Angels, Prophets, and Ancestors
Angels in America clearly uses the angel motif to signify a message, to push the future to occur, and to assign importance.
- To Kushner, Angels are nongendered beings that represent both an absence of genuine humanity and the presence of ideal humanity
- Is their perfection dull?
- Louis asserts that there are “no angels in America,” but he is wrong
- The character appears
- There are many angel motifs throughout - statues, fountains, etc
- Angels leave their mark on humans - Prior calls his first lesion “the wine-dark kiss of the angel of death”
- Mormonism is also based on the story of the angel Moroni appearing to Joseph Smith in upstate New York
- Through the Angel iconography, Kushner creates a new configuration of American history that focuses on the myth of American exceptionalism
- Queers history by interrupting historical narratives, pushing past previous limitations
- Prior’s angelic visit:
- mimics that of Joseph Smith’s visit, ending in a ladder up to the heavens
- mimics that of Jacob in the Old Testament, in which he wrestles the angel to win survival in the land of his fathers
- With these representations, Prior is the junction of Mormonism and Judaism in the play, despite not being a member of either religion
- Angels are messengers, warriors, and symbolize transcendance
- Prophets call the human world back into the covenant with God
- For Mormons, the current president of the church serves as a modern-day prophet
