Angels in America portrays the devastating situations one is forced into when diagnosed with AIDS. Most characters in the play seem to have their lives under control for the most part at the beginning. However, one person after another is infected by AIDS, first Prior, and then Roy, which strongly impacts all of the characters’ lives whether they have the disease or not. This reminds me of Jeanette from Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit and her struggle to find happiness throughout the story. Later in the story, after Jeanette has left her mother, someone asks her about what would have happened if she had stayed with her mother.
I could have been a priest instead of a prophet. The priest has a book with words set out. Old words, known words, words of power. Words that are always on the surface. Words for every occasion. The words work. They do what they’re supposed to do; comfort and discipline. The prophet has no book. The prophet is a voice that cries in the wilderness, full of sounds that do not always set into meaning. The prophets cry out because they are troubled by demons. (Winterson 161)
Jeanette asserts that she could have had her future set out for her; she could’ve followed her mother’s beliefs and been a priest. This is similar to many characters in Angels in America. For instance, Prior had his life figured out before he was diagnosed; he was happy, he had Louis, and they were happy together. However, everything changed when Prior got AIDS. He had to figure out what to do with the rest of his life, especially when Louis left him. Prior struggles with reclaiming his life in light of Louis leaving him and his disease. Roy also struggles with coming to terms with his life when he is diagnosed. He has to confront all of his inner demons when trying to come to terms with his AIDS.
I think that the juxtaposition of “priest” and “prophet” posed by Jeanette is seen in characters in Angels in America with the juxtaposition of the characters before AIDS and after AIDS. Before any of the characters had AIDS, they seemed to have control over their lives; they were similar to the “priests” with the fact that they knew what they were doing, it was like they had a book to follow for their life. Roy remained in control and powerful in his career; Louis and Prior were happy together, etc. However with AIDS, maybe nothing really changed for the characters except their state of health, but the disease uncovered all of the problems in their lives and they were forced to face all of the mistakes they had ever made, because they were confronted with death. When these characters face death, there is no book for them to follow; they are like “prophets” in that way. However, the struggles that the characters in Angels in America face differ from Jeanette’s struggle because she has the choice to be a priest. Maybe she doesn’t get to choose her sexuality which is what puts her against her mother, but she could’ve chosen to stay and cover up her true self; she could’ve followed the books written for priests. However, Prior and Roy are diagnosed with AIDS, meaning they had no control over their choice. They are involuntarily thrown into this state of confusion with themselves because they struggle with figuring out their life throughout this tragic experience.
I really like how you related Oranges are not the Only Fruit to Angels in America, in this way. The idea that the priest and prophet is similar to before and after the AIDS crisis is very interesting. When characters were living before AIDS, they were almost on a set path. They knew how they’re life would unfold. In a way, they were following everyday norms of society. Whereas after they discovered AIDS, they had to adjust their lives and maybe live differently than they had before. They were writing each day as it came, not following a plan.