Personal Identity In Tony Kushner's Angels In America

John Banville once said, “I don 't know if there is a personal identity. We all imagine that we are absolute individuals. But when we begin to look for where this individuality resides, it 's very difficult to find.” When Tony Kushner wrote Angels in America in 1992, homosexuals were still trying to find their position in society. Since homosexuals were still trying to find their positions in society, many of them were still trying to find who they were as a person. Angels in America is the play of many homosexual men, some are confident in their homosexuality while others are hiding their true identity. Throughout the play, some men struggle to admit their sexuality while others are open with who they are. This essay will examine determination and personal identity with Norman Arriaga (Belize), Joseph Pitt, and Roy Cohn. Some men are very confident with who they are and Belize is one of those men. Belize is open about his sexuality and is determined to embrace who he is. Belize asks Louis what color the sky is and when Louis says purple, Belize replies, “Purple? Boy, what kind of a homosexual are you, anyway? That’s not purple, Mary, that color up there is mauve.”(Gainor 1775). Belize is confident with his personal identity, he embraces that he is a gay man and he is determined to make …show more content…
Some of the men in this play were open about their sexuality where other men were not. Belize is very confident in his identity, where Joe and Roy struggle to accept their homosexuality. Angels in America is a great example that you only get to live once, why hide who you are and in turn make your life miserable? Belize was happy with his life because he welcomed his sexuality, where Joe and Roy were unhappy with their lives. If Joe and Roy would have accepted that they are gay, they could have saved themselves many years of