Analysis Of Fried Green Tomatoes At The Whistle Stop Cafe

The act of prejudice is one that everyone experiences. Whether it be, a person who is distributing hate, or a person who is receiving hate, everyone has contact with it. Although it is present all over the globe, it is prominent in the United States. Both in the present and the past, endless acts of discrimination have taken place and left a monumental impact on the country. The effect that it leaves can be seen in the novel “To Kill A Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. In this story, sexism, racism, and isolation, are demonstrated in the small Southern town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930’s. As the story progresses, Lee compares these concepts to one another and uses them to make a statement about the problematic nature in America.

During the 1930’s depression, there was a great divide between black and white America. There were many communities and groups who had been exposed to the same treatment and persecution as the Negroes in To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee has used a small town setting, such as that in To Kill a Mockingbird, to illustrate America’s views on white supremacy and the inferiority of the black race. The author has illustrated view that are expressed world-wide through her characters in Maycomb county.

The main conflicts in the novel revolve around marriage and social class due to the fact that everyone in the story is trying to find their ideal match: a partner who is compatible to them by wealth, bloodline, and social standing. Marriage was the foundation of social class and was paramount to the people of Highbury whose social status was usually defined in reference to a family name and a long line of wealth or even poverty. To people during the nineteenth century, marriage was extremely important as it acted one of the only ways to keep social/ economic status or change it.

For this summer reading, I chose to read Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flag. The book is set in Alabama; it is mostly set in the early 1900s to the late 1980s. While in the early 1920s, this was the time of the Great Depression, a time where poverty and racism were well known. The story is told in both present, from the 1920’s - 1940’s, when the events were occurring, and past tense, when Ninny Threadgoode retold the events to Evelyn Couch, in the 1980’s. Fried Green Tomatoes at The Whistle Stop Cafe begins with “The Weems Weekly” introducing the opening of the cafe ran by Ruth Jamison and Idgie Threadgoode. Then, Ninny Threadgoode and Evelyn Couch meet in the visitors lounge in a nursing home. Mrs. Threadgoode

Race in the South has always been a major topic within the canon of southern literature ever since John Smith’s discussion of Native Americans in “The Generall Historie of Virginia.” The majority of this ongoing conversation on race has revolved around African Americans, white people, and Native Americans. However, in Bitter in the Mouth, Monique Truong challenges these stereotypical ideas of race in the South, namely assumptions on how race and outside appearance impact cultural identity and personal ties to southerness. Her primary strategy of doing this is the structure of the paper, where she keeps Linda’s race a secret for the first part of the novel before exploring it in-depth during the second half. Within this larger structure, she uses the juxtaposition of place to contrast southern aspects of Linda’s identity with northern culture and highlights stereotypical cultural markers of southerness such as dialect and food within Linda’s identity. With these strategies, Monique Truong uses the unique point of view of Linda Hammerick, who is racially Asian but culturally southern, to challenge the reader's assumptions of how race affects cultural identity and to expand understandings of what makes someone southern in today’s cultural landscape.

Cuisine in Southern literature has become a character in itself that exposes the secrets of the cultured south. “Conversations about food have offered paths to grasp bigger truths about race and identity, gender and ethnicity, subjugation and creativity” (Edge, 2). The historical past of food presents the truth of a South that is often forgotten when discussing the evolution of food. Southern food stems from slavery, agriculture, and traditions of southerners over the centuries. Ralph Ellison uses southern food in the “Invisible Man” to represent the elements of southern food exemplifying its true meanings and associations from history’s past. John T. Edge in “Potlikker Papers: A Food History of the Modern South” shares the hardships of the past that have become embedded into the culture of southern cuisine.

the Whistle Stop Cafe unravels through conversations that are shared by the two ladies, Evelyn

In Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, prejudice and racism are embedded in the regional psyche of Maycomb, a miniscule town in Alabama. The narrator interpolates injustice and racism in Alabama during the 1930s, largely through the eyes of Scout, who was a child during this time, however, the adult Scout occasionally interjects with some adult observations. Furthermore, the citizens of Maycomb are stereotyped pervasively throughout the book. In Harper Lee’s To Kill Mockingbird, examples of racism, sexism, and social class are used to demonstrate how prejudice can corrupt a community.

