Critical Essay on Water by the Spoonful

What were the most important themes that you identified when reading this play? How and why are they important to you?

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One of the most important themes I have so far identified from the Water by the Spoonful is the role of our past encounters. In the play, the past haunts almost each of the characters. Arguably, this serves as the play's central theme. Referring to Elliot, for instance, he is haunted by an Arabic phrase, which is both stuck and persistent in his memory years after serving in the Iraq War. Very simply, he is struggling with the memories of death he would have prevented.

What was your most favorite element or part in the play?

According me, the second scene is the most favorite part of the play. On a broader note, the second storyline revolves around an internet forum created by Odessa, who the audience later learns is Elliot's birth mother. Referring to her son, Odessa remains an unworthy mother, who should not be celebrated (Hudes 405). In contrast, she goes against the odds of a dialed parent and becomes a key inspirational figure to drug addicts to a wide range of people across the globe, particularly those that yearn for a new chance in life. Reaching out to the online inhabitants like Orangutan, Chutes and Ladders, and Fountainhead, she creates the best possible opportunity for all these characters to interact and learn from one another, identifying key ways to avoid drug addiction.

What was your least favorite?

The least favorite element of the play involves Yaz searching the meaning of the Arabic words, which haunt Elliot. I strongly believe the playwright would have allowed the main protagonist to find the meaning by himself. Introducing another character who identifies a professor to translate the words as "Can I please have my passport back" makes Elliot helpless (Hudes 404).

What character (s) did you resonate with the most and why?

In the play, I tend to resonate with Elliot Ortiz the most. Through the play, it is evidently clear that during his quiet moments of meditation or reflection, he is visited by a ghost, which the reader learns hails from his involvement in the Iraq War. The ghost in question echoes words in Arabic, which imply that he killed a person during the war. The words in Arabic refer to the very last thing the man spoke before he was shot. I identify with Elliot because at a personal level, there is a smorgasbord of things I have done in life which constantly haunt my being. In this case, Elliot killed an innocent person, who, according to the play, was only asking for his passport. Coupled with the various challenges presented by life, I do find it quite difficult to cope with psychological or mental hardships presented by past experiences in life.

What particular moment or scene did you enjoy the most?

The moment I enjoyed the most is when Elliot and other characters realize their potential to forgive and find a meaningful life. For instance, Elliot and her mother has been blaming one another for their difficulty to recover only to acknowledge and appreciate the role their inner beliefs played in denying them peace.

How was love, politics, and environment represented in this play?

The setting of the story changes from one environment or location to another, with the scenes set in San Diego, Philadelphia, Japan, and Puerto Rico. The playwright seeks to compare life experiences of characters from one place to another. Regarding love, it is evident that regardless of background differences, Chutes & Ladders have a special bond with Orangutan. In particular, Orangutan asks Chutes and Ladders to become her real-world friend in Japan. Moreover, the play indirectly represents politics, with leaders unable to address the various challenges that face war veterans. Elliot seems to suffer from PTSD, but he has to struggle on his own without any assistance from the government or people who sent him to war.

Works Cited

Hudes, Quiara. Water by the Spoonful. New York City, NY: Theatre Communication Group, Inc., 2017.

Sullivan, Daniel, and Greenberg, Jeff. Death in Classic and Contemporary Film: Fade to Black. Springer, 2013.