After reading Part I of Angels in America, take some time to reflect on the characters in it. Identify the character that you find the most interesting, or inspiring, or complex, or challenging, or awful, and then write about this character. Summarize what happens to this character and what they do over the course of the play so far. What challenges do they face, how do they face them, and what is significant about their experiences? As you reflect on this character, integrate at least three key quotations from them (or about them) that anchor your analysis. As usual, aim for at least 250 words.
Welcome to our course blog—“Justice, Gender, Sexuality”! In this space, you’ll have the chance to reflect on our course reading, ask questions, interact with each other and build a virtual community to complement our classroom space. For this first post, I’d like to invite you to do two things: First, tell us more about yourself. What do you think we should know about you as we begin this semester together? You might consider these questions: Who are you? How do you identify? Where are you from? To whom do you belong? What communities are you a part of? What values or beliefs do you hold dear? Or, share some other facet about yourself that you think is significant. You might also consider telling us more about why you decided to take this course, and what you hope to learn from it. Then, please reflect on the reading assigned for class. Given ...
The character I find to be the most interesting in Part one of Angels in America is Harper Pitt. Harper Pitt is Joe Pitt’s wife who is an agoraphobic, afraid to go outside, who has hallucinations. She also has an addiction to Valium pills. In act one of part one she find out from Prior, Louis’ boyfriend who’s dying of AIDS, that her husband may be a homosexual. When she meets Prior in her hallucination she says to him, “Imagination can’t create anything new, can it?” (pg 32). She’s worried because she’s never met Prior before and because she can’t recall him she’s worried she’s going crazier and her imagination is making up people. When Prior tells her her husband is a homosexual she gets worried because if Prior is real and she couldn’t tell, then maybe what he’s telling her is true too. In part two of act one, we learn that Harper grew up in a life of drinking and abuse, which could explain her mental stability and abuse of Valium. In act two, Joe admits to Roy, “What scares me is that maybe what I really love in her is the part of her that’s furthest from the light, God’s love; maybe I was drawn to that in the first place.” What we question here about Roy and Harper’s marriage is, if she’s so messed up, why did they get married in the first place? We can guess that he sees part of himself in her because if he is gay (spoiler alert, he is) then he is also strayed from God’s light, as they believe as mormons. He felt connected to her in that way. As we learn from Joe that he is, in fact, gay, Harper tells Joe that either he needs to leave her and go to Washington, or she’s going to leave him. This is in fact a big deal as she never really leaves her home because of her fears. What Joe depicts about her hallucinations and her addiction is that all the fears that she had about the men killing her, was that the men were her husband. This is symbolic in that she was always worried he was going to hurt her and break her heart, so all of the fears she had was personified in men that were going to physically kill her. Lastly, in act three, Harper decides she wants to leave Joe and ends up going missing. As the audience we don’t know where she is. But her hallucination with Mr. Lies, we can see now as Joe and his lies, she’s in Antarctica. This may conclude that she’s passed out somewhere outside because Joe and Roy were speaking of the snow that had started to appear. In conclusion to Part one, I think Harper is one of the most overlooked, and yet most complex character of this play. I look forward to how Tony Kushner brings her issues to light and the plot of this story.
ReplyDeleteI think most of the characters so far are really interesting. Particularly Harper and Prior in my opinion. I am curious what the significance of Harper’s character is. Especially why the author decided to make her so dependent on meds, so mentally dysfunctional and dramatic. I don’t want to simply call her dramatic because she is a woman but because she seems to act dramatically to try and get her husband’s attention maybe because things in the past haven’t worked? I am left wanting to know more about the significance of her character.
ReplyDeletePrior’s character seems very important to me, especially with the way the first part ends. He first is in a happy commited relationship and things seem to be going fine. Early in the play he finds out he has aids because of the sores that start to appear. He becomes sicker and sicker throughout the course of the first part of the play. At a certain point, he simply cannot stay home any longer and has to go to the hospital because he is so sick. His partner, Louis, stops visiting. This really affects prior. He really thought he and Louis loved eachother and were fully committed and is shocked and hurt when Louis abandons him in his sickness. I think Prior’s character really shows the difficultly of the illness and how painful it can be both physically and mentally. His character also seems to have some implications about culture for gay men that may be elaborated on later in the play. It will be interesting to find out what it means that Prior is the prophet and what he is supposed to convey.
