According to Vincent Van Gogh, a world famous Dutch post impressionist painter, “Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” In A Long Walk To Water by Linda Sue Park, this quote is connected to the main character, Salva, because he had to take small steps in order to accomplish his overall goal. The most important event in the novel that goes along with the theme is when Salva stubs his toe on a rock, causing his toe nail to come off. This goes with the overall theme because Uncle said, “Do you see that group of bushes? You need only to walk as far as those bushes. Can you do that Salva Mawien Dut Ariik?” Uncle is saying this caused Salva to take smaller steps to make it to their destination. Linda Sue Park developed the theme that taking smaller steps is essential for increasing the chance of accomplishing a goal. …show more content…
One example towards the beginning of the novel is found on page seventeen. In this chapter, Salva had come up with a plan and he said, “I will go back to my village and find my family.” This is an example of the theme because Salva is not jumping to the task of finding his family, he is taking small steps in order to achieve it. Another important event that occured in the middle of the novel is when Salva’s friend, Marial, was taken during the night and eaten by a lion. In chapter 6 the narrator said, “A cold heart seemed to grip Salva’s heart.” This is connected to the theme because although Salva was completely heartbroken about his friend passing away, he still continued the journey and took small steps to complete their goal. There were also many spots in Nya’s story where there were hints at the theme