Zeitoun

Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, is a book that illustrates one man’s faith when faced with a disaster. Abdulrahman Zeitoun, the main character of the story, is a devout Muslim who strongly believes in God. He was born and grew up in Jableh, Syria, where he worked as a sailor for many years before migrating to New Orleans, Louisiana. Abdulrahman believes that everything happens for a reason, and feels a duty to serve his God and live out his purpose. He established his own painting contractor business called the Zeitoun A. Painting contractor LLC, where he lives in New Orleans, Louisiana with his wife Kathy and their four children. Abdulrahman grew up to be a skillful man due to his exposure to several different professions that took place in his hometown Jableh. He apprenticed with fishing, ship rigging, painting, masonry, plumbing, roofing, and tile work. The character trait that dominates Abdulrahman Zeitoun is diligence. An example of Abdulrahman’s diligence was when he went to work one day on his bicycle and got a flat tire. His only option left while having to get four miles across the city in twenty minutes was to run to work. He threw his bicycle over his shoulders and began to run. He figured that he could not be late, and his boss even mentioned that he could have easily used an excuse, but Zeitoun still ran down the streets of New Orleans with a bicycle on his back in order to get to work. Even when he realized he would surely be late he continued to run, not wanting to be any later than he had to be. Zeitoun wanted to meet his fullest potential with every objective he had, and he would make the goal he set for himself every time, regardless of how high the standard. He is a very determined man who will always keep working to achieve his goal no matter what obstacles are in his way (26-28). Another example of Abdulrahman’s diligence was when one of his clients asked him if her stairway and guest room could be painted in a period of five days, which he agreed