Themes In A Long Walk To Water

The Broad Types of Family that Salva Experiences Throughout his Life

By: Aiza Iftikhar

In the novel “ A Long Walk To Water”, we read about Salva and Nya’s story. We also learn about how Salva experiences various forms of family. In the start of the book Salva experienced his biological family which was the family that he was born in. Later on in the book he became part of a refugee family which was the family that he met when he was fleeing South Sudan. Finally, he experienced an adoptive family which was the family that adopted him when he was relocated from the refugee camp to New York. In this essay I will be explaining how family is very important to Salva, and I will emphasize the importance of family for everyone.

At the start of the

Salva’s Uncle- Uncle Jewiir was the younger brother of Salva’s father. Uncle Jewiir and Salva didn't see each other very often as his uncle was in the army. Since Salva’s sisters didn't go to school, they stayed

The “lost boys” were boys who had lost their home and families because of the Second Sudanese Civil War. Many of them walked thousands of miles to reach refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya where they lived for years. In this book, Salva is one of the lost boys, He joins a group of refugees who are walking to a refugee camp in Ethiopia. The refugees help Salva survive by teaching him how to find food and water and how to avoid dangers. While Salva was with the refugee’s he met some people who changed his life. Some of them are Michael who is an Irish aid worker and Marial who is Salva’s friend. Salva met Micheal while he was in the IFO refugee camp . Micheal was an aid worker working at the camp. Micheal taught Salva how to read the English alphabet. He also taught Salva how to play volleyball.Salva meets Marial while he is traveling with the lost boys in search of water and safety. When Salva met Marial they became friends. Marial has a significant impact on Salva. Marial’s quiet strength and determination inspired Salva to keep going even when things seemed impossible. When Marial died Salva was devastated but it was a reminder of the harsh realities of the war. Marial’s memory continues to inspire Salva to be strong and to persevere through difficult times. This shows how the lost boys and people from the refugee camps helped Salva throughout his