The Rainbow 691intention to stick with him no matter what. Belize
is better equipped than Louis to deal with Prior’s
deteriorating physical condition, as he has witnessed
it “lots” of times before (Millennium 25). Because
of his experience as a nurse dealing with AIDS
patients, he knows the common treatments such as
radiation for the lesions and the experimental drug
azidothymidine (AZT), and how they are harmful
in and of themselves. In addition to his insight and
knowledge, he provides emotional support and care
and ultimately a link between Prior, Roy Cohn, and
the only viable form of treatment, AZT.
The stigma attached to HIV/AIDS in the
mid- and late eighties is manifested through the
fictionalized account of Roy Cohn. This character is
a powerful and politically connected man who is a
closeted homosexual who has AIDS. He is adamant
to his doctor that his symptoms are related to liver
cancer, as he says, “AIDS is what homosexuals have.
I have liver cancer” (Perestroika 46). He dies during
the course of the play from the effects of AIDS
but not before he secures a large quantity of the
extremely rare AZT. Because of his secrecy about his
prognosis, nobody knows he has the AZT except his
nurse, Belize.
Roy Cohn’s portrayal helps to establish the
outsider status of gay men during the time period
of the play through his words and inferred actions
as well as the difficulty in obtaining fair treatment.
Belize is amazed at his ability to obtain AZT as he
witnesses the hospital giving a placebo to patients.
As Roy dies, Belize liberates the secret stash to help
Prior, his friend, but more significantly one who is
not connected, powerful, and privy to this type of
treatment.
In focusing on the illness of HIV/AIDS, Angels
in America provides an all-encompassing view of the
plague that ravaged a largely ignored and marginal
community. The graphic description of the physical
effects endured by those infected and the refer-
ences to the many gay men who had died already
are reminders of the pain and suffering this illness
brings. The additional portrayal of the emotional
struggles of the men, both those infected and those
knowing the infected, adds another level of depth
and understanding to the struggle through this
illness.
Though the personal stories are important to
recognize and explore in Angels in America, the
disease during this time was also a political issue,
illustrated through Roy Cohn. Roy embodies the
hypocrisy of the medical and political communities.
Those individuals who are most in need are denied
the type of care that can be secured by the powerful.
Those most in need at this time, the homosexual
community, are considered second-class citizens, as
demonstrated through court cases referenced in the
play as well as Roy’s emphasis on labels and how
they affect status.
As Prior struggles for his life, it is a struggle
that encompasses his physical existence as well as
the political future of himself and others like him.
HIV/AIDS is not a personal illness; it is an illness
of society as well.
Brian StilesLaWrEnCE, D. H. The Rainbow
(1915)
The Rainbow is a major modern novel distinguished
by an innovative departure from the realism of its
author’s earlier fiction. Although it is concerned
with the traditional subjects of courtship and mar-
riage, Lawrence eschews traditional modes of char-
acterization, delving into the psychology of his
characters, stressing instinct, sexuality, and, above
all, the unconscious. His psychological approach is
informed by a religious sensibility, often relying on
biblical imagery and an incantatory style of writ-
ing. The results are striking, hypnotic scenes whose
dream-like effects reveal the unconscious drives of
Lawrence’s characters.
The Rainbow tells the story of three generations
of the Brangwen family in the English Midlands,
concluding at the turn of the 20th century. The
novel begins with the famous prologue, a poetic
overview of the Brangwens, portraying their farm
life and, in the case of the women, their aspirations.
In each generation the principal characters struggle
with relationships: first, Tom Brangwen and his
Polish wife Lydia Lensky; next, Will Brangwen and
Lydia’s daughter from a previous marriage, Anna
Lensky; and finally the daughter of Will and Anna,
Ursula Brangwen, and her two lovers, Winifred