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Zachary Kozin

English 102

Professor Batty

23 October 2019

AIDS: The Villain and Hero

Tony Kushner’s Angels in America’ redefines subverting binaries as any classic text of

queer literature would. He builds a new queer family based on pride, and collaborative effort.

This article will discuss how various forms of queer and clout are smoothly advanced to form

and facilitate the protagonist’s and play’s development. In the Early years of the Raegen

administration AIDS had affected many gay men, out of the five men in the play two of them

have AIDS. With that said being a queer man/woman in this time was practically taboo and was

meant to be kept secret, having this underline the whole play allowed it to advance in various

ways.

Tony Kushner’s Angels in America (1993) features characters who calim a variety of

attributes and posses a variety of sexual trajectories, like Prior and Loius who are in a

monogamous male/male relationship, or Joe who is at first in a heterosexual relationship with his

wife whom he calls buddy. Later in the play as it develops we see crazy twists and turns as Joe

and others push past subverting binaries and move into more. As Joe leaves his wife and begins a

sexual relationship with a gay man, Loius.


In the many ways it engages the dramaticism in gay drama Angels in America also

extends it's reach into new narritves allowing a slight difference in gay and post-gay drama. In

Angels, coming out seems to not be the climax of the characters trajectory in the novel but

another step in a more complicated process. One of the gay men who embelishes this would be

Prior. As Prior’s contracting of HIV does not lead to the straight forward downward spiral you

would see, it doesn’t follow the steps of sorrow, suffering, support, and loss that defined the

AIDS-crisis drama. All though Prior is affected by the virus he doesn’t let it affect his true

nature, being a kind soul prior lives with the disease only to be later gifted messages from the

“Angels in America '', allowing him to further transcend human possibility and to further expand

the plays crazy narrative.

Similarly Kushner’s play deals with heterosexual relationships in an odd way, as it seems

every relationship in Angels in America that the Audience is introduced to is failing and seems to

be undermined by very cammon things. Joe, mentioned earlier was raised in the mormon faith,

believing that being a homosexual is a sin and that the devil has you in his grasp. Joe unlike Prior

isn’t able to own who he is and what he is becoming. Throughout the play, Joe struggles to

reconcile his natural sexual attraction to men with his strong beliefs, being a devoted mormon.

His beliefs and are rather unclear throughout the play until we get to the second act where he

talks to a fellow friend and work colleague Roy. Roy, a wealthy lawyer, has a couple drinks with

Joe to further discuss how he is, in their discussion we learn some interesting things about Joe

and the era he grew and is currently living in, within the Reagen administration.
Joe says “...I don't know how well we know ourselves.” ...but inside, it was hard for me.

To pass”. (Kushner 35). Joe is constantly bombarded with fears and revelations that being a

homosexual is a sin yet as AIDS sweeps the nations Joe disembarks on a journey of

homosexuality, yet not everyone supports it. After said discussion Roy drunkenly stumbles

around the park and decides to finally reveal who he is to the one closest to him, his mom.

Trying to give his mom a call and admit to her that he is a homosexual doesn’t go the way he

planned as his mom cannot accept his sexuality and says. “...You’re being ridiculous...You

ought to go home to your wife..This phone call- We will just forget about it.” (Kushner 46)

Telling the audience that his own mom cannot accept it, instead advising Joe to go home to his

wife, he is too drunk and is saying ridiculous things. Portrayed as a hard working man Joe

continues the battle to fully express himself as the views on homosexuality and AIDS was

daunting no barrading him with constant fears of societal constructs and views.

Homosexuality not being the only topic this gay drama covers it also touches basis on

societal views and prejudeces surrounding everyone during the Raegan reign. Giving insight into

what it meant to be a gay American in the late 20th century showing almost accurate depictions

of social, medical, religious, and political life. Considering the fact that today’s political and

social views is very much like the one discussed in the play, it is well worth trying to find out if

said play is indeed still impactful to everyone given such obligatory views. In a very discreet

manner the play works on the basis of the self versus the other. Said view comes to show how

the world of New York is taking shape in a heteronormative way.


But societal constructs and norms don't stop everyone as resistance is closer than you

think. As the widespread effects of AIDS hit harder than ever during the Raegan administration

and little was done about the nature of the disease and stopping it's horrible destruction of the

human population. Instead homosexuality was used as a scape goat allowing the audience of

“Angels in America” to feel the opression and homophobia the gays have endured for so long.

As many of the characters that allow the play to develop experience triumph they too also

experience failure having to constrain themselves from becoming who they really are due to the

view of gay men and women around the world.

One of the many characters that added such depth to “Angels in America '' became a

black hole is and such a revolt that he was a walking riot is Prior. Prior whom is discussed earlier

in the essay is a homosexual who despite being influenced by AIDS, remains a symbol of

resistance to heterosexual norms. He uses his sexual identity as a way to empower himself

always confidently stating that he is in fact a homosexual, even while being surrounded by the

eyes of the patriarachal sociatal norms. In the first half of the play the Millennium Approaches

Prior assertively says, "I'm a homosexual" (Kushner 38). He clearly executes this act as a boost

to his moral, being comfortable in his skin and as information that confirms his undermining of

heteronormative constructs. Prior portrays his homosexuality as an attribute that calms him and

gives him strength because of the discrimination, resentment and the homophobia that gays have

endured for so long.


Angels in America depicts homosexuality in many ways like a piece of art the spectator

shares their own opinion of the piece and no matter what two people view it the meaning of the

art will never be the same. Yet in the end I feel as though three words can summarize the true

meaning of this gay drama. Attitude, Change and Acceptance are the perfect words to describe it,

Prior being concussed by AIDS doesn’t let it envelop him, as he always reaches out and grabs

onto his sexuality, confidently calling out he is gay with pride. Joe displays change as he leaves

harper allowing himself to truly accept who he is and who he will become, a homosexual.

Acceptance found around every corner, sooner or later it will reach you, from Roy with his AIDS

to Joe and his homosexuality all is questioned in this magnificent play but not all is carried away

by the “Angels in America”.


Works Cited

Freedman, Jonathan. “Angels, Monsters, and Jews: Intersections of Queer and Jewish Identity in
Kushner's Angels in America.” ​PMLA​, vol. 113, no. 1, 1998, pp. 90–102. ​JSTOR​,
www.jstor.org/stable/463411​.

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