In ‘Oranges are not the only fruit’, Winterson presents Jeanette’s mother in this bildungsroman
novel as a strictly religious and strongly pentecostal member of the church to the limitations of even
allowing an exorcism on her own daughter. Whilst Jeanette’s mother is presented as a normality for
the unreliable child narrator, we find that Jeanette’s world is surrounded by strictly religion, with no
allowances for any distractions, to the extent that Jeanette has formed an inability to socialise
respectfully. This isolated world for Jeanette and the hypocrisy characterisation of her mother
foreshadows the further issues that become apparent within the novel.
As seen within the novel, Jeanette’s mother is surrounded by aspects of hypocrisy and neglect. In
this 1970s northern town, we find that there are many restrictions surrounding religious beliefs and
sexuality as represented in the novel by the lesbian couple known for their ‘unnatural passions’. In
1970s England we find a strong homophobic atmosphere due to the beginning of visibility for the
LGBT community and the newfound abolishment of the Buggary Act in 1861. This acceptance of
homosexuality is an extremely new concept which is evidently not accepted by Jeanette’s devout
pentecostal mother. This evidently presents Jeanette’s mother as a hypocrite due to the references
of a previous homosexual relationship in which Jeanette’s mother now punishes Jeanette for, such
as the references to Jeanette’s mother loving ‘Jane Eyre’ and the forbidden love that partakes within
the novel.
Winterson often highlights Jeanette’s mother in Genesis as being surrounded by religion in order to
present the hyperbolic atmosphere in which Jeanette’s life was controlled. Jeanette’s mother is
presented as a control freak from the beginning through her limitations on education and her desire
to ‘wrestle’ through life. Winterson highlights the strong restrictions of religion due to her personal
battle with accepting religion and sexuality, which is evident within the novel due to the pastors own
beliefs when he banishes the women from working at the church as it is a ‘mans job’. The use of the
hyperbolic language in which religion is described and the strong binary oppositions of good and bad
in which Jeanette’s mother creates would’ve been confusing for the young Jeanette to comprehend.
This incomprehensible parallel reality affects young Jeanette which is evident through the play like
behaviour, in which Jeanette changes biblical stories and the focus on the ‘delight’ of ‘a detachable
chimpanzee’.
The simplicity of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ in which Jeanette’s mother simplifies life, is evident as to the
controlling nature that Jeanette’s mother is characterised as. By simplifying life to having ‘friends’
and ‘enemies’, it allows a sense of control over Jeanette as she doesn’t know any better being so
young and isolated. The idea that a child would know about ‘sex in its many forms’ at such a young
age would be worrying to a modern audience and this sense of worry is presented within the novel
as well through the beginning of Jeanette’s education but rather surrounding the obsession with
‘The Devil’ and ‘God’.
Jeanette’s mother is presented as a hypocrite throughout the novel through the uncaring nature
that she has towards Jeanette, and the avoidance of emotions by offering an ‘orange’ as a form of
comfort as well as the oppressed nature in which Jeanette’s mother wishes for a forbidden love
despite the key focus and obsession with religion.
novel as a strictly religious and strongly pentecostal member of the church to the limitations of even
allowing an exorcism on her own daughter. Whilst Jeanette’s mother is presented as a normality for
the unreliable child narrator, we find that Jeanette’s world is surrounded by strictly religion, with no
allowances for any distractions, to the extent that Jeanette has formed an inability to socialise
respectfully. This isolated world for Jeanette and the hypocrisy characterisation of her mother
foreshadows the further issues that become apparent within the novel.
As seen within the novel, Jeanette’s mother is surrounded by aspects of hypocrisy and neglect. In
this 1970s northern town, we find that there are many restrictions surrounding religious beliefs and
sexuality as represented in the novel by the lesbian couple known for their ‘unnatural passions’. In
1970s England we find a strong homophobic atmosphere due to the beginning of visibility for the
LGBT community and the newfound abolishment of the Buggary Act in 1861. This acceptance of
homosexuality is an extremely new concept which is evidently not accepted by Jeanette’s devout
pentecostal mother. This evidently presents Jeanette’s mother as a hypocrite due to the references
of a previous homosexual relationship in which Jeanette’s mother now punishes Jeanette for, such
as the references to Jeanette’s mother loving ‘Jane Eyre’ and the forbidden love that partakes within
the novel.
Winterson often highlights Jeanette’s mother in Genesis as being surrounded by religion in order to
present the hyperbolic atmosphere in which Jeanette’s life was controlled. Jeanette’s mother is
presented as a control freak from the beginning through her limitations on education and her desire
to ‘wrestle’ through life. Winterson highlights the strong restrictions of religion due to her personal
battle with accepting religion and sexuality, which is evident within the novel due to the pastors own
beliefs when he banishes the women from working at the church as it is a ‘mans job’. The use of the
hyperbolic language in which religion is described and the strong binary oppositions of good and bad
in which Jeanette’s mother creates would’ve been confusing for the young Jeanette to comprehend.
This incomprehensible parallel reality affects young Jeanette which is evident through the play like
behaviour, in which Jeanette changes biblical stories and the focus on the ‘delight’ of ‘a detachable
chimpanzee’.
The simplicity of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ in which Jeanette’s mother simplifies life, is evident as to the
controlling nature that Jeanette’s mother is characterised as. By simplifying life to having ‘friends’
and ‘enemies’, it allows a sense of control over Jeanette as she doesn’t know any better being so
young and isolated. The idea that a child would know about ‘sex in its many forms’ at such a young
age would be worrying to a modern audience and this sense of worry is presented within the novel
as well through the beginning of Jeanette’s education but rather surrounding the obsession with
‘The Devil’ and ‘God’.
Jeanette’s mother is presented as a hypocrite throughout the novel through the uncaring nature
that she has towards Jeanette, and the avoidance of emotions by offering an ‘orange’ as a form of
comfort as well as the oppressed nature in which Jeanette’s mother wishes for a forbidden love
despite the key focus and obsession with religion.
