not the
Oranges are
only fruit
by Jeanette Winterson
summary
of notes
, Jeanette Winterson [1959]
Oranges are not the only fruit (1985)
Jeanette Winterson was born in 1959 in Manchester, England. She was adopted by
Pentecostal parents and was raised in a strictly religious environment, where
reading wasn’t approved unless it was the Bible.
Even though her parents intended for her to be a missionary, when she reached the
age of sixteen and came out as a homosexual, she left home and got into university
to study English.
“Oranges are not the only fruit” won the 1985 Whitbread Prize for a First Novel
and was adapted for television with Winterson’s screenplay in 1990, which in turn
won the BAFTA Award for Best Drama.
OANTOF (Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit) is a realist Bildungsroman interwoven
with episodic fairytales and autobiographical elements. The key theme of the realist
narrative is the struggle of a young girl for selfhood. Young Jeanette uses her
imagination and sense of humor to free herself from the authoritative figure of her
mother and the religious and moral restrictions she imposes on her.
Her mother is presented as a powerful, forbidding woman who tries to dominate
the young girl’s life with moral binarisms and gender constructions. Through
Jeanette’s descriptions we see how her mother’s sexuality is questionable, and
what’s more we are left with suspicions about her possible engagement in a lesbian
affair once. Winterson often treats her with irony and humor in order to
undermine her acclaimed religious idealism in favor of egotistical needs and
economic concerns.
Apart from the prevalent figure of the mother, the symbol o f the fruit orange has
several meanings spread throughout the novel. The orange of the title has indeed a
shifting role. When her mother keeps giving oranges to Jeanette at the most
inappropriate times, followed by the chant <Oranges are the only fruit> , it stands for
her dogmatism. In that the fruit is also meant as a substitute for her absence as a
mother in the most important moments of Jeanette’s life. The fruit’s symbol is also
expanded so as to stand for sexuality and politics.
Moreover the novel employs a fantastic orange demon that inhabits Jeanette’s
consciousness. Pastor Spratt, from the local church community, believes that
demons are spirits tempting individuals towards evil. At first, the orange demon
seems as a punishment for Jeanette’s “unnatural passions”, i.e. her lesbianism for
sure but also her creativity and humor - qualities that those closest to her would
Oranges are
only fruit
by Jeanette Winterson
summary
of notes
, Jeanette Winterson [1959]
Oranges are not the only fruit (1985)
Jeanette Winterson was born in 1959 in Manchester, England. She was adopted by
Pentecostal parents and was raised in a strictly religious environment, where
reading wasn’t approved unless it was the Bible.
Even though her parents intended for her to be a missionary, when she reached the
age of sixteen and came out as a homosexual, she left home and got into university
to study English.
“Oranges are not the only fruit” won the 1985 Whitbread Prize for a First Novel
and was adapted for television with Winterson’s screenplay in 1990, which in turn
won the BAFTA Award for Best Drama.
OANTOF (Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit) is a realist Bildungsroman interwoven
with episodic fairytales and autobiographical elements. The key theme of the realist
narrative is the struggle of a young girl for selfhood. Young Jeanette uses her
imagination and sense of humor to free herself from the authoritative figure of her
mother and the religious and moral restrictions she imposes on her.
Her mother is presented as a powerful, forbidding woman who tries to dominate
the young girl’s life with moral binarisms and gender constructions. Through
Jeanette’s descriptions we see how her mother’s sexuality is questionable, and
what’s more we are left with suspicions about her possible engagement in a lesbian
affair once. Winterson often treats her with irony and humor in order to
undermine her acclaimed religious idealism in favor of egotistical needs and
economic concerns.
Apart from the prevalent figure of the mother, the symbol o f the fruit orange has
several meanings spread throughout the novel. The orange of the title has indeed a
shifting role. When her mother keeps giving oranges to Jeanette at the most
inappropriate times, followed by the chant <Oranges are the only fruit> , it stands for
her dogmatism. In that the fruit is also meant as a substitute for her absence as a
mother in the most important moments of Jeanette’s life. The fruit’s symbol is also
expanded so as to stand for sexuality and politics.
Moreover the novel employs a fantastic orange demon that inhabits Jeanette’s
consciousness. Pastor Spratt, from the local church community, believes that
demons are spirits tempting individuals towards evil. At first, the orange demon
seems as a punishment for Jeanette’s “unnatural passions”, i.e. her lesbianism for
sure but also her creativity and humor - qualities that those closest to her would
