and animosities no longer matter as much as their allegiance to each other. The soldiers’ experience has not taught them mercy as the wanders’ experience has. Instead, they regard everyone as either an enemy to be neutralized or a vulnerable person to be preyed upon. The novel makes it clear that tribal warfare is a constant danger. The group’s chances of reaching the Ethiopian refugee camp are greatly reduced after Jewiir’s death, as he was the only one who carried a gun and was experienced in both combat and wilderness survival. Salva’s chances are reduced even more, since his uncle always saw that he was fed and was not left behind—evidence of The Importance of Family. Uncle had been not only the leader of the party of wanderers, but also Salva’s guardian angel.

When the group finally does reach the camp, they notice the large percentage of boys present. Boys are in double danger in Sudan. Not only do they fear being killed by one of the two armies, but they also must worry about being impressed into service. Salva’s teacher purposefully sent his boy students into the bush to escape. Salva still retains hope that he can find his family in this crowd. This hope is further evidence of The Importance of Family: At this point, family is almost the only source of hope Salva has left. His desire to find his mother and the rest of the family is so keen that he thinks he sees her.