By: Heather Raffo

Paper Project

Playwrights Horizons

Each one of us holds our identity close to us. It is our defining feature, what sets us apart and brings us together with our community. Through war, Noura looses her identity and is forced to start from nothing in a new country.

Here, we see the temporary home that Noura has subconsciously built to protect herself. The strong concrete walls will shelter her from the blows that living as an immigrant in New York City entail. Noura’s sturdy walls crack, allowing acceptance and grief she has not let herself feel seep into her carefully constructed fortress. Her emotions expand until the walls cannot keep her safe from the memories she suppressed. Because of this, she must grapple with the trauma of her lost identity once more.