52 pages • 1 hour read
Sacha LambWhen the Angels Left the Old Country
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2022A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Challenges of Migration and Adaptation
Throughout the novel, the characters of Little Ash and Uriel undergo the same migration that all humans going to America have experienced. Starting in the little town of Shtetl, they make their way across the ocean to New York City and experience what it is like to be a Jewish immigrant fighting to build a new life. While they do not see themselves as immigrants in the way that Rose or Grandmother Rivke might, their experiences of loneliness and split identity nonetheless mirror those of the people around them. Many of these feelings arise specifically on the journey over the Atlantic, for the narrative states that the two are “far from alone in being unsettled by the voyage from Europe to America, but, being the sheltered creatures that they were, they were completely unaware that their troubles were perfectly ordinary” (153). The angel and the demon rarely leave their corner of Shtetl and have never faced the challenges they must confront as they travel overseas to save Essie. Their emotional responses to the conflicts that arise between them and the daunting tasks that lie ahead feel unique to them, but as the narrative acknowledges, their individual experiences are part of a greater, more universal immigrant experience.
Their arrival at Ellis Island proves that there are many challenges to being a newly arrived immigrant in America, for the assimilation process can cause them quite a shock. For the main characters of the novel (as with many immigrants), one of the most difficult aspects of life in America is the necessity of adjusting to a new culture and setting. As Uriel explores the city, the angel witnesses a new lifestyle that contradicts its expectation of finding a similar culture and community to the one it left behind in Shtetl. Uriel is therefore shocked by the differences in people’s treatment of each other and even balks at the atmosphere of the local synagogues. Life in New York City is so unlike Shtetl that the characters essentially find themselves in a new world. Like the experience of the voyage, their reactions to a new country serve as prime examples of the immigrant experience.
Friendships That Bridge Differences
The defining aspect of the relationship between Little Ash and Uriel is their ability to foster a friendship despite and because of their fundamental differences. As an angel and a demon, the two characters’ vastly differing perspectives sometimes put them at odds, but they also manage to foster a relationship that allows them to work in tandem for the betterment of each other, combining their differences to create a more nuanced approach to the world. One such difference can be found in the tension between Uriel’s single-minded need to complete a benevolent task and Little Ash’s selfish scheming. As the narrative wryly notes, “Little Ash was always telling [the angel that] this was an inefficient way to do business, but the angel felt doing business was a terrible, demonic way to describe the feeling of being needed” (93). As an angel, Uriel feels a natural pull to help people, and when it is set on a task, it can think of nothing else. By contrast, Little Ash schemes extensively, considering different variables that might impact his plans. In this way, Little Ash often manipulates Uriel, presenting his plan as a mitzvah, or good deed, to enlist the angel’s help; for example, he uses the promise to help Essie as a means of getting to America. However, through the combination of Uriel’s drive for goodness and Little Ash’s scheming, good deeds do actually arise from this manipulation. Thus, the opposing natures of angel and demon dovetail nicely, combining the passion to succeed with the means to do so.
For the most part, Uriel’s angelic influence pushes Little Ash to be more thoughtful and caring in his plans, leaning toward sacrifice instead of selfish intent. For Uriel, Little Ash’s influence is much greater, as the angel takes a name and transforms from a fully realized angel to one that is far more human and is capable of free will. With this transformation, Uriel becomes determined to maintain its free will despite the negative aspects that choice can bring, and the angel also desires to remain committed to Little Ash and to preserve its newfound freedom. As Uriel tells Little Ash, “You gave me the name. I wanted a name so I could stay with you. It was only lucky the rebbe needed me to have it” (336). Uriel often laments the fact that as a fully realized angel, it did not have the ability to make its own decisions. With the free will that comes with the name, Uriel realizes how deeply it cares for Little Ash, and it wants to be with him. Uriel therefore becomes capable of not only expressing and pursuing personal desires. Little Ash’s display of free will thus influences the angel to embrace this transformation despite the problems that ensue.
The Shaping of Personal Identity
Though Little Ash and Uriel are hundreds of years old, they are relatively young by the standards of their kind, and they physically resemble adolescents. Thus, as they journey beyond the secluded Shtetl for the first time, they embark upon a quest of self-discovery and begin to reshape their identities to fit their new experiences. This process is illustrated through both characters’ abilities to present themselves to humans however they wish. For example, the angel chooses the form of a boy: “Little Ash and the angel had discussed, on occasion, the difference between its feelings and his when it came to looking like the boys who studied at the yeshiva rather than the girls who milked the goats and ran the markets” (62). For Little Ash, who identifies as a boy, presenting as a boy is in line with his inner feelings. However, because of Uriel’s angelic nature, it does not have a gender and often identifies with whatever happens to be on its mind. For the sake of convenience, Uriel often presents as a boy. Initially, Uriel also spends considerable time studying texts and debating with Little Ash, and in the town of Shtetl, it is easier to do so while presenting as a yeshiva boy rather than as a girl.
Uriel’s journey of self-discovery is particularly relevant, for when the angel takes the name of Uriel, it becomes more human and develops free will. Faced with the prospect of making decisions and thinking more than one thought at once, the angel gains distinctly mortal attributes and must contend with the ability to sleep, bleed, and even die. Worried by the idea of losing his friend, Little Ash encourages the angel to forsake its name, but Uriel resists, stating, “But I like being Uriel Federman. […] It is like being an angel but also a person. I can do whatever I like! […] Just like you always do. It’s just like being human!’” (263-64). Uriel resists giving up its name because it revels in the ability to make its own decisions and build its own identity. For its entire existence, it has always been motivated and defined by whatever is on its mind at any given moment. Now that Uriel has gained free will, it revels in the ability to desire more than one thing and make decisions designed to pursue those desires. Free will ultimately allows the angel to redefine its very nature, and as the story progresses, Uriel grows beyond being just a sidekick whom Little Ash must care for, becoming instead a true friend and soulmate who actively helps Little Ash as a willing partner.
