Ending of Angels in America

I find the ending to the play to be very interesting. I have also be watching the tv series and it follows the book but seems to just give you more of the visual effect of what is really happening. I find it interesting how everyone is able to forgive each other but no on forgives Joe for what he did. Louis forgave Prior, and Ethel forgave Roy.  It is like why couldn't Harper forgive Joe? He was final honest with her, and what he did wasn't nearly as bad as what Roy has done his entire life. In the TV version you see Harper give Joe one of her pills. I think maybe Joe finally went off the deep end after realizing he could never find love.

Ending of Angels in America

The end theme of Angels in America is hope. Even though the story doesn't go on and we don’t see what the future holds it ends with the hope that there will be change. This change will not come fast and will not be easy but it will be a change for the better. Prior lives on in his Great Work. The Great Work will change the future. We live now in a world where everything is more excepted and we are living in that future the play talks about. Priors final words are “The world only spins forward. We will be citizens. The time has come. Bye now you are fabulous creature each and everyone. And I bless you: More life, The Great work begins". The ending sums up that the earth will continue to move forward, people will begin to understand, life will move on and change will happen.

My interpretation of Angels ending

I think the reason Kushner excluded Joe from the ending was because he wasn't honest with himself. Throughout the play, Joe struggles to find out who he his and compared to the other characters he remains lost. We see this when he comes out to Hannah and his affair with Louis followed by him going back to Harper and pretending that he wanted to be with her. It's as if he tries to go back in the closet after coming out. I feel that Kushner wanted to sent us a message which is that you must be true to yourself or else there will never be a resolution for you.