Much has been written about the homosexual and political playwright Tony Kushner. Interestingly, not so much has been said about his Jewish background and its impact on his dramatic work. Especially, his most acknowledged play "Angels in America – A Gay Fantasia on National Themes" which is mainly set in New York City "this strange place, in the melting pot where nothing melted" as Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz observes in the first scene of "Millennium Approaches", is highly concerned with Judaism in general and American Jewry in particular. Naturally, different readings of Kushner's two-part play are possible. Nevertheless, it is crucial to reveal and analyze the importance of the Jewish tone and setting in "Angels in America" to fully understand Kushner's complex work.
Kushner picks out the topic of religion and traditional heritage in our secular, modern world as one of his central themes. As Hilary de Vries wrote in her Chicago Tribune critique, "Kushner credits much of his interest in religion to his family background as part of the little known but thriving Jewish community in [Lake Charles] Louisiana." When Kushner moved to New York City in 1974, the Jewish population of the city was over one million making it the largest Jewish community in the world. Even though "Kushner struggles with an ambivalence toward Judaism due to homophobic traditions within his faith," as James Fisher stated, he nevertheless strongly connects to his own Eastern European roots. Kushner's ambivalence is that of American Jewry in general, being torn between the modern, secular society and historical ties to ethnic and religious identity. This dilemma is put forward through the play's fine-nuanced Jewish characters. Furthermore, the play circles around general religious allegories, which origins can be traced back to writings of Judaism, such as the Old Testament and the Kabbalah, as well as to Christian traditions.
Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II. Tony Kushner’s diverse Jewish Characters
i. The Old Meets the New World: The Rabbi, Sarah and Louis Ironson
ii. The Real Meets the Fictitious World: Roy M. Cohn (1927-1986) and Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg (1915-1953)
III. Tony Kushner’s Angels
IV. Bibliography
Objectives and Themes
This paper examines the significance of Jewish identity, cultural heritage, and religious allegory in Tony Kushner’s seminal play "Angels in America," analyzing how these elements shape the complex characterizations and the play's overarching narrative of forgiveness and progress.
- The intersection of Jewish traditional values and modern, secular American life.
- The subversion of stereotypical Jewish character tropes to create multi-dimensional individuals.
- The role of guilt and the quest for redemption within the context of the AIDS crisis.
- The influence of philosophical and religious interpretations of angels, particularly Walter Benjamin’s "Angel of History."
- The thematic representation of progress and the human desire for "more life."
Excerpt from the Book
II.i. The Old Meets the New World: The Rabbi, Sarah and Louis Ironson
The play’s first scene is a monologue of Rabbi Isidor Chemelwitz who recites his funeral eulogy for Sarah Ironson, Louis grandmother. Next to him is a small wooden coffin, over which a prayer shawl, embroidered with a Star of David, is draped. Close by, a yahrtzeit candle is burning. Usually these ‘year’s time’ candles acknowledge annual commemoration of a loved one’s death. In Kushner’s case the candle symbolizes general Jewish mourning traditions and further creates the setting of a typical Jewish funeral home. Already in Chemelwitz’ monologue, Kushner establishes a strong contrast between the traditional life of former Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe and the world of their secular children and grandchildren born and raised in America. The second Jewish immigration wave, mostly from Eastern European countries and Russia, lasted from 1881 to the mid-nineteen-twenties. Almost two million Jews came to America during these decades, most of which landed at Ellis Island and settled in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Sarah Ironson, Kushner’s representative of this generation, is one of those “last Mohicans” as the Rabbi puts it. By the mid-nineteen-eighties not many of these former immigrants were still alive to tell about their life in Eastern European shtetls.
The two worlds, that of the Eastern European shtetl and that of modern America, seem to be so separate from each other that even the Rabbi has to admit that “you can never make that crossing […], for such Great Voyages in this world do not any more exist.” Nevertheless, he argues that immigrants – such as Sarah Ironson – have brought along the villages of Russia and Lithuania to America to hand down the Jewish experience of struggle and fight to their children and grandchildren. Hence, the Rabbi offers the main ambivalence many American descendants of Jewish immigrants are still faced with, which is the conflict between their secular American life and the recognition of their religious and cultural roots. Despite their goyish names, their “clay is the clay of some Litvak shtetl,” as the Rabbi insists.
Summary of Chapters
I. Introduction: This chapter contextualizes Tony Kushner’s play within the mid-1980s American landscape and establishes the focus on the author's Jewish heritage as a critical lens for understanding the play’s complex characters and themes.
II. Tony Kushner’s diverse Jewish Characters: This section explores how Kushner uses five specific Jewish characters to reflect the struggle between traditional identity and modern secularism, effectively challenging common stereotypes.
II.i. The Old Meets the New World: The Rabbi, Sarah and Louis Ironson: This chapter analyzes the generational gap between Eastern European immigrants and their Americanized descendants, highlighting Louis Ironson’s internal conflict regarding his faith and identity.
II.ii. The Real Meets the Fictitious World: Roy M. Cohn (1927-1986) and Ethel Greenglass Rosenberg (1915-1953): This chapter discusses how the integration of historical figures allows Kushner to explore self-loathing, anti-Semitism, and the political tensions of the Cold War era.
III. Tony Kushner’s Angels: This chapter examines the symbolic function of angels in the play, linking Kushner’s narrative to Walter Benjamin’s "Angel of History" and the broader human search for meaning and life.
IV. Bibliography: This section lists the primary texts and secondary sources used for the analysis.
Keywords
Tony Kushner, Angels in America, Jewish-American literature, AIDS pandemic, Walter Benjamin, Angel of History, Louis Ironson, Roy M. Cohn, Ethel Rosenberg, religious allegory, secularism, cultural identity, guilt, forgiveness, Eastern European shtetl.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on analyzing the impact of playwright Tony Kushner’s Jewish background on the themes, character development, and religious allegories within his major work, "Angels in America."
What are the central thematic fields explored in the work?
The central themes include the tension between secular modern life and traditional Jewish heritage, the nature of guilt and forgiveness, the struggle of identity, and the sociological impact of the AIDS epidemic.
What is the primary research goal?
The goal is to reveal how the Jewish tone and setting in "Angels in America" serve as a vital framework for interpreting the complex, round characters and the play's message regarding human progress and life.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The work employs a literary analysis methodology, utilizing historical context, Jewish religious precepts, and philosophical frameworks—specifically those of Walter Benjamin—to interpret the dramatic text.
What topics are covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section investigates the specific character archetypes (both fictional and historical), the generational conflicts between immigrants and their descendants, the symbolic role of angels, and the possibility of forgiveness in a secular world.
Which keywords best characterize the paper?
Essential keywords include Tony Kushner, Angels in America, Jewish identity, guilt, forgiveness, Walter Benjamin, the "Angel of History," and historical allegory.
How does Louis Ironson demonstrate the conflict of modern Jewish identity?
Louis exemplifies the dilemma by leading a secular, homosexual life while simultaneously feeling an internal compulsion to connect with his religious roots, particularly during moments of profound personal guilt.
Why are Roy M. Cohn and Ethel Rosenberg significant to the play's narrative?
As historical figures, they allow Kushner to layer real-world political complexities and prejudices—such as self-loathing and anti-communist sentiment—onto the play's exploration of identity and morality.
- Quote paper
- Sonja Longolius (Author), 2004, Tony Kushner's "Angel in America" - A Jewish American Epic, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/41723
