Character Analysis Of Salva Dut

1,200.This may just be a number to some but few, it’s how many lives were saved by a young boy named Salva Dut. Salva was a young boy who has gone through the near impossible which has made him a survivor. He also has shown many leadership qualities such as leading the lost boys to safety and taking hold of his future. Salva has also overcame many challenges of a high difficulty. These challenges are documented in a book called “A long walk to water” by Linda Sue Park. Salva Dut used to be an uneducated boy, but now he is a well educated man in his 40’s. When he was younger he had faced harder challenges than any person should face such as almost dying. “He’s holding on to me too hard… I can’t… air… no air left,”(78) Salva quoted. When Salva

Not his death but the deaths of his loved ones. “Marial was gone, vanished into the night,” (40)and also “As S alva watched one the men aimed his gun at uncle, three shots rang out,”(63) are two examples of deaths he has grieved through. It is impossible to tell how many lost boys’ lives were lost traveling to the new camp. Salva has also gone through abandonment, one example is when the adults in the group (the one before Uncle died) kind of just leave him to fight for himself. This example works because they would not give him any resources they found because they thought he was a burden to the group. Another example is when the first group left him while he was asleep. “Why had they without waking him?”

Salva has traveled by himself, in small and large groups, and also into adulthood. Considering he has survived the near impossible from almost dying to losing loved ones to going to america and finally to his current point of helping his village by building water pumps, he has gone far. “There it was. Salva Dut-Rochester, New York. Salva was going to New York. He was going to America!” (89) This quote shows how excited he was to go to America, to a new beginning. He was so excited and happy when he found out his people didn’t have to share seats and when they got multiple changes of clothes because he had the same old clothes for years. He was excited over Coca-Cola because it reminded him of his family when his father brought it back from the market. “Coca-Cola! Long ago, Salva’s father had once brought back a few bottles of Coca-Cola back from his trip to the market.”(93) As he is drinking his soda, he remembers that time before the war when they were all laughing together. Salva probably missed and still misses those moments because of everything that has happened. “Salva blinked away the tears and took his first steps into a new life in America.” (96) Salva was probably tearing up because of the cold or maybe the thought of his family and how far he has come. He came from almost nothing and now he is living the dream life but without his true family. That’s why he came back to Africa to help his family and other tribes get clean