Question

Infer: What was Salva going to do with his water before they left the men dying on the desert ground? Why did his uncle stop him?

Answer 1

Answer:

Salva reaches for his gourd, but Uncle tells him that he will need his water. Three women give water to the men, who, now revived, stand up and join the group. Salva walks past the five dead men. He wonders if he would share his water if he were older and stronger.

Explanation:

When Salva’s group finds men lying in the desert sand, near the point of death, the situation presents a moral dilemma. Are those in Salva’s group morally bound to share their water and perhaps save the lives of the wanderers they have stumbled upon? This choice would possibly endanger their own lives. Or does their moral obligation lie with saving their own lives, and thus not sharing their water? Would sharing a little bit of water even help the men who seemed like they were dying anyhow? There are two different responses—three people in Salva’s group choose to share their water, the others don’t. Park leaves it to the reader to contemplate if there was a “right” response or a “smart” response. Salva, whose uncle has told him to keep his water, wonders what he would have done if he were older and had more of a choice in the matter.

Hope this helps.