There were many incidents that have impacted the life of Achak Deng.

One of the
many distinctive examples of incidents that has altered his personality and his view in life
would start from the crisis that was started by the civil unrest brought by the religious
tension. This incident has forced Achak to flee from his home and due to this incident,
following his father. Deng Arau decided to bring only two of his wives and seven of his
children to leave Marial Bai and move to Aweil, a nearby city. However Achaks mother was
not selected and although she was not satisfied by this decision, she remains quiet and did not
say anything to Deng Arau. At that time, Sudan was split into Muslim north and Dinka south.
Hence, the only way for them to survive is to find another place to live. This is the first time
where Achak was separated from the comfort of his home and his mother, indicating that his
life after this will change forever.
This particular incident is significant to the development of Achak Dengs life due to
many reasons. Firstly, it touches on the superiority of male in a society. Achak, being an
innocent little boy at that time was puzzled by the situation yet he conformed to his fathers
wishes. He was not aware of the fact that when his father made the decision about which
members of his family to take, his father has essentially made a decision about which family
he wants to live and which member of the family he wants to leave behind and possibly die.
In that situation, it shows how man are considered more superior than the woman. They have
the final say, even when the ultimatum involves life and death situation.
Although from the story, the superiority of male was only subtly touched by Eggers,
this situation has evidently impacted Achak Dengs development of personality. After Tabitha
was murdered, Achak tried his best not to put any blame on Tabithas death but in the end, he
has his doubts, believing that it was partially her fault for being in a relationship with an exSPLA soldier and not to infuriate a man. She should have known better. While Achak

unmistakably treated Tabitha better than her past lover, the fact that he is blaming Tabitha for
her own death is a toxic way to think about victims of a domestic abuse.
Furthermore, this incident is significant to the development of Achaks life is because
the separation from his mother marks the start of his suffering and became one of the lost
boys. In an instant, Achak went from being a happy-go-lucky child at his mothers side to be
an animal-like, a person trying to endure each and every day. He had to be continuously
thinking about where his next meal would come from and how to avoid being captured or
killed. Therefore, this incident is significant for his development because this marks the
stolen phase of his childhood life. From this incident, he will have to search for his own
definition of what which is to find another place where he can call as home. However, readers
know that no matter where he goes, he will never be able to find his home because his home
is defined by the existence of people that he loved and cherished.