Spoonful of Water

In scene fourteen Elliot is once again confronted by the Ghost that has been haunting him the entire play. This time the Ghost actually attacks him, muttering the phrase “Momken men-fadluck ted-dini gawaz safari?” which means “May I have my passport back, please?” in Arabic. The ghost has been haunting him the entire length of the play, but this is the breaking point. It’s obvious that this is the ghost of an Iraqi he killed while serving in Iraq as a Marine. By the phrase that he mutters to Elliot it appears that he was an innocent citizen. You find out a few scenes before this one that Elliot became addicted to painkillers after being injured in Iraq.

The reason the Ghost confrontation was so climatic this time compared to all the others is because the stress and guilt that Elliot is under at this time. The woman that raised him has just died and his birth mother has just relapsed into crack-cocaine use. He blames himself for his birth mother’s relapse. The sadness and guilt that he is feeling at this point is higher than it has been during the plot of the play. This is why the Ghost actually attacks him at this point; Elliot is at a breaking point at this time. During the struggle between the Ghost and Elliot the Ghost touches Elliot’s face and studies him intently. The Ghost leaves after this and leaves Elliot in a panic. This made it seem like the Ghost was judging him and Elliot could not handle the guilt of his actions. This happened at this point because Elliot had not yet come to terms with what has happened to him. His grief, guilt, and addiction must be cured.