Identity And Community In Tony Kushner's Angels In America
1255 Words
5 Pages
Angels in America is a play that seeks to expose and confront American society and the prejudice that plagues the country’s community. Tony Kushner aims to get the audience connected and thinking by strategically presenting every character in a relatable form. He explores the meaning of community from an overall political standpoint as well as an individualized personal point of view. In this paper I will draw attention to Kushner’s idea of American society existing as one community that consists of various interconnected personal citizen relationships. I will examine how each character struggles with their identity and religion, and in result the lines of their separated communities become blurred between who they think they are, and who society
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In an article discussing the prevalence of masculine spirituality within the context of this play, Alex Tuss states “Angels in America, with its mixture of Judaism and Mormonism, focuses on the contributions of its gay male characters to a spiritual regeneration that drives the "great awakening" in the play.” (Tuss) The article acknowledges Kushner’s chosen approach through the presentation of the characters, and how that approach influences change of perspective within the play while also aims to motivate the same change in the audiences’ mentality concerning the issues. The controversy of religion in Angels in America is a solid example of how one’s identity contributes to not only their own community but also to society as a whole.
Another important aspect of community that Kushner presents as the most prevalent theme in Angels in America is identity and how self-identity is impacted by the societal prejudices in America. This play shows how the characters’ struggle with their religious and political beliefs, as they discover their personal identities, from their race and ethnicity to their gender. Each character’s identity places them into a community with similar characteristics that all undergo different forms of discrimination due to the labels that society brands on
In an article discussing the prevalence of masculine spirituality within the context of this play, Alex Tuss states “Angels in America, with its mixture of Judaism and Mormonism, focuses on the contributions of its gay male characters to a spiritual regeneration that drives the "great awakening" in the play.” (Tuss) The article acknowledges Kushner’s chosen approach through the presentation of the characters, and how that approach influences change of perspective within the play while also aims to motivate the same change in the audiences’ mentality concerning the issues. The controversy of religion in Angels in America is a solid example of how one’s identity contributes to not only their own community but also to society as a whole.
Another important aspect of community that Kushner presents as the most prevalent theme in Angels in America is identity and how self-identity is impacted by the societal prejudices in America. This play shows how the characters’ struggle with their religious and political beliefs, as they discover their personal identities, from their race and ethnicity to their gender. Each character’s identity places them into a community with similar characteristics that all undergo different forms of discrimination due to the labels that society brands on