Symbolism in "Angels In America"

In Angels of America Tony Kushner walks a fine line between pessimism and optimism. He highlights the spiritual bankruptcy present in modern day society while yet also reassures his reader with hope and redemption (in the afterlife). I am particularly impressed by this because he does it through clever, biting dialogue that leads the reader to question their own beliefs regarding existence, both earthly and otherworldly.
It seems to me that each of his characters is used to represent a certain point of view. Though they have many similarities in terms of their insecurities and unfortunate positions in life, each of them is unique in their perspective and background. The character Joe is of particular interest to me because he is symbolic of the fact that anyone, no matter their religious background or strict upbringing is immune to doubt and self-loathing. Mormons can be homosexual and there is no cure for this. No amount of prayer or denial can make Joe straight and this causes unbelievable anguish for himself and for his wife Harper. However, Kushner uses the character of Joe to represent the importance of knowing and accepting oneself. This is clear when he tells Harper:
My whole life has conspired to bring me to this place, and I can’t despise my whole life. I think I believed when I met you I could save you, you at least if not myself, but…I don’t have any sexual feelings for you, Harper. And I don’t think I ever did. (78)
This passage is important for several reasons. Here we see the concept of salvation and how Joe’s religious beliefs have led him to believe that acting on his homosexual impulses were something wrong and unnatural. In some ways it is as if he felt he was giving penance by marrying Harper and attempting to save her from her mental illness. When he comes to the realization that he can neither “cure” himself or his wife he is forced to reevaluate everything he has ever known and amazingly he comes to the conclusion that this was in fact inevitable and he cannot hate a part of himself that he never had any chance of resisting in the first place.
Another character that I find endlessly intriguing is Roy. He is possibly the antithesis of everything that Joe is-shameless, dishonest, and devoid of any real spiritual conviction. It is interesting to me that Joe admires Roy so much seeing as how he represents everything Joe would appear to not want in a mentor. The differences between the two can be clearly seen here:
This is…this is gastric juices churning, this is enzymes and acids, this is intestinal is what this is, bowel movement and blood-red-meat—this stinks, this is politics, Joe, the game of being alive. And you think you’re…What? Above that? Above alive is what? Dead! (68)
In Roy eyes, to be alive is to embrace the unadorned ugliness of existence and particularly human nature. He is infuriated not only by the fact that Joe won’t take the job in Washington but also because he considers Joe to have a holier-than-thou attitude. I also think he is acutely aware of Joe’s inclination toward self-deception; perhaps this is because he recognizes his younger self is his pupil.
In the end, each and every character serves a significant symbolic purpose in this play yet the characters do not come off as stereotypes. Kushner’s characters are nuanced and unbelievably human which makes the work a moving and wildly entertaining read.