Introduction
Mythical stories such as Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit features heroes and use various themes to deliver messages. The novel by Jeanette Winterson that tells a story of a lesbian girl who grows up in a Christian community. The book’s central themes are sexuality, religion, and coming of age. The protagonist’s mother sees the world as either evil or good. However, Jeanette’s character places her out of her mother’s binary perception of the world since she is neither good nor evil. Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a work of modern myth, featuring a modern-day hero through different stages.
Stages of a Hero
A heroic story can be told through various stages that help identify the hero’s origins, weaknesses, strengths, and successes. The different stages of a hero are the ordinary world, call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting mentor, crossing threshold, enemies, approach to the inmost cave, ordeal, reward, the road back, resurrection, and return with elixir (Wong & Achin, 2021). In Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, the first stage of the hero starts with a narration of family and personal background (Winterson, 1991). Jeanette’s story begins with her childhood, explaining her ordinary world just like any other girl. The next stage, the call to adventure, follows when Jeanette’s family receives a letter from the state to send her to school. School, as a social institution, offers an opportunity for students to interact with the vast world and learn from different cultures.
The next stage, meeting the mentor, follows when Jeanette meets a new girlfriend, Melanie. The mythological mentor helps Jeanette understand herself better. The protagonist, upon meeting Melanie, feels completely new and wants to share her emotions and knowledge with Melanie. Next, crossing the threshold stage, involves the hero’s readiness to act upon her call to adventure by beginning their quest (Wu & Wang, 2022). Jeanette crosses the threshold by reconsidering her views about life while in school.
The next stage, the approach to the inmost cave, involves the protagonist’s fears and doubts upon their call to adventure. Jeanette’s fears and doubts are exhibited when she realizes her true feelings are contrary to her societal beliefs that are anchored on Christian values. After that, the ordeal stage, is expressed when Jeanette has to “fight” with her enemies. Miss Jewsbury is one of the mythological enemies of Jeanette since she tries to seduce her just to see if she is homosexual (Winterson, 1991). Consequently, Jeanette suffers from depression and becomes overwhelmed by the situation.
The next stage, reward, is exhibited when Jeanette realizes her essence. The protagonist distinguishes evil from wrong and knows what she wants and who she is. After that, the road backstage, follows when Jeanette decides to express her sexuality without fear of her Christian values. Jeanette takes on the following stage, resurrection, when her action to accept whom, she seems to affect her family and other girls like her. Finally, Jeanette enters the last stage and returns with the elixir, which takes place in the novel’s last chapter. Jeanette’s elixirs are observed in her new personality, and ability to confront her mother and evangelist who thinks that there is something wrong with her.
Conclusion
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit is a classic example of modern mythology since its protagonist, Jeanette, depicts heroic behaviors. The protagonist was born in a society that had Christian morals, despising issues such as homosexuality. However, upon joining the broader society, Jeanette learns about her unique personality. Although she faces various challenges in the quest to accept herself, she exhibits confidence. Jeanette’s ability to overcome social challenges, and accept her essence, proves that consistency and confidence are crucial in contemporary society.
References
Winterson, J. (1991). Oranges are not the only fruit. Random House.
Wong, O. G., & Achin, I. A. (2021). The hero’s journey: 12 stages in the narrative of animation Boboiboy movie 2.Mudra Jurnal Seni Budaya, 36(3), 316–325. Web.
Wu, M.-H., & Wang, Y. (2022). Using mythic structure of Campbell’s monomyth to analyze spirited away: A heroine’s journey.Metathesis: Journal of English Language, Literature, and Teaching, 6(1), 12–27. Web.