“Each time, Salva would think of his family and his village, and he was somehow able to keep his wounded feet moving forward, one painful step at a time” (Linda Sue Park p.41) A personal journey is what a character goes through to change or improve themselves. The character Salva from A Long Walk to Water was a young boy that lived in the dinka tribe in Sudan. When he was at school he had heard gunshots and had to leave the country without any knowledge of where his family is. A personal journey is an adventure that teaches a character valuable lesson. In the book A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park we follow Salva’s journey after he has to flee the country after war breaks out. Salva’s journey impacted him by making him more self sufficient, brave, and courageous.
Salva’s journey taught him how to be more self-sufficient. In the beginning of the book he relied on others more. One thing in the story that made him more self-sufficient was when his group had left him behind in the barn. The text states, “Even before he was fully awake, Salva could feel that something was wrong. He lay very still with his eyes closed, trying to sense what it might be. Finally, he sat up and opened his eyes. No one else was in the barn. Salva stood so quickly that for a moment he felt dizzy. He rushed to the door and looked out. Nobody. Nothing. They had all left him. He was alone” (Linda Sue Park pg.13) This helped Salva be more independent and it also realized that if he wanted to join