'Zeitoun' by Dave Eggers

Introduction

Zeitoun is a story of a Syrian-American businessmen 'Abdul Rahman Zeitoun' who tends to work and live in New Orleans. It tends to be identified as one of the best works of Dave Eggers as it tends to decipher a true story regarding an individual who decides to fight out Hurricane Katrina by sticking in and helping his countrymen in the hour of need. Abdul Raman and his wife risked their lives for their neighbors, despite of honoring them the figure of Abdul Raman Seaton' around whom the story tends to revolve was arrested by the government authorities on the charge of theft followed by a humiliating month of detention during which authorities tries to craft that Abdul Rahman is a member of Al Qaeda. However, Zeitoun is a work of non-fiction but in many ways reads more like fiction. Thus in the context of the paper we intend to shed light on some of the perspectives which tends to craft it as a fictional work. This would be done by inculcating different perspectives in order to develop an effective and efficient understanding of the subject.

Discussion

Before moving further in the course of the paper, it is important to identify the grounds which tend to separate fiction from non-fiction. Extracting the fact form the conventional definition; defining fiction and non-fiction that fiction is deciphered as an invented piece of literature whereas, non-fiction tends to be more on the lines of realism (Eggers, p.67). Since Zeitoun revolves around a series of events in a life of an individual with a logical conclusion, it tends to be thought by many as a work of imagination. Since, Dave Eggers in the context of the book did not opted for an argumentative approach, thus, it forced the idea that this book or the idea does not extract its roots from the notions of realism. Dave Eggers in his approach towards the book did make use of flashbacks regarding the events which revolved around Zeitouns childhood. Since the flashback also included a figure of a Mohammad being the brother of Abdul Rahman Zeitoun. It further raises the doubts for a story to be more on the fictional lines. The idea is supported by the fact that flashbacks tends to deal with the details which can only be crafted or the listings of the elements tends to be such that it helps the story to ...