Elements of Fear in 'Are you now or have you ever'

I believe that fear is the theme of this episode of Angel. Fear is defined as a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, whether real or imagined. The episode 'Are you now or have you ever been' shows the actions people take when faced with fear. The opening scene (after the credits) shows the Joseph McCarthy communist hearings on the television. This was occurring shortly after World War II and the beginning of the Cold War between the United States and the USSR. Many American's were afraid of the USSR and their restrictive, Communist Government. This fear escalated into what became a witch hunt for communists in the United States. Many American's, after being accused of communist activities, lost their jobs or were imprisoned. These fear based accusations were very similar to the witch hunts occuring in Salem Massachusettes (even though many of them were killed when found guilty of witchcraft). It was fear over an unexplained death, and their personal safety at the hotel, that fueled the panic resulting in Angel's hanging. Fear also fueled the racism that occurred in this episode. The inferior treatment of African American's was not isolated in the 1950's but is treatment historically based on fear of the unknown, or fear of the outcome of the unknown. In the case of Judy, she was a beautiful young woman with a fiance' and a good job who lost it all because she was discovered to be bi-racial. It wasn't that she became something different after the discovery, but she was viewed differently. This difference in treatment is rooted in fear. The fear of the bank owner over whether people will close their accounts if they find out he is employing a black woman and the fear of the fiance' over whether his family will disown him if they find out he fell in love (and married) a black woman. It is, once again, the outcome of the unknown that fuels the fear. There is also the element of self preservation, based on fear, woven into the episode too. From Biblical times this has been the downfall of man. When back into a corner, man will falsly persecute another to save himself. Judas betrayed Jesus in the same way Judy betrayed Angel. I could go on and on about the affects of fear and how they are brilliantly portrayed in this episode but I have rambled on long enough. I thought this episode was great and loved how the writers brought it full circle: the story begins with the hotel and ends with the hotel.