The play The Normal Heart by Larry Kramer premiered in 1985 (Rich par. 1). The Normal Heart is about the rise of the HIV/AIDS crisis in New York City, and is an autobiographical story of Larry Kramer’s life in which he is the character Ned Weeks. In this play, Ned Weeks starts an organization with the help of Emma Brookner, a doctor who is in a wheelchair due to polio, because both of them have noticed the spreading of an unknown cancer amongst the gay community. Ned, needing funding for this organization, goes to his big firm lawyer brother, Ben, and asks him for help funding this project. Ben says no. Even though he argues against it, Ned knows that Ben is still homophobic, and would rather spend two million dollars on his house. After he …show more content…
In these important themes the play successfully accomplishes its hopes of raising awareness for the HIV/AIDS illness and also of the mistreatment of homosexuals. One of the most prominent social issues that I noticed is how many of the homosexuals in higher up positions, like Felix, Bruce, and the mayor’s assistant, were too scared to say anything about the illness or the mistreatment for homosexual due to the fear that they would get fired from their job as Hiram, the mayor’s assistant, illustrates when he says to Mickey, “You hold an unsecured job with the City Department of Health. I’d watch my step if I were you.” (Kramer pg. 64) The moment that caught me most of guard and made me more emotional than anything in the play was when Felix took off his shoe, revealing a purple spot which was a characteristic for the AIDS virus, and said, “It keeps getting bigger and bigger, Neddie, and it doesn’t go away.” (Kramer pg.51). I got attached to Felix, and loved how much he loved Ned even though he was a weirder than the usual person. Felix is the love interest, and even though I should have seen it coming, I never expected for him to