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.
Symbols & Motifs
Tears
Little Ash’s tears are a motif that explains the theme of Friendships That Bridge Differences, allowing Little Ash to share his perspective with the angel. As a demon, Little Ash has beliefs and abilities that differ greatly from the angel’s. While the angel can summon holy books from thin air and easily remove bullets from its body, Little Ash’s powers tend to focus more on the ability to see the essence of people. For example, Little Ash can see the sins of others crawling on them and can see ghosts when the angel cannot. However, by sharing his tears with the angel, Little Ash opens the angel’s eyes to the world as he perceives it. By literally placing his tears in the eyes of the angel, Little Ash allows the angel to see the ghosts around them, giving it sight that it would not have on its own. By doing so, Little Ash bridges the gap between them and fosters their friendship by sharing his unique abilities. Little Ash’s willingness to share this with the angel also demonstrates his commitment to his friend and his desire to broaden the angel’s awareness.
Dybbuk’s Trail
The two dybbuks in the novel are malevolent spirits of people who die without having the proper prayers said for them. This omission goads their resentment, which takes over their desires and minds. Dybbuks bring bad luck and leave a trail of bad luck wherever they go; this trail manifests as a sticky substance, almost like a slug’s trail. With his demonic sight, Little Ash can see the trail left behind by the dybbuks, and he can therefore see who is being targeted with the spirit’s ill intent. In many ways, the dybbuk’s trail of bad luck is a motif for The Challenges of Migration and Adaptation, for the dybbuks in the novel are born when the stresses and pressures of the new world in America present them with injustices that they find themselves unable to accept. There are two dybbuks in the novel, the first of which is Mrs. Shulman, who dies because of poor working conditions. Her ire is a direct result of the economic conditions that plague her family while they work for the immoral Mr. Boaz, who takes advantage of immigrant labor. The second dybbuk, which grows from the ghost of the rebbe, focuses on the resentment it feels upon encountering a culture whose values differ so greatly from his own. He believes that American culture is evil and that it has influenced his daughter in negative ways. Therefore, the trail of bad luck that the dybbuks leave represents the pressures of immigration as people struggle to adapt to a new life and navigate an unfamiliar culture.
Police Wagon
The police wagon used by the Sullivan brothers is a symbol that represents the corruption and danger of America. A police wagon is intended to be used by the police, whose job is ostensibly to establish and protect law and order for American citizens. However, when the Sullivan brothers buy a police wagon, they take a symbol of supposed protection and turn it into a predatory and dangerous object. In this way, a vehicle made for the police falls into the hands of those against whom the police often struggle. In this way, the police wagon becomes a threat rather than a refuge to the likes of Rose, Essie, Uriel, and Little Ash, and it also contributes to the confusion of being an immigrant in a new place. Just as at Ellis Island with the Christian demon doctor, someone or something who is supposed to represent the safety and opportunity of America becomes corrupted and represents the opposite. Mr. Sullivan’s police wagon therefore represents the hostility of America toward newcomers, as well as the secret dangers that immigrants must navigate as they assimilate into American society.
