There Are No Angels In America Essay

During his conversation with Belize, Louis blatantly states, “…there are no gods here, no ghosts and spirits in America, there are no angels in America…” (Kushner 98). Analyzing this statement, taking the whole play into account, one may argue that this statement is supported. Oftentimes, the presence of gods, angels, and even spirits implies that there is the possibility for these entities to improve the lives of various individuals by lessening their hardships. However, the fact that things such as AIDS, Harper’s insanity, the falling apart of relationships, and Joe’s homosexuality, even exist and have to be suffered by individuals throughout the play hints that these “magical beings” don’t exist. Furthermore, if they did exist, these entities

However, once again, these prayers go unanswered and Joe is forced to continue living his current life. Logically speaking, if the aforementioned entities existed, none of these negative experiences would be occurring throughout America, let alone the rest of the world, which is why Louis’ statement could be supported by the play as a whole. However, due to the presence of the spirits of past Prior Walters and the entrance of the Angel herself at the end of Act III, Scene 7, the play refutes Louis’ aforementioned statement. Quite obviously, the play argues that these beings do exist in America, for if they did not, they would not be able to be found within the play. Specifically, the play, as a whole, shows that these higher beings do exist, but they are not obligated to perform the work often expected of them. As a result, some may feel that they have no presence in America because their expected help is nowhere to be found, once again shown by the prevalence of hardships. However, since these types of entities do exist and show their faces in the play, as seen by the Angel and ghosts, the statement is also