Question

Read the excerpt from part 1 of Zeitoun.

He looked in the backyard. There was the canoe. It called to him, floating and ready. It was a rare opportunity, he thought, to be able to glide over the roads. . . .

Leaving the yard was difficult. A tree across the street had been ripped from its roots and lay across the road, branches spread over his driveway. He paddled around them and looked back to the house. No great damage to the exterior. Some shingles missing from the roof. The windows broken. A gutter that would need remounting. Nothing too bad, three days’ work.

What conclusion can readers draw about this character vs. nature conflict?
Nature exerts power and control over Zeitoun.
Nature offers protection to Zeitoun’s family.
Zeitoun believes he can manage nature’s strength.
Zeitoun feels overwhelmed by nature’s power.

Answer 1

Zeitoun believes he can manage nature’s strength.

He treats the flooded streets and a tree across the road as obstacles he can handle (using the canoe, paddling around branches) and downplays the home damage as “nothing too bad, three days’ work,” showing confidence and control rather than being overwhelmed.