Character List

Abdulrahman Zeitoun - First introduced as a young child living in Syria. However, it later skips 34 years and describes his lifestyle and painting business in New Orleans. He is a tall, solid built man, but he does not eat much at all.
Kathy - Zeitoun's wife; she has a kids from a previous marriage, who lives with Zeitoun.
Zachary - Kathy's wife from another marriage. He is the oldest son and is 15.
Nademah, Aisha, Safiya - Zeitoun and Kathy's three kids. Nademah is the oldest of the three.
Ahmad - One of Zeitoun's 9 brothers and sisters. However, Ahmad is the only one that he talks to on a consistant basis.
Mahmoud - Zeitoun's father. He was a legendary sailor in Syria, and he continuously survived countless dangerous situations at the sea.
Melvin - one of Zeitoun's workers. He is a Guatemalan painter.
Charlie - Zeitoun's former boss. He once saw Zeitoun running 4 miles to work after his bike got a flat tire.

Soapstone {pages 1-50)

Speaker - The book is described through a narrator. However, there are excerpts from Zeitoun, his workers, and his wife (Kathy)

Occassion - The book starts out describing the lifestyle of a young boy (Zeitoun) and his brother (Ahmad) in Syria. However, it quickly jumps 34 years later, and describes the lifestyle of the main character (Abdulrahman Zeitoun) in New Oreans. The setting is now in the summer (late August) of 2005.

Audience - The speaker is directing his story towards an american, who may or may not live in Louisiana. He understands that it is written towards a person who is interested or familiar with Hurricane Katrina.

Purpose - The purpose of the story is to share a families experience while living through Hurricane Katrina. It describes not only the terrible hurricane, but the living conditions and decisions one must make in order to survive.

Subject - The topic of the novel is about Abdulrahman Zeitoun's experience in Hurricane Katrina. He must balance the decision of what is best for his family and what is best for his painting business. The novel also discusses his struggle to live and help others through Hurrican Katrina.

Tone - the tone of the novel is nerve-wracking and anxious. The characters must wait and decide whether or not it is best to stay in New Orleans or to leave the city and find a place to escape to.

Zeitoun {opening scenes}

As one starts to read Zeitoun, they feel as though they are immersed in the main character's (Abdulrahman Zeitoun) situation. The novel depicts his story as his painting business is booming as a big storm (huricane Katrina) seems to be approaching. At first Zeitoun and his family were told that it would be a minor storm, but as it approached, rumors were spreading that it was going to hit hard. Zeitoun is left with a decision, whether or not to leave New Orleans in case the storm is severe, or to stay and continue his work on boarding up houses in preparation for the storm.

Zeitoun Reading Guide

Thursday 4/28 pages: 1-53
Monday 5/2 pages: 54-107
Wednesday 5/4 pages: 108-161
Friday 5/6 pages: 162-215
Tuesday 5/8 pages: 216-270
Thursday 5/10 pages: 271-325