In Angels in America, Tony Kushner shows us something uncomfortable through Louis: how fear can poison love and make us abandon our responsibilities to the people we care about. When Louis tells Prior, “I’m afraid of the disease. I’m afraid that you’ll die. And I’m afraid that I’ll die,” the way he keeps saying “I’m afraid” says everything. He’s not just scared of AIDS; he’s so consumed by his own terror that he can’t be there for Prior in any real way. What’s striking is that Louis keeps circling back to his own fear instead of thinking about what Prior is going through. Kushner seems to be pointing to something bigger here. During the AIDS crisis in the 1980s, a lot of people protected themselves instead of showing up with compassion. Similar to examples we talked about in class such as hairdressers refusing to cut hair and how the lesbian community stepped up. The scene makes us ask, what does courage really look like when everything’s falling apart? What does love actually demand from us? Louis’s answer is heartbreaking; he fails at both. His fear isn’t just about death. It’s about facing what it means to abandon someone who needs you. Through Louis, Kushner shows us that we can’t grow or do better by running from what scares us. Real love means showing up for people even when it’s hard.
3 thoughts on “Fear as the Real Disease”
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
It really was devastating seeing Louis abandon Prior when he was battling AIDS and I think you stated his fears so adequately. The fact that even after Louis leaves Prior, he doesn’t necessarily show that he’s trying to protect himself from AIDS and still is sexually active with other men. What broke me the most was when Prior and Louis had a confrontation, and Prior had told Louis how most people suffering with AIDS have been able to be comforted by their partners and loved ones during this difficult time, yet he felt as though he had no one. Honestly, I don’t think he truly ever loved him because through him seeing another man immediately after him as well as how if he truly loved him, love would conquer fear. Leaving someone at their worst is not love that is cowardly. I’m grateful that Prior is a prophet and was able to get the medicine he needed to live a couple more years.
I enjoy your analysis of Louis’s reaction to Prior’s disease. I agree that his reaction, while understandable is ultimately selfish. Louis turns Prior’s disease and really any uncomfortable thing going on in someone else’s life about him. This is seen throughout the play and I think Kushner uses Louis’s character to demonstrate and make the audience think about how they react to uncomfortable situations. Kushner using Louis to make the audience and readers par take in self-reflection is important not just in the time period that Angels in America take place in but is also a needed reminder in today’s contexts, as often times people only think about themselves and forget to empathize with others.
Your take on Louis is powerful because it captures how internal fear becomes political in Angels in America. Louis’s repeated “I’m afraid” shows that his terror overpowers his empathy and he’s thinking about his own survival, not Prior. Kushner uses Louis to expose a larger truth about the AIDS crisis that relationships and morality were tested and many failed. The contrast with communities, especially lesbians, who stepped up makes Louis’s abandonment even harsher. If love doesn’t mean staying when it’s terrifying then what is the point?