A character that I find to be the most complex is Roy Cohn (the only real character in the play). Roy made his first appearance in scene two. In this scene Roy and Joe are sitting in Roy’s office, Joe waits for Roy while he is on the phone having a heated conversation. Roy is then seen again in scene nine, but this time in Henry’s office. Henry starts off by describing the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) to Roy and is nervous. Roy then states that the disease is only affiliated with, “homosexuals and drug addicts” (Kushner, 44). However, Henry continues to tell Roy that he has AIDS from having “sex with men, many many times” (Kushner, 45). Throughout this conversation, Roy gets extremely defensive and lashes out at Henry and insisted that he has liver cancer. Roy keeps telling Henry that he is Roy Cohn and “Roy Cohn is not a homosexual” (Kushner, 47). The scene ends with Henry telling Roy that he needs to get his hands on a new drug called the AZT. I think this scene is particularly interesting because although the results prove that Roy has AIDS, he continues to be in denial and continues to bash the LGBT community. Another reason why I think Roy Cohn was in such denial was because he was one of the most well-known lawyer and it was crucial for him to protect his image. Even-though he was gay and had AIDS, he claimed that he had liver cancer up until he died in 1986.
ReplyDeleteThe character that I found very interesting in Angels In America is Louis Ironson. Louis works for the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, is Prior’s boyfriend, and is the grandson of Sarah Ironson, whose funeral was at the beginning of the play. In Act One, he holds so much fear after finding out that Prior contracted AIDS. He debates whether or not to leave him or stay with him after this diagnosis. Louis makes it very clear he does not want the disease and is fearful he contracted it as well. He asks Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz “...what does the Holy Writ say about someone who abandons someone he loves at a time of great need?” (31). Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz was not much of a help as we see, and it was interesting to see the changes throughout Act Two. Louis goes from this fearful place of the AIDS contraction and decides to cheat on his partner, not caring if he ends up getting AIDS. Louis tells his one-night stand lover “Infect me. I don’t care. I don’t care.” (63). Then the guilt starts to kick in, and it is especially shown in Act Three. Louis says the following to Belize in Scene Two in Act Three:
ReplyDelete“...I feel...nothing but cold for myself, just cold, and every night I miss him, I miss him so much…” (105).
This one event Louis was placed in caused him to think, act, and regret throughout the play, and it shows how complex situations with anyone in your life can be. I obviously would not cheat, but I can hardly imagine how tough these situations can be for any couple, in and out of the play. I look forward to learning more about Louis as the play progresses.
After reading Part I of Angels in America, I find all the characters to be interesting, each one with distinct personalities, conflicts and perspectives. Nevertheless, I find Harper Pitt to be one of the most complex and interesting characters of the book, it’s hard not to be confused yet sympathetic with her. We are introduced to Harper in scene and unlike the the other characters, she is alone, talking to herself. This conversation with herself is peculiar and immediately demonstrates to the reader that something isn’t quite right; she expresses great solitude, alluding to the complicated relationship with her husband and to subsequent turn of events. She begins with, “People who are lonely, people left alone, sit talking nonsense to the air, imagining… beautiful systems dying, old fixed orders spiraling apart… This is why, Joe, this is why I shouldn’t be left alone.” (pg. 22). As the play continues, we see a few interactions between Harper and her husband, Joe. Their relationship is cordial yet not very loving and there’s some conflict of interests and desires as well. After discussing why they should move to Washington, a feeling of guilt overcomes Harper, and suggests to please her husband in order to makeup for the previous conversation. When Joe declines she responds, “This is a good time. For me to make a baby.” (33). He turns away. In this interaction we understand that Harper and Joe aren’t very well in sync with each other’s needs and desires. This puts Harper into the position we first met her in. Harper’s beautiful system and old fixed orders are torn apart when she encounters Prior in a dream. In this dream, she is first confused by Prior’s behavior, specifically why he has makeup on if he is a man, and is then told that her husband is gay. Harper doesn’t respond well, “I have to go now, get back, something just… fell apart. Oh God, I feel so sad.” (pg. 40). Harper’s relationship with her husband, and the world in general is complicated. Given the revelations about herself and her husband, I’m intrigued to see how her character and perspective continues to unfold and change.