Angels in America Lesson Plan

What is the significance of Joe's story about the picture of Jacob wrestling the angel? What does this tell us about Joe? What does this tell us about Joe's relationship with God?

Joe explains that he used to be entranced by a picture of Jacob wrestling an angel from a childhood Bible story book. The picture was of two muscular men grappling with one another; this is a confirmation of Joe's sexual desire for men and that he's had these desires for a long time. Joe also talks about how unfair it is when wrestling with an angel because the human is always going to lose; the angel is, after all, divine, and therefore has superior powers to the human. But Joe says that one...