Ruth Response

I love the story of Ruth because she trusted God with all things and everything had worked out for her in the end. I started to realize that the more that Jeanette discovers herself the more that her stories from the beginning which were more biblical transitioned to becoming more mythical. She starts making up her own stories with things that she had never grown up with when she was younger like Wizards and Tetrahedron. Winnet is clearly Jeannette in this story just spelled differently. I thought it was clever she also included the wine glass that her mother had in the story. She considered it as an ear trumpet. It's interesting how the story of Winnet is truly a story about Jeanette but the mother in the story is the wizard which is displayed as a man. I don't know what the author was thinking while she wrote this part of the story. Along with making Winnet's partner a man? I guess if the roles were opposite then Melanie would be a man in her real life story. It did happen that way that Melanie denied or confessed to having relations and had wanted to be forgiven by the church. I think it's kind of messed up that the Pastor said that Elsie didn't love her. Elsie loved her more than her own mother. I think it's funny that she starts offering them vanilla ice cream. These days when we use the word vanilla it usually refers to the most straight laced and boring person. It's very plain and Jeanette is offering it which contradictory to how she is.

I think the interesting part of this story was the fact that Jeanette as a person also uses mythical stories in her life to explain what is going on but she also refers it to biblical stories that she has grown up with. Jeanette also spends a lot of time in this chapter in her mind because she creates a mythical parallel story about herself and everything she has gone through. Yet in her story she portrays her mother as the Wizard which reflects back to her idea that man and woman are fit into the roles they are in because of what society deems it of them. Not because of what they wish to fulfill. The story of Ruth is her mother tells her to leave her side and find a husband that would make her happy. Her mother didn't want her in despair and alone. Ruth then proceeds to find a spouse and returns to her mother. I think. Unless this is the story where she stays by her side At the end of the chapter Ruth in Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit, Jeanette has returned to visit her mother for the holidays. In a hero's journey, this chapter would be considered as Return With The Elixir. Jeanette has been transformed because she decided that she has found her holy grail and will be true it. Upon that realization she decides to leave her home which then transform her mother to realize that "Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit" (Winterson, 174).While her mother doesn't completely accept Jeanette because she goes out and tries to help other parents with their "demon" possessed child she still accepts Jeanette into her home and does not oust her.

Winterson, Jeanette. "Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit". Publisher Group West: Great Britain. 1985.