Michael Cunningham’s “White Angel” is a short story narrated by nine-year-old Bobby, and it follows the experiences Bobby shares with his older brother Carlton in the months before Carlton’s traumatic death. The story is set in the Sixties, a time of innocence and awakening. The country had emerged from the war-torn Forties and the cookie-cutter Fifties with hope. There was a cultural optimism that the Dylan song was more than just a song – that the times really were changing. It was during this period that sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll burst onto the scene. In later years, more sinister and subversive motives would be ascribed to this trio, but in the Sixties, it was a liberal haven. It offered a refuge to both the burgeoning hippies and recovering beatniks – the essence of Carlton’s “Woodstock Nation” in the story. Cunningham tells his story through the cultural lens of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n roll, and uses the three aspects to illustrate the relationship between Bobby and Carlton.
In the story’s chronology, drugs are the first to be used in the definition of the brotherhood. The boys drop acid at the breakfast table and go outside to the cemetery. Here, the dependence and trust Bobby gives his brother is demonstrated
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However, this change is what precipitates the final break between Bobby and Carlton. What happened was an adventure we had together. in the way he trusts Carlton to lead him down the right path. ” Later on that night, Carlton and Bobby lean out a window and fly together. As he expresses these emotions, Bobby comes to believe that his original point of view is wrong, that the harmony of their brotherhood has not been disrupted. Rather than saving Bobby at a crucial moment, he chooses his girlfriend, the party, and the music – these are the things that are allowing him to see his dream come true. “’I’m here,’ Carlton says again, and he is. ” As the two boys talk, Bobby realizes that Carlton doesn’t feel any fissure in their relationship at all. Carlton’s death was heralded by these changes, but more importantly for his brother, the course of his life was charted by them. When he is unable to turn the tide his way in the face of the impending realization of the “Woodstock Nation,” Bobby retreats to the kitchen. Awaiting us all, and soon, is a bright, perfect simplicity. But when Carlton comes back in to talk to Bobby, the younger boy refuses at first to let his brother see his bewilderment. With these scenes, Cunningham lays out the foundation for the brothers’ relationship. When Bobby comes upon Carlton and his girlfriend having sex, he is confused and nervous.
Approximate Word count =
895
Approximate Pages =
4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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