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading part one of Angels in America, the character that I find to be the most interesting is Roy Cohn. In the first few scenes, Roy is introduced as a busy New York lawyer with a lot on his plate and a potty mouth as he repeatedly curses over the phone while Joe Pitt sits in his office waiting to speak with him. The next time we see Roy incorporated into the plot is when he goes to see his doctor. At his appointment the doctor tells him that looking at his symptoms, it seems as though Roy has contracted AIDS. The doctor tells him that AIDS mostly affects “homosexuals” and drug addicts. Roy seems irritated at the doctor’s insinuation and tells him that gay men are just men without any power or authority. He goes on to say, “AIDS. Homosexual. Gay. Lesbian. You think these are names that tell you who someone sleeps with, but they don't tell you that. No. Like all labels they tell you one thing and one thing only: where does an individual so identified fit in the food chain, in the pecking order? Not ideology, or sexual taste, but something much simpler: clout.” I think that one of the biggest challenges that Roy faces so far is overcoming the stereotype of “homosexuality” equaling no power. I think it is his fear of having no “clout” that keeps him in the closet, causing him to deny any queer identity. His homophobia is so internalized that by the end of the scene with his doctor, Roy has demanded that his AIDS be referred to as liver cancer, furthering his denial.
ReplyDeleteThe character that I find most interesting or challenging is Harper. Harper is a “mentally deranged sex-starved pill-popping housewife.” (Scene 8) She is a Mormon housewife that is addicted to Valium and talks to her hallucinations. I find her challenging because I don’t know if I understand the significance she plays in the play yet. Is she afraid of her homo husband because she is Mormon and in her church they “don’t believe in homosexuals”? (scene 7) Or because she is afraid of being lonely? I think it’s probably because she is afraid of being alone, she talks a lot about being lonely at the beginning of the play. She says, “people who are lonely, people left alone, sit talking nonsense to the air, imagining… beautiful systems dying, old fixed orders spiraling apart.” (scene 3) She clearly knows she is just talking nonsense but at the same time she can’t help but imagine things falling apart in her loneliness. She seems to have developed a drug addiction to handle her fears of loneliness and she will talk to imaginary friends instead. She points out how she is aware of this when she says, “people are like planets, you need a thick skin. Things get to me, Joe stays away and now… Well look. My dreams are talking back to me.” (scene 3) Overall, I am curious to see if Harper will grow as a character in the play or if her drug addiction will keep her from bein gable to do so. If she does grow as a character I am curious to see how.
ReplyDeleteSo far in my reading of Angels in America, I find the character Harper Pitt to be the most interesting. As wife of Joe Pitt, Harper is described as being addicted to pills, an agoraphobe who is stuck in a failing marriage. On top of all that Harper also has hallucinations.
ReplyDeleteIn act one, scene seven Kushner brings to light just how severe Harper’s hallucinations really are. Harper is speaking to Prior and he is trying to tell her that her husband is gay. Harper takes this as such a shock, she isn’t sure if it is even real. In this quote we see Harper struggling with knowing reality from her hallucinations. “Imagination can't create anything new, can it? It only recycles bits and pieces from the world and reassembles them into visions. So when we think we've escaped the unbearable ordinariness and, well, untruthfulness of our lives, it's really only the same old ordinariness and falseness rearranged into the appearance of novelty and truth. Nothing unknown is knowable” (Kushner 1.7). Harper is telling herself here, that Prior might not be real because she doesn’t remember him from past experiences.
