Jeanette Winterson - Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit (1985)

Who is Jeanette Winterson?

Jeanette Winterson is one of the most important contemporary writers in Great Britain, and as a British writer she’s a feminist writer, feminist woman, lesbian writer and a postmodernist writer. Jeannete Winterson was adopted and raised by a working class family in a region in Lancashire (UK), and her parents were part of the Pentecostal Evangelical Church. Jeannete Winterson went into different jobs to be economically independent from her family and she studied literature in the university of Oxford and graduated because of her talent, hard-work and because she was able to pay for her expensive university in Oxford. Her first professional experience when she graduated was to work as an editor at Pandora Press, and she worked in the feminist press in England. In England she will be encouraged to publish her first novel called Oranges are not the only fruit, when she’s only 26 years old in the year 1985.

What is the novel about?

The semi-autobiographical novel Oranges are not the only fruit by Jeanette Winterson examines the relationships between feminist self-empowerment, religious fundamentalism, and lesbian identity. The protagonist's journey demonstrates how patriarchal standards, female sexuality, especially lesbianism, and rigid gender roles based on binary oppositions like good against evil and believer against pagan are enforced by social and religious organizations. By illustrating Jeanette's discovery of her sexual identity and her defiance of her mother's rigid, dogmatic worldview, the book questions these patriarchal structures. Through her development, Winterson challenges the stereotype that heterosexuality is the only natural orientation and promotes personal authenticity by highlighting the diversity and complexity of love and sexuality.

The two most important phrases in the novel:

-The belief of the mother: The phrase "Oranges Are the Only Fruit" is a key phrase that embodies the mother's inflexible belief that heterosexuality is the only acceptable and natural sexual orientation. Similar to the forbidden fruit (the apple from the Book of Genesis), which represents sin and disobedience, the orange represents purity, holiness, and the biblical ideal of innocence. The mother of Jeanette is obsessed with purity and rejects all other options, including lesbianism, as she firmly believes that only oranges, as a "sacred" fruit, represent the proper sexuality. 

-The belief of Jeanette: In contrasts, the phrase "Oranges are not the only fruit," expresses Jeanette's understanding that sexuality, love, and desire are all varied and cannot be reduced to a single "holy" fruit or standard. Her realization that she is a lesbian and that her love for women is real and legitimate is reflected in it. This statement, which emphasizes that life and human relationships are full of variety—just as there are many fruits, there are various ways to love and express sexuality—marks her departure from her mother's binary world. The metaphor also conveys the idea that love can be romantic or platonic, sexual or non-sexual, and that each type of love is equally legitimate.

 

Feminist and LGBTQ+ significance: 

The work of fiction makes a strong feminist message against the religious and patriarchal repression of women's sexuality. In contrast to society's propensity to suppress or dismiss lesbian love as wicked, it shows that it is normal and deserving of acceptance. The significance of individual autonomy, self-acceptance, and resistance against repressive institutions is highlighted by Jeanette's rejection of the church's prejudice. Fruits, particularly oranges, are used as a metaphor to represent the variety and plurality of human sexuality. Winterson's depiction of lesbian partnerships as legitimate, affectionate, and strong reaffirms that social or religious conventions shouldn't limit women's identities. 

Works Cited: Winterson, Jeanette. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit. 1985. London, Vintage Books, 1985.

Jeanette Winterson's explanation of her work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HftTMGR4Vsg 

Interesting interview with Jeanette Winterson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5oqHrMIUuk