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Situational Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Dinka and Nuer:
A Long Walk to Water closes with heartwarming situational irony in Chapter 18. With the water pump’s construction complete, Nya learns more about the site’s construction leader and stumbles into a surprise:
The Dinka and the Nuer were enemies—had been for hundreds of years.
“Why would a Dinka bring water to us?” she wondered aloud.
“I heard Uncle and Father talking about him,” Dep said.
“He has drilled many wells for his own people. This year he decided to drill for the Nuer as well.”
Nya’s discovery is equally unexpected and ironic. Here, the bitter enemy of Nya’s clan ends up providing the most life-sustaining resource to her village. In a novel that has tracked the decades-long bloodshed between these two feuding factions, the situational irony of this moment sends a jolt of grace and charity. Its conclusion finds hope amid the horror and hate.
This irony also ties the story’s double plots in neat closure. Surprise doubles upon itself when Nya walks up to meet the construction head. As the Dinka construction worker introduces himself as Salva, A Long Walk to Water brings its main characters together. Members of enemy clans cross paths, bridge their differences, and create the infrastructure for a better future.
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