Political Views on Angels in America
Political Views on Angels in America
The representation of individualism and stagnation during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, juxtaposed to Kushner’s progress and collectivism.
Angel: Greetings Prophet!
The Great Work Begins:
The Messenger has arrived.
Prior: Go Away. (Kushner, 149)
Throughout Part Two of Tony Kushner’s play Angels in America, Prior the Prophet envisions progress in the world after the Angel confronts him at the end of Part One. The red line connecting Prior and the Angel throughout the play is this progress juxtaposed to stagnation, wherein the Angel wants Prior to prophesize a stop of movement, a stop to understanding the world and a stop to the want of humanity to advance (178). Prior is conflicted when visited by the Angel, but because his persona is construed with progress from the start he continually rejects the Angel; concluding its first visit by saying: “I hate heaven. I’ve got no resistance left. Except to run” (182). Even when there is no resistance left in Prior, his primal reaction is to run; go forward. The “Great Work Begins” (125) is how the Angel announces the work Prior needs to do to stop advancement. However, Prior in his progressive mind resists the Angel after a biblical wrestling – signifying Jacob wrestling with the Angel – and demands his “blessing” and tells the Angel in heaven that “[e]ven sick [he] want[s] to be alive” (265). The struggle for progress in the play is connected with many topics. Religion, homosexuality, racism, hope and politics, to name a few, all play a part. This essay will present a political vision through the eyes of some of Kushner’s characters, look at the conflict between the Angel and Prior and compare this conflict by first juxtaposing individuality and collectivism, and secondly juxtaposing progress and stagnation. These juxtapositions and the political vision of Kushner will be related to the conservative America of the presidency of Reagan and his position towards AIDS.
The representation of individualism and stagnation during the presidency of Ronald Reagan, juxtaposed to Kushner’s progress and collectivism.
Angel: Greetings Prophet!
The Great Work Begins:
The Messenger has arrived.
Prior: Go Away. (Kushner, 149)
Throughout Part Two of Tony Kushner’s play Angels in America, Prior the Prophet envisions progress in the world after the Angel confronts him at the end of Part One. The red line connecting Prior and the Angel throughout the play is this progress juxtaposed to stagnation, wherein the Angel wants Prior to prophesize a stop of movement, a stop to understanding the world and a stop to the want of humanity to advance (178). Prior is conflicted when visited by the Angel, but because his persona is construed with progress from the start he continually rejects the Angel; concluding its first visit by saying: “I hate heaven. I’ve got no resistance left. Except to run” (182). Even when there is no resistance left in Prior, his primal reaction is to run; go forward. The “Great Work Begins” (125) is how the Angel announces the work Prior needs to do to stop advancement. However, Prior in his progressive mind resists the Angel after a biblical wrestling – signifying Jacob wrestling with the Angel – and demands his “blessing” and tells the Angel in heaven that “[e]ven sick [he] want[s] to be alive” (265). The struggle for progress in the play is connected with many topics. Religion, homosexuality, racism, hope and politics, to name a few, all play a part. This essay will present a political vision through the eyes of some of Kushner’s characters, look at the conflict between the Angel and Prior and compare this conflict by first juxtaposing individuality and collectivism, and secondly juxtaposing progress and stagnation. These juxtapositions and the political vision of Kushner will be related to the conservative America of the presidency of Reagan and his position towards AIDS.
Cited: Corby, James. "The Audacity of Hope: Locating Kushner 's Political Vision in Angels in America." Forum for Modern Language Studies 47.1 (2010): 16-36. Print. AIDS.gov. A Timeline of AIDS, 1986. Web. 15 December 2014. Kushner, Tony. Angels in America. London: Nick Hern Books, 2007. Print. Reagan, Ronald Wilson. “Inaugural Address.” Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum, University of Texas. 20 January 1981. Web. 14 December 2014.