Racism In Dave Eggers's 'Zeitoun'

Well known writer, Dave Eggers, in his nonfictional odyssey, Zeitoun, illustrates a muslim man’s struggle with Islamophobia during Hurricane Katrina. Egger’s purpose was to symbolize a turning point for many Muslims in the US, and through the complete governmental collapse following Hurricane Katrina, Muslims were discriminated against like never before, through the retelling of Zeitoun, his wife, Kathy, and other Muslims’ experiences. The theme of Islamophobia is common in Zeitoun and serves as a focal point of religious biases that cause Zeitoun, Kathy, and other Muslims in New Orleans to experience prejudice because of the religious and racial biases of others. The author uses tone to connect with his audience though ethos, pathos, and …show more content…
Growing up, she attended a baptist church, and only after her close friend converted, was Kathy exposed to Islam and converted too. However, this change for Kathy meant a change in the way she treated others and how others treated her. This is exemplified in the following quote, “In the weeks following the attacks on the Twin Towers, Kathy saw very few Muslim women in public. She was certain they were hiding… The woman… had been feeling the same way, like an exile in her own country..”(Eggers 46). While the explosion of Islamophobia led to an alienation of the two women from the USA, it also sparked a connection between the two women that can be alluded to the first time Adam and Eve met in the bible. Adam, like Kathy, felt alone and destitute in his world, which prompted God to create Eve. Both Adam and Kathy were overjoyed to finally find someone with whom they had shared commonalities, even though they had never met before. However, while this experience with Islamophobia was cheerful and full of relief for both women, Kathy would soon find intolerance in a place where she would least expect it: her mother. While their relationship had been shaky at best, Kathy’s conversion had thrown a new curve in their relations with Kathy’s mother repeatedly asking “‘Why don’t you take off that thing and relax?’ she said, pointing to Kathy’s hijab. ‘[Zeitoun]’s not here. Be yourself.’” (Eggers 106). Kathy’s mother demonstrates a type of Islamophobia …show more content…
Growing up in Syria, where Islam is in the majority, meant that, from a young age, Zeitoun was a devout Muslim. Even through his family's hardships and Zeitoun’s emigration to America, Islam stayed as a large part of Zeitoun’s life. After the September 11th attacks, which prompted widespread Islamophobia, Zeitoun had been scared of what the future might hold for him. While being imprisoned at Camp Greyhound, this recurring fear tumbled through Zeitoun's head, “Zeitoun had long feared this day would come. Each of the few times he had been pulled over for a traffic violation, he knew the possibility existed that he would be harassed, misunderstood, suspected of shadowy dealings that might bloom in the imagination of any given police officer.” (Eggers 212). In this phrase, Zeitoun knows that he has been arrested because of his religion, and his complete disconnect from his wife and the outside world means that anything imaginable could happen to him, and no one would find out. This constant fear can be alluded to the fear the apostles felt after Jesus had been arrested, where none knew what would happen to them. This took place in a world where Christianity was outlawed and discriminated against, not too different from Zeitoun’s world where Islam is discriminated against. But throughout this constant prejudice at Camp Greyhound, Zeitoun stays a devout Muslim. When forced to choose between his religion and arousing less suspicion