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The angel and devil are a metaphor for the complex nature of responsibility in addiction. One day, Daisy asks Jasper why Bob Dylan does drugs after watching a video of him (though it is clear that she is really asking about Nic). Jasper explains that Dylan doesn’t actually want to do drugs. Rather, Jasper says, it is like in the cartoons: Dylan has an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, and sometimes the devil speaks too loudly and causes him to take drugs.
Jasper’s metaphor captures the difficulty of finding someone or something to blame for addiction. It acknowledges that there is a force outside a person like Nic, for which they are not responsible, that is drawing them to make self-destructive choices. However, the metaphor also recognizes that Nic is still responsible for heeding the advice of the “devil” or “angel,” and choosing to relapse or to remain in recovery.
Angel and Devil Quotes in Beautiful Boy
The Beautiful Boy quotes below all refer to the symbol of Angel and Devil. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 19
Quotes
Jasper responds, “I don’t think he wants to do them, but he can’t help it. It’s like in cartoons when some character has a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other. The devil whispers into Nicky’s ear and sometimes it gets too loud so he has to listen to him. The angel is there, too,” Jasper continues, “but he talks softer and Nic can’t hear him.”
Related Characters:
Related Symbols:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Beautiful Boy LitChart as a printable PDF.
Angel and Devil Symbol Timeline in Beautiful Boy
The timeline below shows where the symbol Angel and Devil appears in Beautiful Boy. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 19
...wants to do them, but he can’t help it. It’s as though he has an angel and a devil on his shoulder, and sometimes the devil whispers too loud.
(full context)
