Symbolism In Michael Cunningham's

White Angel
White Angel “White Angel” is a short story written by author Michael Cunningham. Cunningham is an
American author and screenwriter whose best known for his novel The Hours, which won the Pulitzer Prize
for fiction in 1999. “White Angel” is a coming of age story in which the author incorporates point of view
and symbolism to bring meaning to the story. The point of view provides knowledgeable and reliable
comments of the narrator on events that happened in his past while symbolism is used to show
experiences that have an impact on the narrator’s life. Both literary elements of point of view and the
repetition of symbols demonstrate how the main character matures into a responsible and independent
person from the experiences he encounter.
In the story, Robert and Carlton spend most of their time in the cemetery where they indulge in partaking
drugs, alcohol and sexual activities. The cemetery represents the place where Robert is forced to mature
by the experiences he is thrown into. The narrator himself remarks, “I hunch behind the statue. I can see
the girl's naked arms, and the familiar bones of Carlton's spine. The two of them moan together in the dry
winter grass. Though I can't make out the girl's expression, Carlton's face is twisted and grimacing, the
cords of his neck pulled tight. I had never thought the experience might be painful. I watch, trying to
learn.” (Cunningham 233). This quote helps us visualize how Robert interprets seeing his brother’s sexual
encounter. We realize how an innocent nine year old is forced to mature at such a young age. He is trying
to watch and learn without realizing how inappropriate it is for him to be present at this encounter.
Another symbol with importance in relation the theme is Carlton’s death. His big brother’s death
symbolizes one of the most traumatic events in Robert’s life that helps him wake up and realize the reality
of life. At the end of the story Robert observes, “He is buried in the cemetery out back. Years have passed-
we are living in the future, and it's turned out differently from what we'd planned” (Cunningham 242).