Allegory in ‘Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit’ Essay Example

to develop or grow. The “rebels” represent her exploration of her sexuality and the new emotions it brings, which may cause her to lose much of what has shaped her for many years but will also allow her to become the person she longs to be.

However, some critics may say that the “elect” does not represent Jeanette but her church. This view shows that the church is an “elect”, almost cult like, group who have become stagnant in their beliefs as it consumes them, becoming even more important than the bond between loved ones. The “rebels” are Jeanette and the rest of the world as they begin to force them to question their own beliefs and perspectives on life. Winterson uses this fairytale to foreshadow future events and turmoil within the novel, even if, at this particular point, the reader is unaware of that.

Also, the idea that Jeanette is on a mythical journey thematically structures her narrative and her use of allegory also helps to achieve this. Jeanette's birth and adoption are described with imagery from Christ’s own birth. From an early age, Jeanette’s mother told her that she would emerge as a Christ-like figure who would help to save the world. This is a common trend within traditional fairytales. The ‘hero’ is born with a particular destiny or task, but is challenged and discovers that their intended task may not be what it means.

Jeanette's struggle is with her own homosexuality at first as it contradicts all that her mother and the church has taught her, causing her journey to shift to one of self-discovery. However, she soon learns

to accept who she is and continues on a new, yet similar, task; much like traditional fairytales. Furthermore, ‘Oranges’ is a novel that tells many stories, but ultimately causes the reader to question story-telling as a whole. The juxtaposition of legends and myths with the life of the main character, Jeanette, questions the reality of the stories that Winterson presents to us.

None of the stories can be verified with any fact, and so must all equally be accepted as fictions; “Some people say there are true things to be found, some people say all kinds of things can be proved. I don’t believe them. ” This comes to the forefront in Deuteronomy, which shows that no stories or histories are ever utterly true because subjective writers have written them. Winterson forces the realization that no objective reality exists anywhere. Whenever reality is represented by an art form, the realness of the reality must be called into question because its very nature is subjective.

Another theme within the novel is the conflict between dualistic factors. Jeanette's mother can only see the world as good or evil, friend or foe. Yet, Jeanette's homosexuality places her outside of this ‘black-and-white’ approach by showing that she is neither completely good nor completely evil. At the same time, Jeanette's sexuality defies the gender roles that traditionally dominate society. Jeanette is a woman who does not act as a traditional woman because of her sexuality. Winterson uses the mythical tales as an attempt to show the shifting nature of genders by switching gender roles.

She, like other postmodernists, proposes that the concept of gender is socially constructed,

not biological. An example of this is the description of a garden “On the banks of the Euphrates” within Joshua. It is “cunningly walled” which makes it difficult to find or enter. Inside the garden “you will find every plant that grows” and a sundial, while at its heart there is an orange tree. If you eat the fruit you will be forced to leave, and the only way you might ever return is by chance. This shows that one must keep within the traditional constructs of society, and so must not eat the ‘forbidden fruit.’

This example also shows the theological references within Oranges as the garden strikingly resembles the ‘Garden of Eden. ’ The garden was initially “the place you love” where you are protected from the evils of the outside world. The orange tree seems to represent the desires which are shunned by society, much like the ‘orange demon’ which is shown to represent Jeanette’s more instinctual nature. To eat the fruit immediately represents expulsion, much like Adam and Eve, as the fruit speaks of “other things, other longing”.

This shows how society discards those who are seen as ‘different’ or diverge from the social norm. However, it also shows the ideal that Winterson longs for as she shows that one day you may return to the garden, and so maybe one day society will be able to accept those who are different. Finally, the last two chapters focus on the stories of Sir Perceval and Winnet Stonejar, which are both intimately linked to the main narrative. The story of Sir Perceval allows the reader to fully understand Winterson’s beliefs

about gender.

The fact that both Jeanette and her mother are now shown through male characters shows that Winterson believes gender is a social construct and not biological. Sir Perceval leaves the safety of Arthur’s court to find the Holy Grail. Sir Perceval feels lonely, pain and despair, much like Jeanette as she tries to find her own form of peace. They are both looking for something which seems ‘impossible’ but continue searching as they know they cannot be or do anything else because the ‘quest’ itself makes them who they are.

Furthermore, the last chapter begins with a myth whereas others appear in the middle and end of the previous chapters. The allegory in the final chapter explores the story of “Winnet Stonejar”, which is a part anagram of Jeanette suggesting the fairytales and myths closely linked to Jeanette herselfas they are a writing technique used by Winterson to express Jeanette’s feelings. Much like Perceval and Jeanette, Winnet begins her journey to a mythical city that no other has tried to reach.

We feel that like Perceval, she has gone to find a greater peace than if she remained in her old situation. Similarly, Jeanette left her mother and the church so that she could discover herself and be happy. In conclusion, I believe that the use of fairytales enhances the main story thread as it allows the reader a deeper understanding of Jeanette and her situation. They also emphasise Winterson’s own post-modernist views as fiction and ‘fact’ and interwoven, causing the reader to question the ‘facts’ they are given – the realness of the reality must be called into question because

by its very nature it is subjective.