Choose a representative passage from this novel that holds particular significance to you. Type it in and comment on its significance.

It was an entirely new kind of question, one their ancestors presumably never had to face. For this reason there was nothing in Sawi legends which could guide this present generation in its approach to the Tuan question. They were on their own, and they felt themselves trembling under the responsibility of a decision which could dramatically affect their own destinies and the fate of their little ones. (Page 40)


Despite the fact that I’m a Christian, I also sometimes feel anxious and nervous whenever I have to make a decision. Although fearing the consequence of making “bad” decision is normal, we need to remember what God said in the Bible. He said that we should not worry because God has a special plan for each and every one of us, and He will guide us to the right path. Often times in my life, I tend to forget about the presence of God and get worried about my future. I worry about my future college and everything even though deep inside of my heart believes that God will be with me all the time. Wasn’t Jesus the one who halted the bleak storm by simply telling the wind to stop? He can control EVERYTHING in this universe, yet we humans with little faith try to live apart from Him and concern about our future lives. The students of the Christ in the Bible were worried about their lives when there was harsh storm even though Jesus Christ was with them. Thus we need to rely and believe in God that He will absolutely take our lives and be with us not only throughout this life on earth, but also throughout the eternal life in Heaven.

What reflection can you make with this novel?

Through this novel, I once again started to reconsider and question myself about my faith toward God. Would I be able to jump right into a strange “uncivilized” region like the Sawi to spread Christianity? Miserably my behaviors to others do not correspond with my faith toward God. I call myself a Christian, but I don’t implement things that I truly value and believe. But as I read this book, I was astonished by Don Richardson choosing to be with the Sawi for several years. If I had a choice to decide how I would want to spend the rest of my life, I would absolutely choose to spend my life in a nice lodge beside a beautiful beach with my future husband rather than to live among the man-eaters. But the mission of Don Richardson made me to realize the goal of the Christians. In the Bible, Acts, there is a verse that describes what Christians should do, and it says that we should spread the God’s love all over the world. The book definitely helped my faith to grow stronger since it challenged me to rethink about my current statue of being the Christian.

How different is your modern culture from the Sawi?

Without analyzing the culture of the Sawi and that of ours profoundly, I first consider that there were so many differences between our culture and the culture of the Sawi. Unlike the modern culture, the Sawi practiced cannibalism and behaved “primitively”. However, as I compare and contrast more about the difference between the two cultures, I made conclusion that all of us, are equivalent because we are the same human beings that are created by God. Even though there is no practicing cannibalism and slaughtering others in our modern culture, there are without doubt sinful acts that are even more sickening actions such as rape, child abuse, and more. Also in our modern culture, we do sometimes deceive one and other, by simply stabbing on their back. The scenery of people using ruse and chicanery to others in order to have their own benefits is ubiquitous in present days. Even “civilized” people like us are acting exactly like the “uncivilized” Sawi. Consequently there is no difference between them and us because we are all human beings and it’s the human nature to sin against God. This is when the Christianity comes in. Every single person on the Earth is a sinner, and without Jesus Christ in our souls, we will always be “uncivilized”.