In Angels in America, Tony Kushner uses the stillness of angels to show that change is what keeps humans alive. This becomes very clear in the scene where Prior meets the Angel. The Angel arrives in a huge dramatic moment and we expect something inspiring. Instead, she tells Prior that humans need to stop changing at all. She orders, “Stop moving!” and says that Heaven is breaking down because people keep doing new things like moving, inventing, loving and changing who they are. To the Angels, change seems dangerous. The Angel even talks about humans being “infected” with change like it’s some kind of disease.
Kushner makes it obvious that the Angel is wrong. Heaven is frozen in place and as a result, is falling apart, but humans keep moving. Even though Prior is scared and confused, he doesn’t give up. He questions the Angel and refuses to stop living his life. His reaction shows that change, even when it’s painful, is part of being human. People grow up, fall in love and fight for their lives. If we stop changing, we stop surviving.
By showing the Angels stuck in the past and humans move towards the future, Kushner proves that change is a necessity. Staying the same is what actually messes with people. For the queer characters in the play, movement and change are more than just ideas. So even in a world full of sickness and fear, Kushner says that the only way forward is to keep going.
Your analysis of change being what keeps us living is intriguing. Specifically the statement of “the stillness of angels being used to demonstrate that change is what keeps humans alive” makes me think of the last scene in Angels in America where Prior, Louis, Belize, and Hannah are at the Angel fountain. Prior states that he prefers his angels as a statue, while also talking about the changing of the trees and seasons. I think your statement paired with this scene highlights the fact that death is still and that leaving this mortal world leads to a statuesque form. Nevertheless, Prior speaking of the changing seasons and him hoping to be there to see them, emphasizes that the only way to keep living is to continue changing.
I’d definitely agree with your analysis. I think the ending scene with a stationary statue of the Angel of Bethesda really ties this analysis together. I think this also has an affect on how the play treats religion. The heavy Mormon influence juxtaposed with the idea that humanity should not listen to heaven turns the book into an overt critique of religion. Considering the book also ties religion to conservatism and republicans, who can certainly be thought of as the antagonists of the AIDS crisis, I think this interpretation is especially telling.
I like your point about how the Angel sees change as a kind of “infection.” That really shows how different Heaven and Earth are in the play. It also makes me think about Roy Cohn. He refuses to admit he has AIDS or that he’s gay, which is another kind of “refusal to change.” While the Angel wants everything to stop, Roy tries to freeze his own identity, and it destroys him. Kushner seems to show that denying change, in any form, leads to suffering.