ORANGES ARE NOT THE ONLY FRUIT: 1st AND 2nd CHAPTERS

The titles of each chapter in the book Oranges are not the only fruit are taken from the Old Testament. Indeed the names are borrowed from the books of the Bible, referring to the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. For instance, the intelligent reader notices the first chapter is named GENESIS: the title focuses the attention on the beginning of something, like a new situation.

The Book of Genesis is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament: it is about creation, original sin and the flood myth. The chapter tells about the early years of the main character’s childhood. Therefore it is linked to the moulding of the girl’s personality.

Right from the start the reader reads that the writer is going to talk about herself: the pronoun ‘I’ displays her personal situation. The opening anticipates the relationship between Jeanette and her parents.

His mother’s role predominates since the very first lines: she seems to be the most influential character in the whole novel, if not in the writer’s life. Indeed she is immediately presented as a strong, strict and self-confident woman, who used to impose her beliefs and rules.

The unusual list displayed in the first page shows that she must be a very religious woman. Going on, the writer speaks about what her mother and she did during that period. She often refers to God and religion, and all that underlines her strict religious education. She claims she was to be a missionary girl, in order to develop her mother’s mission and disseminate her religious principles. The relationship is presented through several episodes throughout the chapter.

In the middle, a story is inserted: it seems to aim at conveying that if people are busy in doing something, they do not mind too much about vain things. The princess of the tale was set free when she started doing useful works, instead of sitting in her castle. Indeed, when you are busy you become more satisfied and do not care about insignificant events. The little girl Jeanette might feel like a ‘princess’ in the castle, compelled to do what others want.

The situation is emphasised in the second list, where three ‘functions’ are set out: Jeanette had to be what her mother had established before. The woman decided to adopt the child and demanded to choose her life.

The second chapter is named EXODUS: in the Bible it is about the Jewish slavery and liberation. Jeanette must go to school: the event refers to the ‘liberation’ of the Jews, given that the girl gets in touch with the external world for the first time. In contrast with the Old Testament story, she is nor calm neither cheered up for the change. Anyway, her first day of school represents her separation from her mother. The opening scene of the chapter also shows that Jeanette begins not to always agree with her mother: she does not agree when the woman complains about a programme on radio, the child finds it funny. By attending school, Jeanette is exposed to ideas that are not her mother's.

In addition, Jeanette's life at school highlights how since she was a very young  she was considered different.

The writer inserts an episode that underlines her mother’s hypocrisy and indifference towards her. Jeanette has temporarily become deaf and her mother just cares about bringing to her some oranges to the hospital. To her mother, oranges are the only fruit, the direct opposite of what Jeanette would sustain.