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Part 2: Tuesday September 6
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Zeitoun, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Family, Community, and Home
Crime, Justice, and Injustice
Faith, Perseverance, and Dignity
Human vs. Natural Tragedy
Islam and Islamophobia
Summary
Analysis
Kathy worries that Zeitoun hadn’t called her the day before, but Yuko tells her not to worry. At 9 a.m., Ahmad calls from Spain, and tells her that he talked to Zeitoun the day before. He got off the phone quickly, Ahmad said, since there was someone at the door.
Kathy has been waiting for the daily noontime call, and thanks to Ahmad’s constant communication with the family, she’s able to immediately realize that something might be wrong. As usual, the media’s sensationalizing leads to more paranoia and worry for her.
Themes
Terrified, Kathy calls the Claiborne house again and again. Yuko tries to reassure her that the phone must have finally died. Yuko takes the kids to the mall, since Kathy’s pacing is making them anxious. Kathy calls Walt and then Adnan (Zeitoun’s cousin), telling him she’s ashamed they couldn’t stay with her.
Yuko shows herself to be a vital, compassionate friend to Kathy, allowing her to do everything she can to figure out what might have happened to her husband, while taking charge of the kids herself.
Themes
Kathy tries to distract herself by finding Oprah Winfrey’s show, but instead she finds herself watching a news report, with New Orleans police chief Eddie Compass saying that babies were being raped in the Superdome, and Mayor Nagin saying that people were trapped and fighting like animals. Kathy turns off the TV for good. In the afternoon the kids return. Yuko again tries to comfort her friend.
Every time Kathy tries to distract herself, she realizes that the media focus on Katrina and New Orleans is all-consuming—every day the news reports seem to grow more sensational and appalling, which cannot help but stoke her fears about Zeitoun.
Themes
