God Grew Tired of Us

Dau summarizes the political tensions that lead up to the civil war and the subsequent attacks on his village in 1987. When he first learns about the escalating war and hears the bombs, he becomes so anxious that he can’t eat. This is OK, however, because his village is so overcrowded with refugees that there isn’t much food to go around. The SPLA soldiers visit in hope of recruiting capable men, and they let everyone know that Ethiopia is safe because they are headquartered there. But the villagers don’t want to leave; they just want the war to leave them alone.

The Arab army kills indiscriminately when raiding a village. As the bombs and army move closer to Duk Payuel, “the social order that had knit the Dinka together since God created the world began to unravel” (46). Social life all but ceases because people are hungry and scared. One night the Arab army attacks Duk Payuel. Dau explains in detail the night first mentioned in the Introduction: After running into the forest and hiding with a man he thinks is his father, Dau realizes the man is not his father but instead Abraham Deng Niop, his older neighbor. Aware they can’t go back to the village, the narrator and Abraham walk east because they don’t hear gunfire in that direction.

They eventually run into other refugees: a woman, Adut, and her two little girls. Dau asks Abraham about his parents, and he assures him that they will eventually meet up with them. Although Abraham doesn’t tell Dau, he knows that his own family is dead and he believes Dau’s family to be deceased as well. As the days go by the group keeps moving, establishing a routine of searching for food, walking, and sleeping. Just when Dau begins to feel calm in their routine, they run into a group of Arab soldiers who beat Abraham and Adut but eventually let them go. They rest a couple days to regain their strength, but once they start walking again, they run into more soldiers. These soldiers beat Abraham, throwing him to the ground and stomping “on his head with their boots” (57), as well as Dau; they also take Adut and her daughters.

Dau and Abraham continue toward Ethiopia. Their journey becomes “a sort of game where the object was to go as far as we could before we died” (59). They are starving and thirsty, but Abraham gives Dau what little he can find. He also teaches Dau how to forage for his own food and water in case Abraham dies and Dau is left alone. They eventually meet another group of young refugees; they decide to “walk together for companionship and safety as we moved deeper into Nuer territory” (63). Some Nuer people are hospitable and feed them, but the group soon comes upon the Murle, “a violent tribe, whose customs included kidnapping children” (64). The Murle kill two adults in their group during one of their hunts.

As the group continues the arduous journey, Abraham teaches the boys survival skills along the way. When Dau feels like giving up, Abraham pushes him to keep going. Just when Dau thinks he will die, the group finds a swamp; they drink water and feast on turtles. They stay in the region for about two months, making hospitable relations with neighboring tribes. Afterward they finally make their way to Pinyudu, a small, scant refugee camp. There Dau is forced to look after 1,200 boys, which becomes impossible as cholera and other illnesses spread throughout the camp. Dau watches innumerous deaths, incurable cases of insanity, and the death of his best friend. However, once the United Nations (UN) begins bringing food, water, clothing, and other comforts, Dau relaxes a bit and finds himself having fun.