In 2005, Hurricane Katrina was the cause of many deaths and destruction. Homes were destroyed and lives were ruined. David Egger’s Zeitoun tells the story of a family that survived this natural disaster. The main character, Abdulrahman Zeitoun decided to stay in New Orleans and help his community while his wife, Kathy, left for safety with their children. Although he had good intentions, Zeitoun makes a bad decision to stay in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina because he suffers tremendously and causes his entire family stress and despair.
Zeitoun is arrested for no good reason and as a result, he suffers physically and mentally. Zeitoun suffers a few injuries while he is in jail and it could be the death of him. Zeitoun suffers a lot of physical pain during the hurricane. The book says, “Then he cut through to the dark object lodged inside, and after soaking his foot in blood he pried it out.”(Eggers 238). It shows what injuries he suffers. Zeitoun has a piece of metal stuck in his foot and has to remove it himself. He has to use shards of glass from a Tabasco bottle. Later after he is moved to another prison, Zeitoun suffers from a severe pain in his side. He does not know the cause, but he is in extreme pain. In the book it says, “The stabbing pain in his side, which Zeitoun had first felt at Greyhound, had now amplified …show more content…
In the book it explains how Zeitoun helped the community by saying, “Zeitoun talked gently to the woman, assuring her that she would be taken care of.” (Eggers 100). An old woman has been floating on furniture for hours and Zeitoun saves her. As a result Zeitoun’s community gets a little bit more help. Although it is a valid point Zeitoun still causes a lot of suffering and stress. If Zeitoun knew how the whole thing would play out it would just be a matter of him choosing his family or community and I feel like his family would be a better