This aspect of Harper, plus her strained relationship with her husband, adds up to a very complex character. Her husband in a way seems to mock her, “How many pills today, buddy?” (Kushner 1.4). Knowing that Joe is gay obviously complicates their relationship and marriage, but it seems they many issues as a couple. When Harper interrupts Joe to talk about the ozone layer he responds with “Stop it! I’m trying to make a point. You aren’t even making sense!” (Kushner 1.4). I am very interested to see how Harper and Joe’s marriage turns out. Harper has already been given a very complex back story and now current situation, so I am interested to see how Kushner will use her character in the rest of the play.
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ReplyDeleteThe characters I find most complex is the dynamic between Joe and Roy. Both are closeted men who are in the same profession and are good friends. Neither knows the other is gay, however they almost come close during a heart to heart. Joe is a mormon who has a hard time with his wife- an agoraphobic drug addict- and his parents- his father is dead and was not so nice, while his mother is conservative and controlling. Roy is almost a voice of reason for Joe, when advice giving to Joe he is logical and presents himself well, while underneath his is dying of AIDS. He consoles Joe and acts a confidante to Joes problems with his wife and parents. He listens and responds with great advice that he wishes he could take, "You do what you need to do Joe. What you need. You. Let her life go where it wants to go. You'll both be better for that. Someone should get what they want" (60). Joe is the kind of guy who cannot break the norms or rules, like leaving his wife to finally be open and free as a gay man. He takes one step in that direction when he drunkenly tells his mother he is gay and finally leaves his wife. He chooses to tell his wife that he “knew this when I married you. I’ve known this I guess for as long as I’ve known anything, but… I don’t know, I thought maybe that with enough effort and will I could change myself...but I can’t…” (83). While Joe finally comes out and leaves his wife, Roy is confronted with the fact that he is going to die and still cannot come out. He has a dream of the woman whose death he lobbied for, Ethel Rosenberg, she haunts him about his death in a dream, saying, “The shit’s really hit the fan, huh Roy?” (117). What is so interesting is that in the beginning they are two people who live within the same sphere, almost identical, but never find out how similar they are despite their differences. Towards the end they go in completely opposite ways, Roy rots in his evilness and Joe seems to be getting a sense of self.
ReplyDeleteThe character I found the most interesting from Act one was Roy Cohn. Roy is a big business lawyer on the New York scene. Roy is a man who is swearing a lot during this first time we meet him in the office with Joe. He is seen as this very “masculine man” this is shown by a small passage, “Baby doll, seven for Cats or something, anything hard to get I don't give a fuck what and neither will they.” (18) However, later on within the the Act we discover that Roy has developed AID’s. Roy states, “Homosexuals and drug addicts. So why are you implying that I… What are you implying Henry?” (49) and roy goes on to say “ And I will proceed to systematically, to destroy your reputation and your practice and your carer in New York State, Henry.” (50) I find the character of Roy interesting because of his response to the disease he has contracted. By his choice to deny that he has AID’s and say it is liver cancer he hopes to save this masculine reputation he has developed. Roy’s masculinity is something he holds more sacred then his sexual identity, which I think will be crucial for his development.
ReplyDeleteThe character that I found most interesting and complex after reading Part I of Angels in America would be Roy Cohn who is a successful New York lawyer and also the only real life figure in the play. It is important to note his initial introduction to the play in scene 2 which outline his character as being impatient, and foul mouthed but most importantly and ironically; degrading. His language in the office is not only aggressive but dismissive when he uses "baby doll and dear" to address his client Mrs. Soeffer.
ReplyDeleteThis careless behavior translates over to scene nine which takes an honest and vulnerable look into Roy's identity. His character is far from feeling a sense of solidarity and community due to the way society has negatively stigmatized the view on the LGBT community, "Homosexuals are men who know nobody and who nobody knows." His ignorance and egoism overpower his common sense as he is told he has AIDS, "No Henry, no. AIDS is what homosexuals have. I have liver cancer." This is a dangerous mindset as he falls into the ignorance of his own character and true self to save how others perceive him. It reminded me of a connection between this text and another in my post-Holocaust class reading which states, "Hostility in minorities are rooted in what the majority thinks about the minority and the circumstances: the ways in which or the terms on which the two groups are interacting at a particular time." I appreciate Roy's character as it proves this point; how his life and identity is at risk not only because of his contraction of AIDS but also socially because of his power and presence in society.