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1
What do you think is the most important part of Eliot's history that drives his behavior and decisions in this play?
At the beginning of the play, Elliot seemed to be a calm and charming guy, yet as the play progressed the audience gets a grasp of the numerous traumas of his past. That being stated, it initially seemed like the most important factor of his past that influences his behavior was the fact that he was a veteran and had some type of post-traumatic stress disorder, due to the continuous reappearance of the ‘ghost’ (that was caused by his PTSD). Though that contributed significantly to who he is in the play, the event that truly pushed Elliot to become who he is, is Odessa abandoning him and his sister (who had died almost immediately from dehydration). Elliot found a mother in Ginny, but ever since Odessa left the feeling of ultimate betrayal has been embedded in his heart, which is why he’s bitter towards her and doesn’t open up to anyone except Yaz.
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2
What do you think is the most important message of this play?
This play has exhibited a rich variety of messages that all hold a level of importance of their own, but the message that held a momentous amount of significance is the concept of solace. Most of the characters had found a zone of solace present through drug use, but found a better place of comfort through the people that are there for them. To elaborate, Yaz and Elliot found a source of comfort in each other and often dealt with one another even when they had negative emotions. Not to mention, the infamous ‘users’ group chat between Odessa, Madeliene, Clayton, and John allowed them to help each other and served as a safe haven for all of them.
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3
This play was packed with multiple surprising events, but what played out to be the most surprising is the fact that John is the one to take care of Odessa in the end. When John enters the group chat he’s incredibly patronized and even when he’s ‘finally included’ he still seems to be antagonized. Therefore, it was such a shock that Madeliene and Clayton coerced him to go and take care of her. Not only that, but John had recently started talking to Odessa and did not get to know her to the extent that Clayton and Madeliene did. It was extremely unfortunate for John to have to take care of this woman that no one else wanted to take responsibility for, yet it made sense because as someone who was only a few days sober; taking care of Odessa became a sort of distraction.
What would you describe as a surprising aspect or development in this story?
Water by the Spoonful Essay Questions
by Quiara Alegría Hudes
Essay Questions
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