What Is Salva's Journey In A Long Walk To Water

What is a personal journey? A personal journey is the way a person changes throughout a series of events that take place in their life. In the beginning of the book, A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park, Salva was just a young boy who attended school daily and depended on his parents for food. But when war struck his village, he would have to be separated from his family and live on his own until he found them again. By the end of the book, Salva had grown into a much more mature person. Salva’s personal journey impacted him by helping him become more independent, shaping him into a leader, and strengthening his abilities.
Throughout Salva’s journey in A Long Walk to Water, he became more of a leader. He led himself and the lost boys across …show more content…
He relied on himself to get those boys to the camp. When the war in Sudan struck, Salva was stranded from his family and had to supply for himself. On page 7 of A Long Walk to Water, it states, “When he got to the door, he looked out. Everyone was running- men, children, women carrying babies. The air was full of dust that had been kicked up by all those running feet. Some of the men were shouting and waving guns. Salva saw all this with one glance. Then he was running, too. Running as hard as he could, into the bush. Away from home.” Salva had to run away from the war if he wanted to live. This meant being stranded from his family. Salva now would have to figure out how to survive on his own through the war, if he wanted a chance to possibly reunite with them one day. After fleeing his village, he had stumbled upon a group from his own tribe to travel with. However not long after, he was stranded by them in a barn and then had to continue travelling away from the war alone. On page 13 of the book, it 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 left him. He was alone.” Salva had been travelling with a group of other members of his …show more content…
He swam across the river to safety, which took a lot of courage and strength to travel it. On page 78 of the story, it states, “Salva had no choice. He jumped into the water and began to swim. A boy next to him grabbed him around the neck and clung to him tightly. Salva was forced under the surface without time to take more than a quick, shallow breath. Salva struggled- kicking, clawing. He’s holding on to me too hard… I can’t… air… no air left… Suddenly, the boy’s grip loosened, and Salva launched himself upward. He threw his head back and took a huge gulp of air. For a few moments he could do nothing but gasp and choke. When his vision cleared, he saw why the boy had let go: He was floating with his head down, blood streaming from a bullet hole in the back of his neck. Stunned, Salva realized that being forced under the water had probably saved his life. But there was no time to marvel over this. More crocodiles were launching themselves off the banks. The rain, the mad current, the bullets, the crocodiles, the welter of arms and legs, the screams, the blood… He had to get across somehow. Salva did not know how long her was in the water. It felt like hours. It felt like years.” If Salva wanted to live, he had to cross the river to get to safety. He had to be both physically and mentally prepared. He needed to swim across before he was killed, and had to concentrate on traveling instead of the dangers in