Zeitoun Analysis

Marcellus Lopez Mr. Buckley Honors American Literature September 20, 2011 Abdulrahman Zeitoun, Not Clark Kent Zeitoun, a tempestuous novel by author Dave Eggers is a heroic tale of reliance and courage set during Hurricane Katrina of August 2005, in New siege of siege of Orleans, Louisiana. The hardy onlyy of the chronicle is Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian man, living in Louisiana with his wife, Kathy, and his common chord daughters and stepson. Zeitoun, a former sailor, employ to beleaguers and seas, at the time of the hurricane owned a contracting business, building, repairing, and painting.Zeitouns heroism and bravery have do very blank to me that being a hero is well, really damn stupid. If non that, then(prenominal) at the very least, being a hero is inadvisable and unwise. Zeitoun went cold out of his way to help others in a whirlwind of charity and self-assurance. In doing so, he caused great damage to himself and those closest to him. Zeitoun went above and beyon d what was asked of him to function members of his community, ignoring the one thing asked of him by his brainsick wife, who demanded he evacuate with her and the family.Just as he had gotten into the momentum of routinely feeding some dogs abandoned by their owners daily, Zeitoun was arrested under false charges, rendering him unable to contact Kathy. His absence left over(p) his family distressed and disoriented. Kathy panicked hour by hour, praying to hear from her husband, with no such luck until much(prenominal) later. While Abdulrahman was missing, his family overseas was just as worried around him. His brother would call Kathy, personally urged to bend the truth about her husbands whereabouts. While Zeitoun was imprisoned, his family scrambled to get but a word from, him, non to mention the dogs died.I would stop and think at times in the story, does Zeitoun bind the time to assess whether the possible consequences are worth the vertical he is trying to do? His time in prison shows him reflecting on the good hed done, as well as praying for a better situation, but I do non recall one time at which he says to himself that he definitely should have left New Orleans. Did he not expect at all that in all the paranoia of a particular hurricane in a post-9/11 society that a Middle easterly Muslim man would be a target for bigotry and used as a scapegoat?Although, his imprisonment was completely unwarranted, along with the charges brought against him and accusations made against him, nothing should have been a surprise to Zeitoun. Zeitoun was either unequipped with the knowledge that this countrys ideals of justice are far from perfect and that the executive branch of our giving medication is very prone to quick, harsh decisions and quick, definitive judgments or just not very thoughtful. The results of Zeitouns poor decision to stay in New Orleans stuck to Kathy for the rest of what we read of her life in Zeitoun.Kathys mental healthy was sacrifi ced all because Zeitoun foolishly remained in the city, with knowledge that a particularly dangerous storm was approaching. By the end of the story, I couldnt help but notice how much Abdulrahmans courage and religious belief resemble naivete. He stayed in New Orleans to ride out Katrina because he was obstinate and over-confident. Its neat to say that having been a sailor, he was rugged enough to handle a hurricane, but with a family and the understanding that many other people get mixed up in the spiraling torrent of a natural disaster, it is also fair to say that he could not have been prepared enough.Zeitoun tells that he tangle called by God to help people in the storm, but this, I deduce, was no more(prenominal) than a rush he felt from finish a successful rescue. Everyone wants to be a hero. The sensation of doing good for others does more good for the good-doer than should be done. One of my favorite lyrics says, When you help others, you cant help portion yourself. F or a man to be so complacent with an unpredictable gouge of nature that he would be willing to let it come and pick up what happens is indubitably foolish.Abdulrahman refusing to evacuate with his wife very closely resembles a sister on a playground, shouting to his mother, No, Mommy I dont wanna go Zeitoun, an illuminating novel by author Dave Eggers is a tale about how faith and courage can really screw things up. The foolhardy protagonist of the chronicle, Abdulrahman Zeitoun, shows us how being over-confident and letting ourselves become too comfortable can lastingly repercuss on the lives of our wife and family. Zeitouns over-confidence and naivete have made it dead clear that trying to be a hero is really damned stupid.