When the Angels Left the Old Country

Of all the characters in When the Angels Left the Old Country, the angel undergoes the most significant transformation, as it takes the name of Uriel and gains free will, becoming something that is less angelic but not completely human. Before this transformation, however, the angel (in its purest form) acts as a foil to Little Ash. While Little Ash is mischievous, often planning different schemes and thinking ahead, the angel possesses a completely single-minded focus on whatever singular goal it has committed to achieving in the moment. This intense concentration is displayed in their adventure to the synagogue in Warsaw, for in this particular moment, “[t]he angel […] turned without conscious effort to the evening prayers. It could see only holiness in a synagogue” (30). Once Little Ash and the angel enter the synagogue, the angel immediately turns to prayer and becomes so intensely focused that it does not notice the cynical attitude that the men have toward the services. Before it gains its name, the angel is only capable of concentrating on one thing at a time, making it a fairly static character until it comes across its name.

When the angel adopts the name of Uriel for their voyage to America, it begins a process of fundamental change. With its name, it becomes more human, learning to sleep, developing free will, and even becoming mortal. While Little Ash worries for his friend, Uriel commits to its name even though it does not enjoy the gender-based social expectations that come with it. Uriel wants to keep the name because doing so allows it to make decisions and experience desire. With its new free will, it realizes its feelings for Little Ash. As the narrative states, “It wanted to tell him everything that has ever happened, in its whole existence, and why every single thing it was telling him had led to them both being here, and why that was a miracle” (253-54). This kind of thought was impossible for the angel before its transformation into Uriel. As Uriel, it can now think more than one thought at a time, and it can also ignore the angelic compulsion to do good. With its free will, it feels desire and wishes to express such desire to Little Ash. It therefore commits to the demon in a way that it never could before. As an angel, if a new call to action were to take it away from Little Ash, the angel would forget about Little Ash completely and lose him. As Uriel, however, it can take steps to nurture their relationship.

Rose is another of the three primary characters in When the Angels Left the Old Country, and she is also the only one of the three who is human. Rose is an adolescent who is initially unaware of her LGBTQIA+ identity, which causes her stress and pain as she attempts to navigate her relationship with the girls in her life. When her crush, Dinah, refuses to come to America with her and instead marries a boy from their shtetl, Rose is enraged. Her anger at Dinah and desire for revenge become her motivating drive. When Rose meets Little Ash and Uriel, she agrees to help them in their mission to deliver the rebbe’s belongings to his daughter because she believes that doing so will show Dinah that she made a mistake by remaining behind. This anger follows Rose throughout the novel, and it does not truly relent until Rose reaches a revelation about her identity.

When Rose develops a crush on Essie, she finally understands the romantic nature of her feelings for Dinah and fully embraces her identity. She also becomes a dynamic character when she shifts her perspective on Dinah, looking upon her friend much more kindly. For much of the novel, Rose does not truly understand her feelings for these girls, but once she does, she gains a new outlook on Dinah’s decision and learns to forgive her. As the narrative states, “She felt she had been very unfair to Dinah. If Dinah saw in Saul’s eyes what Rose saw in Essie’s, how could she have done anything but fall into his arms?” (383). Rose finally realizes that she loves Dinah and is jealous that Dinah loves someone else. Only when Rose’s feelings for Essie are fully realized and reciprocated does she understand why Dinah married Saul. With this revelation, Rose realizes that Dinah never meant to hurt her, and she accepts that it is just as natural for Dinah to pursue Saul as it is for Rose to pursue Essie. Rose’s epiphany about her LGBTQIA+ identity is the key to her full character development, and once she makes this realization, she becomes a fully mature individual.

Grandmother Rivke is a secondary character and a wise companion to Little Ash, Uriel, and Rose on their voyage to America. She is one of the oldest characters of the novel and offers a unique perspective on the challenges that await all the immigrants upon reaching Ellis Island. She is very knowledgeable and easily recognizes Little Ash for the demon that he is. She also represents a more morally nuanced view of life, and Little Ash, recognizing her sins, sees justification in them, stating, “She was simply […] a human who believed that rules must sometimes be broken for the sake of happiness” (141). While Uriel and Little Ash technically represent the extremes of angel versus demon and good versus evil, the humans of the story exist somewhere in the midst of this dichotomy. Grandmother Rivke lives a long life in which she works toward happiness, even if it means breaking norms and rules. Little Ash admires this in her, seeing someone willing to live life to live rather than merely work for goodness at the expense of oneself.