“… we ain’t got nothin’ tuh do but do our work and come home and love.” (Gilyard & Wardi, 309) is how Tea Cake, a character in The Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, described an average day in the Everglades. The small town that they lived in were mostly empty except during the season where they harvest beans in the Everglades. The evenings are described to have been full of laughter and joviality as they gathered together to celebrate a good day’s work. “The house was full of people every night. That is, all around the doorstep was full. Some were there to hear Tea Cake pick the box; some to talk and tell stories …” (Gilyard & Wardi, 309) The South is where African-Americans speak of the positive aspects that the community had on them and how their true happiness came from having average experiences.

Literature affects my southern heritage in several different ways which can be seen in everyday life. These ways are slang or jargon, foods, and spiritual upbringing. Families in the south use these ways every day and do not realize where they come from. Such influences can be seen in several author’s works in books and also from life’s experiences. Literature can be a tool to teach or can just be something to enjoy and realize where our southern heritage becomes real.

The White Scourge by Neil Foley is a non-fiction narrative taking place during the Civil War period through the 1940s, specifically the collapse of the tenant farming system. This book is based on the history of the Texas Cotton Culture. By sharing experiences from Mexicans, Blacks, and Poor Whites during this time period, we get a sense of culture that overlaps from the South, West, and Mexico. These overlapping cultures make for an identity formation in Texas. By overlapping

When going out to eat, we don’t observe the workers of the restaurant we’re at. We become focused on our friends, our order, and even the people around the restaurant. Sure we talk with the server or smile at an employee when eye contact is made, but we never really observe how the community in the restaurants we go to are like. I want people to be informed that in order for the restaurant to be great, it all starts with its workers. These blue collar workers are the shadows when it comes to restaurant research, however they are more interesting than one would usually think. To allow people to gain more knowledge on this, I decided to do my ethnographic research on the community of restaurant workers, more specifically the community within the restaurant Sweet Tomatoes. I have been part of the community for almost three years and have been able to interact with all kinds of people that have worked there. I want people to know what goes on behind the kitchen doors and understand how the workers interact when the environment becomes stressful or relaxed, so they understand how the setting influences the employees.

References are vital to explain cultural differences. Certain historical accounts provide students with a platform to interpret and analyze struggles and breakthroughs in modern culture. Main lectures for the class will come from William Alexander Percy: The Curious Life of a Mississippi Planter and Dancing in Hellfire. Opposition to sexual freedom is, in its entirety, nothing more than discrimination. Discrimination is some form plaques Mississippi in the modern progressive movement. Holding on to traditional values forms the basis of Southern Culture. William Alexander Percy provides insight during the Jim Crow south. William Percy’s story originates from the elite planter society which dominated Southern Mississippi in post Antebellum society.

In the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, the author Fannie Flagg uses food as a symbol for friendship and love. The cafe itself, run by Ruth and Idgie, serves as a way for them to connect to people, “be it family, friend, or total stranger” through the food that they make and serve with love (Dvorak 99). Idgie and Ruth allow anyone who’s hungry to come into their cafe to eat, even if they’re colored or homeless. They understand that food is for everyone and make a point to share with those in need. Then there is “the infamous bandit Railroad Bill”, who gives food away to the poor and homeless during the Depression, saving hundreds of lives in the process (Perkins 99). Lastly, the characters Evelyn and Ninny develop a very

The film Our Family Wedding illustrated the diversity among and between families. The film depicted the views of different generations within a family and how an interracial marriage affected them differently. The film explores new contemporary marriage trends and challenges traditional family roles and marriage trends. This paper will explore different demographic trends as it relates to the social constructs of class, race, and gender, survey the recent trends and changes towards contemporary marriage, and study the changes in the family relationships within the film. Conclusively, this film analysis will use textbook concepts and examples in the movie to establish a framework for the diverse family system and the changing marriage.