Oranges are not the only fruit- by Jeanette Winterson (struggle for identity = sexual/religious)

Plot Summary- Oranges are not the only fruit is a bildungsroman. Jeanette retells the story of her life
beginning when she is seven years old and living in England with her adoptive parents. Jeanette's
mother is a fundamentalist Christian and dominants Jeanette's life. Jeanette's father is almost never
present. Up until the age of seven Jeanette's mother had educated her at home, mostly by teaching her to
read the Bible. Jeanette's mother adopted Jeanette because she wanted to acquire a child in a sexless
manner whom she could train to be a servant to God. Her mother has instilled in Jeanette the idea that
she is unique and will eventually become a missionary to the world. Jeanette does not know anyone
aside from the other members of the church until at the age of the seven her mother is ordered to send
Jeanette to school. As she ages, Jeanette realizes that she sometimes disagrees with the teachings of her
congregation. Jeanette particularly disagrees with one sermon about the nature of perfection. Jeanette has a
love affair with a girl named Melanie, when this is discovered by the church Jean is told that the devil is
within her and she repents. Jeanette begins a new affair with Katy, a recent convert. When they are
caught one weekend, Jeanette takes all the blame saying that she had been with Melanie. The church then
decides that Jeanette has been given too much responsibility so that she now almost thinks that she is a
man. They insist that she give up teaching and preaching. Instead, Jeanette quits the church. Jeanette's
mother forces her to leave their home since her evilness will bring illness to them all.

-The chapters in the book are titled after chapters in the bible

Quotations…
‘I love you almost as much as I love the Lord.’ (Jeanette to Melanie)
- ‘God saw it. God knows. But I am not God. And so when someone tells me what they heard or saw, I
believe them, and I believe their friend who also saw, but not in the same way.’
- ‘I would cross seas and suffer sunstroke and give away all I have, but not for a man, because they want to
be the destroyer and never be destroyed.’
- I didn’t know what fornicating was but I knew it was a sin.’
- Pastor- ‘These children of God have fallen foul of their lusts.’ ‘These children are full of demons.’
- "Seven seals? I had not yet reached Revelation in my directed reading, and I thought he meant some Old
Testament amphibians I had overlooked. I spent weeks trying to find them, in case they came up as a quiz
question."

Struggle for identity- From an early age Jeanette is subjected to her foster mother’s religious beliefs. Her
path in life has been pre-determined for her and so when she grows older she begins to see things from a
different light. Jeanette struggles to come to terms with her sexuality; she believes men are a waste of
space, ‘destroyers’ as she refers to them. Jean falls in love with Melanie but everyone in her life sees
homosexuality as the devils work. Jean is forced to repent and go against all she is. Jean’s religious beliefs
begin to change and she struggles to express these beliefs with the religious society surrounding her. In the
end Jean is forced to leave, become independent and fend for herself. She is cast out by society. She
eventually returns but things are never the same again, her mother is still ashamed and refuses to talk of
Jeanette’s sins. One of the biggest decisions in the book is that Jeanette refuses to renounce her lifestyle and
submit to an exorcism, accepting her mother's decree that she must move out if she doesn't submit.