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Tony Kushner's Angels In America

689 Words3 Pages

In the 1980s, during the apogee of the AIDS crisis, many conservatives came forward to blame homosexuals for the epidemic. For instance, according to Armstrong, Lam, and Chase, Kaposi’s sarcomas, alongside other diseases, composes a list of conditions that serves as a criterion for the diagnosis of AIDS. In fact, its relation to AIDS is so remarkable that it became a label; in a society that is divided by pre-conceived ideas of morality, it became a visual representation of HIV as punishment for homosexuality. However, in Angels in America: a Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Tony Kushner attributes a deeper meaning to the lesions caused by Kaposi’s sarcomas – from death sentence to change, and finally, to redemption. Through these lesions, the author symbolizes the paradox of AIDS in an American society that refuses to embrace minorities, and how its destructiveness has fortified the sense of community amongst homosexuals. Initially, when Kushner compares the ozone layer to the human skin, he associates the holes in the ozone layer to lesions, giving …show more content…

For instance, even though Roy Cohn refused to identify himself as homosexual, the author still redeems him after his death when Louis and Ethel pray for him (266-267). Additionally, when Louis seeks Prior’s forgiveness, he admits to feeling bruised inside. However, Prior refuses to believe Louis is genuinely sorry, because his bruises are not visible; and as a result, he tells him to come back when he has “something to show” (219). Afterward, Prior finally accepts Louis’ apologies after Louis gets into a fight with Joe, and shows his “visible scars” to Prior (281). Ultimately, the crisis of AIDS becomes a paradox under Kushner’s point of view because it simultaneously symbolizes an apocalyptic epidemic and the progression of

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In the 1980s, during the apogee of the AIDS crisis, many conservatives came forward to blame the homosexual community for the epidemic. For instance, according to Armstrong, Lam, and Chase, Kaposi’s sarcomas, along with other diseases, make up a list of conditions that serves as a guideline for the diagnosis of AIDS. In fact, its relation to AIDS is so remarkable that it became a label; in a society that is divided by pre-conceived ideas of morality, it became a visual representation of HIV as a punishment for homosexuality. However, in Angels in America: a Gay Fantasia on National Themes, Tony Kushner attributes a greater meaning to the lesions caused by Kaposi’s sarcoma – from death sentence to change, and finally, to redemption. These lesions symbolize the lethality that comes with AIDS, and how it has shaped the sense of community amongst homosexuals.

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