The House of Broken Angels

The rain and rainbows symbolize hope and immortality, particularly regarding the life and death of Big Angel. On the way to Mamá América’s funeral, when it begins to rain, Big Angel reflects: “He watched the sky. He was amassing evidence of any kind of signal sent from Beyond. Anything at all. Braulio? Mother? Anybody? Rain was good. He could work with rain. Many messages in rain. Rainbows were even better” (26). Rainbows and rain are symbols from the beyond, which for Big Angel means hope. As a dying man, he finds solace in the idea of a god and a heaven and sees the symbol of rain as hope for a future beyond this world. Though others see rain as a bad omen, Big Angel sees a divine message. It comes from the sky and thus speaks to the intentions and presence of God.

While earlier in the novel Big Angel reflects on the significance of rainbows as a symbol of divine messages, as the novel ends the symbol is tied to a material form of immortality. The model of San Diego, which Ookie and Big Angel spent years building, is also a rainbow. This city model, which Big Angel hides from his family, is a symbol of hope and immortality because it will live on after Big Angel’s death.