Inventing Elliot

Yellow squares start to appear on the board every few days. When Elliot sees them, he stays in the library, trying to distance himself from the rituals of “punishment.” He senses the inevitability of the weekly abuse; no one disturbs the routine or protests. A few students seem to enjoy the spectacles, but most are just trying not to be singled out. Elliot no longer doubts the existence of the Guardians and lives in fear of being noticed. He carefully cultivates an expressionless affect, not letting anything visibly shake him. Elliot continues to do well on the swim team and keep up with his schoolwork, doing just enough to “stand out enough not to be noticed” (54). The constant fear and pretense take a toll on Elliot. He starts having nightmares and sleepless nights.

It soon becomes clear to Elliot that Mr. Phillips is also a bully, picking on Baker and humiliating him on the football field. After a particularly brutal game, Baker is being given his usual “punishment’ in the cold shower when Mr. Phillips walks into the locker room. Stewart, who is in the middle of dragging Baker across the floor still has a grip on Baker’s hair, and