Oranges are Not the Only Fruits by Jeanette Winterson seems like an experimental novel which Winterson provides an ‘autobiographical account of the struggle for self-identification and self-recovery’ ( Botescu Sireteanu 2007:78). In this essay working class identity and religiosity will be explored. Can we identify a person by their working class or their religion? Throughout the novel class, identity and religiosity has been explored in a variety of ways. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit combines the experience of discovering one’s sexuality with the struggle to build a personal identity.
In Winterson novel you get a vibe that the novel is represents a middle- working class family, because Winterson belongs to a Christian religious class. ‘Jeanette’s adoption confirms the sense of middle- class, heterosexual normativity that Jeanette’s mother originally sought to establish through her youthful conversion to evangelical Christianity’ (Margot Gayle Backus, 2004, pg136). As Jeannette has grown up and been raised to be preacher and missionary of the intense Christianity Jeanette rebels against the religious/male-controlled principles that limit her in finding her working class identity (her sexuality). There is a great connection between Jeanette finding her working class identity and religiosity as these both clash with Jeanette finding her sexuality.
One of her influences is her mother. Even the adoption of Jeanette by her mother is related to religion, the images that her
In Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun” (1959), she reveals the life of the Youngers family. In doing so, there surfaces a detrimental ideology that destroys the family financially and in their overall happiness. In Act II Scene I, Walter, the father figure of the family, says, “Why? You want to know why? 'Cause we all tied up in a race of people that don 't know how to do nothing but moan, pray and have babies!” (Hansberry 532). By way of explanation, the family and much of the African-American community for the 1960’s, is built upon a loose ideology that is a brutal cycle that infects the lives of those who inhabit the area; tired of all the commotion from the Caucasians who, to them, miraculously achieve a life of ruling and
Jeanette's parents also had different views on society which the reader sees throughout the book, give the children a hard time.
Angela McEwan-Alvarado was born in Los Angeles and has lived in many locations in the United States, as well as Mexico and Central America. She obtained her master’s degree at UC Irvine and since then has worked as an editor of educative materials and a translator. The story “Oranges” was the result of an exercise for a writer’s workshop in which the author managed to mix images and experiences accumulated throughout her life.
Gary Soto was born April 12, 1952, in Fresno, California to Mexican-American parents. His grandparents emigrated from Mexico during the Great Depression and found jobs as farm laborers. Soto grew up poor in the San Joaquin Valley and learned that hard work pays off through chores, such as moving lawns, picking grapes, painting houses, and washing cars.
Throughout her childhood, Jeannette is faced with instability. Her parents had a very unique style that could be classified as “hands off” parenting. For example, Rose tells Jeanette that “If you don’t want to sink you better learn to swim… That’s one lesson that every parent needs to teach their child” (Walls 137). Instead of growing up in a traditional house, Jeannette and her family constantly moved from town to town. When her mother got bored, or her father got in too many bar fights, Jeannette was forced to pick up her life and move to another small desert town. Due to her nomadic lifestyle, Jeannette refrained from establishing deep friendships amongst her school and
Her parents- the artistic but selfish Rose Mary and the intelligent but alcoholic Rex- neglect their kids and fail to provide for them. Jeanette and her siblings had to learn to provide for themselves, and are forced to mature at an early age to survive. One of the themes
America, United Stated of America (USA), is a land of immigrants. The country was built by immigrants but gradually immigration to this country became harder. Several contagious nations of American continents have lot of population living in poverty and were strongly convinced to immigrate to USA illegally, by travelling on foot for several days, crossing deserts, mountains and the southern border of USA, to get a decent and secured better life for them and for their kids. Eric Schlosser in his article " In the Strawberry Fields" honestly assessed the conditions of the migratory work force in California straw berry fields while providing facts and evidences to support
However, with her alcoholic dad who rarely kept a job and her mother who suffered mood swings, they had to find food from her school garbage or eat expired food they had previously when they had the slightest bit of money. In addition, when bills and mortgage piled up, they would pack their bags and look for a new home to live in, if they could even call it a stable home, since they would be on the move so often. Jeanette needed a dad who wouldn’t disappear for days at a time, and a mom that was emotionally stable, but because she didn’t have that, she grew up in an environment where she would get teased or harassed for it. Jeanette suffered so much, that even at one point, she tried convincing her mother to leave her father because of the trouble he had caused the family already. A child should be able to depend on their parents for food and to be there for them when they need it, and when that part of a child’s security is taken away, it leaves them lost and on their own, free and confused about what to do next.
As Jeanette learns later on in the novel, ultimately in life all of the struggles and difficulties wont matter because life finds a way to work itself out. Throughout the novel the readers become aware of different messages being displayed. One of the messages relates to the fact that people need to trust in themselves and understand that they shape their own destiny. Just because Jeanette’s parents were not the ideal role models does not mean that Jeanette automatically prepares her life for
While she is in the hospital, her mother does not stay with her. Instead she visits a few times and gives her oranges, seeming to be disappointed in the fact that it is an illness. At this point in the story, the reader can begin to feel sorry for young Jeanette. She is left all alone in the hospital while her mother is busy helping the church. Jeanette wants to be a missionary, just like in the stories her mom has read to her. In the beginning of the book, it appears that Jeanette’s mother does love her. However, it appears that she only loves her based on if she fulfills her expectations or not.
Strawberries are treasured by numerous throughout the world, but feelings may transformation after the unveiling of some dark secrets of strawberry farms. “In the Strawberry Fields” by Eric Schlosser brings up many concerning realities about what life is truly like for strawberry pickers. Many of these farm workers are illegal migrants from Mexico. Because of their illegal status, they are far less probable to go to the authorities with complaints of unfair treatment. Many strawberry field owners are more than willing to take advantage of this. Strawberry pickers are often overworked, poorly paid, and not treated fairly. Most are Mexicans searching for work so
Throughout many works of literature, characters are described to go through a rite of passage, developing the plot and solving conflicts. A rite of passage is when a character goes through life changes, realizing his/her flaws and maturing as a person. Walter Lee Younger is a man that goes through many different character changes, which cause conflict amongst the other characters. Once he goes through his rite of passage, he is able to fix his flaws and mature. In Lorraine Hansberry’s play, A Raisin in the Sun, characterization is used to portray that one must experience a rite of passage in order to mature.
In the novel Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, by Jeanette Winterson, most of the important, decision-making, characters are female. Jeanette, the female protagonist, is greatly influenced by her mother, a strong, overbearing, eccentric woman, and by Elsie, a prominent member of the family parish who becomes Jeanette's only friend and closest confidant. Elsie and Jeanette's mother act as polar forces in Jeanette's life, with the mother encouraging suppression of "unholy" or "unnatural" feelings and thoughts, and Elsie encouraging expression of feelings and accepting oneself for who one really is.
Each gospel presents Jesus as one person but with two natures: God and man. The political, social, and religious aspects, of the gospels, help believers to understand God’s message. For example, the Hebrew background is important to understanding the gospel because it is directed to first century Jews. The Hebrew background is primarily religious because the gospel message was first sent to the Jews (Acts 1:8).
Her Mother seemed to be more put together than her father at times, even getting a job at one point helping the family out. Though her mother was a hedonist and did not contain the motherly love and sacrifice for her kids, this job helped Jeanette’s future. She helped grade papers which increased her knowledge of the outside world and “...the world was making a little more sense” as she read the papers and projects of her mother’s students (Walls 205). Her parents had such an opposition to the outside world that she hadn’t gotten every aspect of