Inspired by the ancient myth of Orpheus, Eli looks over his shoulder as a symbol of bargaining in grief. In that bargaining, Orpheus also loses his faith in himself and Persephone. I think that is the key to this stage of grief. I lost a lot of faith myself in my deepest levels of grief. Eli was a fitting model for this piece as one of the most faithful and graceful men I know. He was a great base of stability in my faith when I had these questions arise.