Angelfall

Raffe, or the archangel Raphael, is the love interest in the novel. Raffe is characterized primarily through his attractiveness—he is described as shirtless in the very first scene, emphasizing his sexuality and masculine beauty. Through Penryn’s interactions with him, he is further characterized as moody, stubborn, and self-righteous; he holds a strict code of honor among the angels and only changes his view on them and humans when the aerie betrays him. Raffe’s age—as he seems to be immortal and thousands of years old—also characterizes him since he always acts much more experienced and knowledgeable than Penryn, whether or not he actually is.

Despite the many qualities of Raffe that serve to annoy Penryn, he is eventually revealed to be kind, sad, and determined, capable of deep affection for her and others. He develops throughout the book into a much more compassionate figure than he is at the beginning, though some of this shift can be attributed to Penryn’s shifting understanding of him since she is the narrator. Raffe’s wings symbolize his character development, albeit in reverse; Raffe is at his “worst” with the angel wings, grows without his wings, and becomes his “best” form with the demonic wings, even though they hurt his reputation and threaten others. This irony demonstrates his transformation from an angel into something new—not a demon, nor an angel, nor a human, but a creature capable of navigating all three areas, even if he is not welcome in any of them. 

Penryn’s unnamed mother is a key part, but she is not a dynamic character: Her schizophrenia leads to erratic behavior, making her a foil to Penryn’s stability and independence. Penryn’s mother is unstable, violent, and overprotective; due to her struggles with unreality, she perceives things as demonic threats and takes irrational actions to protect herself and her daughters. She is characterized by her general dominance over others—people are afraid of her, even if they do not know her, and she creates chaos wherever she goes (such as through her horrific mutilation of the man’s corpse in the office). Penryn struggles to view her mother as a person with value due to the abuse she has heaped on her daughters, and often refers to her as an animal or other demeaning terms.

While Penryn’s mother’s schizophrenia is depicted with greater accuracy than earlier stereotypes of the mental disorder, which often aligned more closely with what is now called dissociative identity disorder, her intense instability still contributes to a negative portrayal of schizophrenia all too common in literature and other media. While Penryn’s mother’s violence is implied to be a symptom of her schizophrenia, it is important to note that in reality, the vast majority of people with schizophrenia never engage in violent behavior. Penryn’s mother is implied to have caused Paige’s paralysis through an undescribed “accident,” and many passages in the book imply that she has harmed her children due to her condition. While not necessarily inaccurate—as some people with schizophrenia do cause harm to themselves or others, particularly without help or medication—Penryn’s mother serves as an obstacle Penryn must overcome rather than a character with development in her own right, further contributing to the stereotypical portrayal. All the same, Penryn does struggle to view her mother with empathy, implying throughout that she wishes she could view her mother in a more positive light.

Paige Young is Penryn’s seven-year-old, paraplegic sister, a tragic supporting figure. Paige is not present for more than a few chapters of the work, but haunts the narrative throughout, serving as Penryn’s motivation. Paige is a flat character; she is characterized as supernaturally kind, understanding, and giving, despite her age and trauma. Paige is also the character who changes the most throughout the book, however, transforming into a flesh-eating monster after being experimented on by the aerie. Despite this, she still retains aspects of her former self, such as a fierce protectiveness of her family members.

Paige’s kindness contrasts heavily with the apocalyptic setting of the book, creating a contrast that makes her characterization much more potent. Unlike every other character, Paige has no flaws and minimal agency—she is abused as a child, then kidnapped, then experimented on, none of which she can control. While at the end of the novel she is implied to have a monstrous taste for human flesh, her lack of agency makes it a tragic outcome rather than an actual flaw. Paige exists to contrast with the world, and even at the end of the novel, when she has been forced to assimilate to the angels’ monstrous ideal, she stands against it by choosing to rescue Penryn and use her new powers to protect her family.

Obi is the leader of the rebellion against the angels and serves as a secondary character in the novel. He mostly exists to provide a counterpoint to Penryn’s cynical view of other people—especially men—and to progress the rebellion plot in the background of the latter half of the book. Obi is characterized as practical, kind, and no-nonsense, but is somewhat sexist and demeaning toward Penryn. His age is unclear, but Penryn finds him attractive and treats many of his interactions with her as sensual ones, although it is usually unclear whether Obi intends them to be or not.

Obi is protective of his group of survivors and is willing to do anything to keep them safe, even at the expense of others. He is a flat character; he does not grow throughout the book, except in his respect for Penryn, and his primary role is as the “hero” encouraging the humans to fight back. Even though Obi’s role in the pre-apocalyptic military is unclear, the military is a key part of his characterization, fleshing out his intensity, will to survive, and ability to command others.

Dee and Dum—abbreviations of Tweedledee and Tweedledum, characters from Alice in Wonderland—are twins and flat characters in the human rebellion who functionally serve as one character, typically referred to as Deedum. Dee and Dum are characterized as mischievous, cunning, and deceptive; they manipulate others for their benefit but also use their skills to infiltrate the aerie, serving as a key part of the success of the rebellion. Other than Raffe, they are the closest character Penryn has to a friend, as well, making them an important part of her growing trust in others.

After their first appearance, the twins never appear on the page at the same time, and it is unclear which one is present in the aerie during the attack, or where the other one is. This emphasizes their interchangeability and lack of independent identities. While very possibly a front, as with much of their personality—since they become quite serious when helping Penryn in the aerie—this creates an eerie tone to their appearances. They additionally are very static characters since their changing personalities depend on the setting and cannot depict growth.

Beliel and Uriel are the two primary antagonists in the novel. Despite their differences—as Beliel is a fallen angel and Uriel one of the frontrunners to become the new angelic Messenger—they function together as characters, serving as the metaphorical “brawn” and “brains” respectively for the sinister angelic plot. Both are characterized as cruel and brutal, but Uriel is manipulative and outwardly charming, while Beliel is much less charismatic, primarily making himself known through outright violence. Both are also responsible for Raffe’s downfall and show little to no concern for human lives, seeing them as disposable at best and disgusting at worst.

While Beliel is primarily described through his inky-black, sinister wings, Uriel is described with reference to his humanlike characteristics. Penryn notices that he has a politician’s face and appears trustworthy, yet he is characterized accurately through the terrified yet dead-eyed expressions of the women around him. Beliel is less an independent character and more like the “real” side of Uriel—together, they form a metaphor for the hypocrisy rotting angel society from the inside out.