Although she does not officially enter the narrative until Part 3, Essie’s influence on the novel begins in Chapter 1. She is the girl that Little Ash and the angel travel to America to save, and as Rose learns more and more about her, Essie becomes the focus of Rose’s nascent romantic feelings. Essie is a strong and independent girl who lives at Mr. Boaz’s house and takes care of his accounts. In addition to this responsibility, she remains very committed to her community and works to help the strike, using her inside information to provide the striking workers with crucial advice. When she requests that Little Ash, Rose, and Uriel deliver this inside information to Malke, Rose demonstrates bravery by defying her boss despite the great power imbalance between them. She is therefore a capable girl with concrete morals and a desire to do good. In many ways, she serves as a guide for Rose, who thinks of Essie with admiration and possesses many of the same beliefs. When the two meet, they become fast friends and work well together, making and executing plans seamlessly.

Essie is responsible, remembering her roots and working to help deliver on promises she makes. When the danger passes and Mr. Boaz’s deceptions are revealed, Essie not only begins a new life, kissing Rose, but she also works to improve the lives of her family by sending money back to Shtetl. Essie understands that her role in America is to build a new life and support those at home who do not share her opportunities. She leaves Shtetl to build a better life to use her success in America to support Shtetl or bring her family over to America. Undaunted by the struggles she faces in America, Essie remains confident as she navigates a challenging world.

The ghost of the rebbe from Rose’s hometown Belz is Dinah’s grandfather, and he eventually transforms into one of the antagonists of the novel. The rebbe begins as a benevolent spirit, pleading with the angel to help him reach America and respecting the angel and its good nature. However, because the rebbe is a holy man, he despises Little Ash, seeing the demon as pure evil and believing him to be a poor influence on the angel. When the two meet and Little Ash challenges the rebbe, fishing for ulterior motives, the rebbe assures Little Ash that he only needs help to reach his daughter in America so that she can put his soul to rest. The rebbe depends greatly on the kindness of the angel, and he offers the angel guidance along the way as Uriel becomes more human.

However, despite the rebbe’s benevolent intentions, he becomes a malevolent dybbuk when Uriel fails to deliver the spirit to Malke in time. As a dybbuk, the rebbe possesses Malke’s husband, Isaak, and tries to enact his revenge and express his discontent with the world around him. When Little Ash and Uriel meet the rebbe as a dybbuk, the rebbe exclaims, “I come to America and I find a daughter who can’t mourn me, and a husband who can’t support her. […] I find demons and villains running wild! I will not let this pass” (316). The rebbe’s anger represents a disconnect between the old country and the new world of New York.

Reb Fishl is the first antagonist that Little Ash and the angel encounter. He is a conman in Warsaw who preys on those who want to travel to America. Although he arranges passage for them, he also places them in debt to both himself and Mr. Boaz, the American factory owner. He has committed so many sins that Little Ash immediately recognizes his immoral nature upon seeing him in the synagogue and concludes, “This face would put on a pious attitude when that would profit it, but only then. This was someone who, in his heart, held no regard for anything of benefit to anyone but himself” (31). Reb Fishl’s willingness to manipulate his victims showcases the vulnerability of immigrants and the willingness of others to exploit it. He puts on a welcoming face to draw victims in, assuring them that they are heading in the right direction and presenting them with job opportunities. However, each promise he makes is designed to serve an ulterior motive of his own. He preys on those leaving Europe, while his partner abuses those same people once they arrive in America.

Mr. Boaz is an antagonist to Little Ash, Uriel, Rose, and the people they try to help in New York. He is a factory owner who forces his workers into debt even as he makes them work in subpar conditions. He is the reason that Isaak and many others decide to strike, as his approach to making profits—which he then gambles away—ruins the lives of his workers. In fact, he is the catalyst for the death of Mrs. Shulman, the mother of Isaak, for he does not permit her the time off that she desperately needs to overcome an illness that she contracts while working for him. This decision leads to her death and compels her to become yet another vengeful dybbuk, for Mr. Boaz does not let her family properly mourn her. He and Reb Fishl coordinate each person’s voyage and job security in a way that ensures they are in debt and must work as much as possible, making it easy for him to manipulate and abuse those vulnerable workers who need money. However, despite his predatory business habits, Mr. Boaz shows the potential to change, asking for guidance in making amends after his misdeeds are uncovered.