A Long Walk To Water By Linda Sue Park

In the historical fiction book, A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, the main character Salva is persistent throughout the entire story. When 11-year-old Salva, who is a member of the Dinka tribe, is forced out of his country by the fatal South Sudanese war, he is confronted with many life-threatening obstacles. Yet, he still finds a way to make headway and persevere. When grieving with the loss of his uncle, and leading a group of young men out of a refugee camp, Salva persevered. One way Salvator persevered, is when grieving with the loss of his uncle. When Salvator escaped the war in his hometown of Loun Arik, he met up with his uncle by chance. Because of this, Salva occupies a companion on this grueling walk. Salva and his uncle plan to head east to Ethiopia to a protected refugee camp.

Not only did Salvatore have to deal with the grieving of losing a loved one, but he also had to witness it. This hostile interaction with the Nuer tribe brings up the idea that he could be next and that violence in his area is everywhere and not uncommon. Salva had to continue the vile walk without any family to rely on as shown on page (65 Park) “The time for grief was short, and the walking began soon after dark.” Despite all of the setbacks, Salva kept walking. Salva persevered in the process. Furthermore, Salvator persevered when he had to lead a group of almost fifteen hundred young boys who had survived the Gilo River massacre to a refugee camp in Kenya (Park 80). This walk was easy, it was a 1,000-mile intolerable and exhausting