Ethel and Jeanette’s Mother as metaphorical characters

In both Angels in America and Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit two important figures play a significant role in both Jeanette and Roy’s life. In Angels in America, Ethel haunts Roy as she watches him die from AIDS. Roy was the one responsible for Ethel’s death and therefore her presence symbolizes karma and the exposure of all of Roy’s inner demons. In Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, a coming out story, Jeanette’s experience is altered by her mother. Jeanette’s mother attempts to save Jeanette from her homosexuality through the use of religion. Both Ethel and Jeanette’s mother play these metaphorical roles, but with different motives—one to save a life and one to ruin.

Ethel Rosenberg was convicted as a spy and executed for espionage, but her execution would not have been completed if it weren’t for Roy’s interference. Roy prides himself on his accomplishment to murder Ethel, but that soon comes back to haunt him as he can’t seem to get rid of her. She gets pleasure out of taunting him like when she says “the shit’s really hit the fan, huh, Roy?… Well the fun’s just started” (Kushner, 117). It becomes clear that Ethel has made an appearance as a metaphor for how Roy sees himself. Roy is still in denial of the fact that he has AIDS and convinces himself that he is ill with cancer so Ethel returning is him having to face his demons once and for all. Ethel’s inability to show forgiveness towards Roy represents life being unforgiving towards him and making his death slow and painful. It’s also interesting to note that the time period during Roy’s diagnosis of AIDS was during a time when AIDS was directly associated with homosexuals and that was a way of persecuting them.

In Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, Jeanette’s coming out story is intersected with her highly religious background reflected through her mother. Jeanette’s mother taught her everything she knew to be true and attempted to protect Janet from everything sinful. Jeanette’s mother can be seen as the opposite as Ethel because she is attempting to protect and save Jeanette from her demons (that being homosexuality). This is conveyed every time Jeanette’s mother gives her an orange and never any other fruit. The orange represents the “expected” life she is supposed to be living. Although she wasn’t a ghost who came back to haunt, her mother resembled a figure who was influential on Jeanette’s self-perception and her own coming out story. Similarly to Angels in America, the time period during Jeanette’s coming out story was when society saw homosexuality as a type of sinful behavior that needed to be cured by religion—that cure was Janet’s mother. Both stories correlate with the time period and that current perception of gays.

In both Angels in America and Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit both protagonists are met with two other characters that represent a controversial aspect of themselves. Each individual coming out story is unique and often times heavily influenced by outside figures. By including two influential characters into the storyline, the internal and external struggles of becoming ones true self is seen more clearly and accurately.