Genre
Dramatic play
Language
English
Setting and Context
2009. The play takes place six years following Elliot’s departure from Iraq. Also set in Puerto Rico, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Japan.
Narrator and Point of View
Narrator: Not part of the performance
Point of view: Real-world and the online world
Tone and Mood
Tone: objective
Mood: cynical
Protagonist and Antagonist
The protagonists are the Ortiz relatives (Elliot, Yazmin, and Odessa)
Major Conflict
The passing of Ginny brings confusion among the existing characters. Yaz takes charge of the shroud of being Elliot's counter piece of maintenance.
Climax
Odessa becomes the founder of a website that discusses the problematic relationships she has with Elliot and other family members. At this point, the relationship between biological mother and son is unrecoverable.
Foreshadowing
Elliot's sentiments on his aunt's eating habits foreshadowed her death
Understatement
Yaz understates the possible impact of her intended divorce on her life.
Allusions
The ghost Elliot sees is an illusion of the tough times ahead. The ghost only speaks one Arabic phrase, which cannot be easily translated.
Imagery
There is the imagery of sight when Aman sees a romantic gift around Elliot's neck.
Paradox
The predominant satire is parenting. His aunt raises Elliot while his biological mother is alive.
Parallelism
N/A
Personification
N/A
Use of Dramatic Devices
Dramatic satire is evident when Yaz insists that she is a failure and wants a divorce. Yaz's suggestion pisses Elliot off, and he does not hear about it anymore. Consequently, Yaz is clueless because she is only jealous of something she does not know about.
