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.