Surviving Hurricane Katrina in “Zeitoun”
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| Cover of the book, depicting Zeitoun during the flood |
In the true story “Zeitoun” by Dave Eggers, the protagonist Zeitoun, recounts the days both prior to Hurricane Katrina, the impact of the hurricane in New Orleans, and the many lives that he was able to save during the hurricane because he elected to stay in the city. The author introduces Zeitoun as a stubborn man, one who would not be swayed to leave his home by any storm. While the rest of his family evacuates New Orleans in anticipation of the oncoming storm, Eggers emphasizes Zeitoun’s unwillingness to be swayed by news reports of the magnitude of the storm and the city mandated evacuation orders. Eggers explains that Zeitoun feels that he has responsibility to protect the valuables left in their house while the rest of the family evacuates. While most of the houses in the city were damaged beyond repair, Zeitoun managed to save most of the valuables in his house during the flooding. The author even emphasizes the notion that Zeitoun believed it was God’s will for him to remain in the city. After his family evacuates the city, Zeitoun assures them that he will be perfectly fine surviving on his own, and that there is nothing to worry about. Of course this only makes his wife worry more, but after the storm he finds one of the few remaining landlines and calls her, putting worries to rest. Eggers points out that even though she does not support her husband staying in New Orleans, she believes that he will be fine on his own, and she trusts him to watch over their house. Due to his own stubbornness, Zeitoun was able to save the lives of many townsfolk that were unable to flee the path of Hurricane Katrina. Eggers concludes that even though Zeitoun began with no clear motive for remaining in the city, Zeitoun was able to do a lot of good for many residents of New Orleans by staying behind.
