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Karen Eggers 's ' Zeitoun ' Essay

Decent Essays

Kimberley A. Turner
Elizabeth Miossec-Backer
WR 121
19 October 2016
ZEITOUN-KATHY
In Dave Eggers nonfiction novel Zeitoun, Kathy is an American woman who converts from Christianity to Islam before marrying her Syrian-born Muslim husband, Abdulrahman Zeitoun. Together, they have three daughters and own and operate a painting company in New Orleans.
In her earlier years, Kathy found herself divorced with an infant son working fifty hours a week. “….her life was a struggle, and she was looking for some order and answers.”(Eggers 61). Kathy started becoming disheartened by the preacher at her evangelical church she was attending for the congregation 's lack of charitable donations. She began talking to her lifelong friend Yuko who also was raised Christian about her concerns and questions. “disappointed with the aspects of Christianity she knew, in some of the things she’d seen”. (64). She felt disgraced for not being listened and understood by her pastor (66). They both realized that Islam and Christianity were quite similar “So by fits and starts; she followed Yuko into Islam.” (66). Kathy was initially ignorant about Islam faith, and her conversion was inspired by curiosity and intellectual capability rather than the religious beliefs. "...she assumed Syria was entirely Muslim, but she was wrong about this and so many things..." (192
In Islam, Kathy knew that she had found calm. The doubt is sewn into the faith gave her room to think, to question, which Qur 'an provided

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