Our intention for UNKNOWN SOLDIER was to tell a story about dignity in the face of adversity and temptation. Ellison (an homage to Ralph Ellison), aka L, is a quiet young man who grows increasingly invisible as his circumstances become more desperate. Although he may appear ill-equipped to deal with the pressures that will push him towards the proverbial dark side, his internal strength will emerge under pressure.

What happens when security is snatched away? It's especially poignant when it happens to a carefree and happy young man fresh out of high school who takes it all for granted. Don't we all? But unlike most of us, L has no safety net to catch him. In fact, he doesn't even have the time to reflect on his choices - he's too busy trying to survive - bouncing from place to place and job to job looking for stability and a decent paying job. Desperate, L tries to enlist in the army. Ironically, the governmental housing he grew up in (Frederick Douglass Housing Projects) has given him the asthma that prevents him from qualifying for their Armed Services.

Finally, he seeks out Zee, a charismatic and well-off neighbor of questionable means. These two acts, attempting to enlist in the Army, then successfully turning to Zee are the first two times we show L taking initiative. If he can't be a soldier in the U.S. Army, he'll be a soldier in Zee's. Unfortunately, L doesn't anticipate his girlfriend Tande's reaction to joining up with Zee, and he unwittingly sacrifices his relationship with her for the comfort Zee offers. This is the beginning of his fall.

We tried to portray Tande as the type of young woman who lives in the Projects, who could likely get pregnant, as her mother fears, and forego her college plans to stick with L. Instead, L's choice alienates her and she goes to college. L pays for being naïve.

At this point in the story the conflict is clearly set up as one of values. Will L honor the values of his honest and hard-working father, or will he embrace the values of the street, embodied by Zee? Just as the arc of Tande's character was designed to lead the audience down the familiar path of the teenage girl who gets pregnant and undermines her education, L is also set up to go the way we've seen so many times from characters in this milieu - the way of the street. Isn't that his only choice?

In the end it's clear L has become a man. Earlier, when life was still carefree and he was returning from a day at the amusement park with his friends, he ran right past a woman carrying her baby and stroller down the subway stairs. But after all he's been through, he goes out of his way to offer a helping hand. He's left without a home, but his body and soul are intact.