The Struggle for Survival

Nya filled the container all the way to the top. Then she tied the gourd back in place and took the padded cloth doughnut from her pocket. The doughnut went on her head first, followed by the heavy container of water, which she would hold in place with one hand.

In Chapter 3, Nya has finally reached the pond and filled the empty container with water. Every aspect of Nya’s journey so far has been a struggle. She has encountered heat, thorns, thirst, and now the weight of the water on her head. Water, the most precious of commodities, is necessary for her family’s survival. She lifts the heavy burden, precariously balancing her family’s survival on her head for the long walk home. There is stress in every step.

When she arrives home, Nya will not have the luxury of rest. She will only have time to drink sorghum mixed in boiled milk before heading back to the pond for yet another container full of water. On the next trip, Nya will hold the empty container in one hand and her sister’s hand in the other. Akeer, too, must learn how to fetch water. One day her family will depend on her. This is Nya’s life—a daily struggle for survival—and the detail in this quotation highlights both the literal and figurative weight that sits on Nya as she tries to survive.

The water from the holes in the lakebed could be collected only in tiny amounts. If her mother tried to boil such a small amount, the pot would be dry long before they could count to two hundred.

This passage, in Chapter 8, describes yet another predicament that Nya’s family must face in their struggle for survival.  Nya and her mother have taken Akeer on the long, treacherous journey to the medical clinic. They have learned that Akeer’s sickness came from drinking contaminated water. Akeer has been given medicine and is well now, but the nurse tells Nya’s mother that they must boil their water from now on. The reader can sense the panic that Nya and her mother are feeling. Nya already stands in the lakebed, waiting for the smallest pool of water to rise up from the mud. This job takes all day, and the rewards are the bare minimum of what the family needs. They can barely collect enough water as it is, and now they will have to boil it. The hardships multiply as the family’s struggles to survive continue.

Salva looked at the hollow eyes and the cracked lips of the men lying on the hot sand, and his own mouth felt so dry that he nearly choked when he tried to swallow. ‘If you give them your water, you will not have enough for yourself!’ the same voice shouted. ‘It is useless—they will die, and you will die with them!

In Chapter 9, when Salva and his group come across the nine men, collapsed on the sand, Salva himself is experiencing immense suffering in the unforgiving heat of the desert sun. A woman in Salva’s group has pushed forward to the men, five of whom are already dead. Salva and the others’ watch as she dips a cloth in her water to give to the men. The reader knows that her decision cannot be an easy one, she is suffering as much as the rest of them. Each person, though, faces the struggle to survive in his or her own way, and this woman joins her struggle to that of the dying men by sharing the little water she has. It seems miraculous that the little water she shares brings them to life and they are able to join the group. This scene is yet another example of how difficult and complex the choices are that one must make while struggling to survive.

The Triumph of Hope Over Despair

Salva felt a tiny spark of hope. With Uncle looking for his family, there was a chance they might all be together one day.

In Chapter 10, where this passage is found, Uncle has just broken the news to Salva that once they make it to Ethiopia, he will be returning to Sudan, “to fight in the war.” Salva is panicked by this news. He had experienced a period of safety and security and family connection with Uncle’s presence. Uncle has also given Salva tools for holding on to hope, such as teaching him to take one step at a time instead of focusing on the enormity of the goal. These tools have helped Salva accomplish the short-term goals he needs to reach (surviving today) in order to achieve his long-term hope of seeing his family again. When Salva discovers Uncle will not be staying with him, he is on the edge of despair, but the inner strength he has been developing helps him overcome his panic. If Uncle will search for my family upon his return to Sudan, Salva is surely thinking, then there may be hope that they will be found.

He tried not to lose hope. At the same time, he tried not to hope too much. Sometimes he felt he was being torn in two by the hoping and the not hoping.

This description of Salva appears in Chapter 14 while he awaits word about whether he will be chosen to go to the United States. The passage, though, reminds us of Salva’s entire journey to this point, always trying not to lose hope, but not wanting to hope too much because when he did and things didn’t turn out, the results were emotionally devastating. From the moment he ran into the bush back in Chapter 1, his journey has prepared him for yet another trip on hope and despair’s emotional rollercoaster. Salva has existed for much of his journey in the no man’s land between hope and despair. If, at this point in the story, Salva had given in to despair, he might not have ever fought for his name to appear on that list. How different his life would end up being because he chose hope all along the way.

Nya went back and picked up the plastic can. She felt as if she were flying. School! She would learn to read and write!

In Chapter 17, which ends with this passage, Nya has learned that, because of the well and the village’s access to clean water, a school will be built. Her father tells her that all the children will be able to go to school, even the girls. This news is something that Nya would have never thought to hope for. It is beyond her experience, beyond the realm of possibility. To this point, Nya has had no reason to hope for improvement in her and her family’s situation. Though Park doesn’t describe Nya’s hopes, the reader can imagine that they have always been limited to simple survival concerns. Ironically, Nya still must pick up the plastic can and head to the pond to fetch water this day. But the lightness in her step, “flying,” betrays the feeling of freedom she is now experiencing, brought on by the hope of what is to come.

The Significance of Family and Community

Where are we going? Where is my family? When will I see them again? … What are they going to do to us? Where is my family? … If I die now, I will never see my family again. … Where are we going? Where is my family? When will I see them again?

First appearing in Chapter 2, Salva asks these questions in the utter chaos of desperately running for safety from his burning village. Salva will repeat variations of these same questions again, later in his story. For example, in Chapter 4, Salva’s feet keep time with the thoughts in his head, which he repeats over and over: “Where is my family? Where is my family?” Notice the shift from third-person narrator to first person. The narrator does not tell us what Salva is thinking, Salva does. It is significant that Park sets apart these questions in italics and uses first person narration. She wants to be abundantly clear that these are his thoughts: As he flees, Salva’s only focus is family.

As Salva spoke, Uncle nodded or shook his head. His face became very solemn when Salva told him that he had not seen nor heard a single word of his family in all that time ... Uncle was quiet for a moment. Then he patted Salva’s shoulder. ‘Eh, Nephew!’ he said in a cheerful voice. ‘We are together now, so I will look after you!

In Chapter 6, when Salva finds his Uncle Jewiir, he is crushed to discover that his uncle has no news of the rest of their family. Uncle’s words to Salva, when he senses the boy’s disappointment, foreshadows the significant role Uncle will play in Salva’s journey over the next several chapters. Uncle recognizes that he is the only family Salva has, and that he must take on the role of Salva’s consoler, caretaker, and cheerleader if Salva is going to survive. He will stand by Salva’s side, as family members do. His words echo what his actions will reflect going forward, positivity and encouragement, always with Salva’s best interests in mind.

Uncle continued in this way for the rest of the walk. Each time, he spoke to Salva using his full name. 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.

This passage, which appears in Chapter 9, occurs as Salva and Uncle Jewiir walk, side by side, through the desert. Earlier, Salva stubbed his toe so badly that his whole toenail had come off. His pain and suffering was so intense that he could barely breathe, think, or see. Uncle, the only family connection Salva has during his journey, appears at his side, giving him the simple mental tool—look ahead to the next bush and take one step at a time. Significantly, Uncle encourages Salva to keep moving by repeating Salva’s full name with each step. Over and over again Salva hears his uncle’s voice calling out his family’s name, which gives him the strength he needs to somehow keep moving forward. In Chapter 17, Park emphasizes the powerful message of this enduring family connection. As Salva faces the daunting task of organizing the project that will bring water to Sudan, he draws on the memory of his uncle: “A step at a time. One problem at a time.”

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