American Literature

Oranges Are the Not the Only Fruit is about the story of a middle class girl struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, creativity and passion versus her family or communitys inflexible formed or fixed opinions. Though the story of the persecution of a girl because of her sexual preference is not new but this novel also offers insights about the real meaning of spirituality, as the main protagonist struggles to break free from what she perceives pretentious lives of her religious loversher family and community. As a child Jeanette is proud of her eccentric and high achieving mother and her religious community with strict religious teachings, creative structure and strong opinions coming from all corners. But when she starts to struggle with her sexuality as she meets Katy, she begins to doubt the credibility of her upbringing. The oppressive confines of her strict Pentecostal society made her doubt whether they faith is open minded or fixated. In the novel when Jeanette falls for a female friend, she comes to realise that there is more to life than the church which she wants to explore to fully discover herself and to fully know the real meaning of faith.
Set in Northern England, Oranges are Not the Only Fruit is the tale of Jess, a young girl whose adopted mother forces her to follow the path that she has planned for her. It is a novel written by Jeanette Winterson about a lesbian girl who grows up in a religious splinter community. The main protagonist Jeanette, adapted by the working-class evangelists in the North England during 60s and who grows up believing that she is destined to become a religious missionary, experiences lesbian tendencies. She grows up with people who preach the gospel alongside such spiritual giants as the passionate Testifying Elsie and Pastor Spratt. She grows up believing that she is destined for the missionary work until her charismatic encounter with one girl in particular. At the age of 16, love and sexual relationship are not yet appropriate and not yet scheduled in her timetable but at that age she decided to leave the church and home to be with the woman she loves. 
Despite Jeanettes religious and affirmative surroundings, she is confused, inconclusive and in a constant source of pain. She believes that spirituality does not only revolves in the four corners of the church and what the Bible says but instead freedom and human experience makes one experience the fullness of faith. Jeanette in her early age already found herself struggling in the community and struggling with her gender identity. Her relationship between her and her mother is constantly strained, filled with denial towards her Lesbianism. Instead of supporting her and help her overcome this peculiar struggle, her mother and her religious friends subject her and her partner to exorcisms. Jeanette also feels betrayal towards her parents as they hide her about her biological mother and adoption papers, and also feels desperation to be loved. Her idea of love especially towards God is very serious and intense as she says I want someone who is fierce and will love me to death and know that love is as strong as death (Winterson, 164). In the book it appears that the only one she trusts is God. Though Jeanette refers to her mother as a servant of God but the servants of God, by their very nature betray (Winterson 165). Apparently Jeanette in the novel is struggling to get out from her suffocating prison and parents. Staying with them, she believes will hinder her to see the real world. The real world is replaced with a world of routines, obsession, self sacrifice and human selfishness.
In the novel, horror seems to be everywhere and exorcism is a perfect illustration of this. Jeanettes mother seems to escape the reality as she can not completely accept that her adopted daughter is a lesbian. She believes that she provided everything that she needs to become a good person and so how can her daughter be a lesbian She then resorts to exorcism hoping that this will cure her daughter. Her illusions escaping reality not retrospecting her possible mistakes in bringing up her child apparently manipulated her actions. Jesss desire to learn and discover her true self in this world appears blocked at her every attempt since her lovers, the church and her mother, appear to find some sort of happiness and fulfilment in the world that Jeanettes perceived to be limited and pretentious. In this circumstance, the horror revealed while implying how power relations exist, that is, the manipulation and deceit by those who have the power (older people) and desire to control those less powerful (children who are still dependent with their parents) than themselves. The novel is filled with ironic use of humour illustrated in Jeanettes sense of humour in relation to her mother. Her comments are witty that subtly mock, especially about her mothers capability to justify and come with an explanation for every problem that seems out of the ordinary. Such wittiness from Jeanette is maybe her way to overcome issues of domination and control, by appealing to the comical in order to cope and overcome the present reality. Jesss teacher having a problem of vision (Winterson, 44) is symbolic representation of how some people in the novel, especially those religious ones, choose to ignore that which is obvious to some and not to others. Jeanettes mother can only see the world as good or evil, black or white and friend or enemy, She had never heard of mixed feelings. There were friends and there were enemies (Winterson, 33). Yet, Jeanettes homosexuality places her outside of the two extremes by showing that she is neither wholly good nor wholly evil. Apparently Jeanettes homosexuality places her into moderation. Individuals even those spiritual are not simply black and white, but also line the many shades of gray in between. Apparently this novel will make the readers realize that the world should not be led through binary systems, because this apparently limits and excludes those individuals and circumstances that fall outside of the definition. 
The idea that Jeanette is on a mythic quest frames her initial narrative. Jeanettes birth and adoption is described with images and representations from the story of Christ. At an early age, her parents and her community make her believe that she has a greater purpose by which she will live like as a Christlike figure that will help save the world. As she ages however, it becomes clear to her true purpose is to simply find and accept herself. This task is not easy as it seems however especially that her homosexual desires contradict the standards and regulations that she has believed to be true all her life. To accept her real self however, Jeanette should embark on a spiritual adventure. She must both leave her home, her comfort zones and leave her assumptions of how the world and her self are defined. From her birth Jeanette was destined for a missionary life and by the end of the novel it becomes apparent that even though she has become a lesbian, her spiritual quest still continues. She can still fulfill her initial plans even though she is a lesbian. Even if shes an adventurous writer and a lesbian, Jeanette can still help to fight against the evil in the world as her mother originally and initially intended. Although the church rejects her out of hand due to her struggles towards her sexual identity, Jeanettes behavior never comes reactionary or angry. Since Jeanette is such a compassionate and thoughtful character, it is easy to take her side and believe that her lesbianism is not wrong. Jeanettes relative fearlessness in embracing her true self shows her to be a heroine of considerable bravery.