Fried Green Tomatoes
My first impression of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe was that it was a "woman's" novel. This was because the movie, which was more popular than the book, was advertised as a "chick flick". To say the least, I was wrong. The novel poses many issues that face the people of the 1920's and 30's, and makes one think about what people have struggled through. The novel addresses the issue of racism before the time of Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. It tells of the struggles women must go through when they reach menopause; the big change. However, the main plot line tells the story of two women, Idgie Threadgoode and Ruth Jamison, and the trials and tribulations of their life in the 1920's and 30's. Idgie and Ruth are business partners, best friends, and in the eyes of many, also lesbians. "[Fried Green Tomatoes] represents around the issue of lesbianism, depicting a strong and intense friendship between two white women (the tomboy Idgie Threadgoode and the fern Ruth Jamison), but never committing itself one way or another" (Pelligrini 7). There have not been many stories written about homosexuality in the first half of the twentieth century. That is why Fannie Flagg does not just come out
'Oh no you don't. You love me...you know you do.You know you do!'"(FGT 90) Another sign of Idgie and Ruth's homosexual relationship is the episode where Idgie goes crazy when Ruth has to leave to get married after the summer they spent together. It is this undying love for each other that makes their relationship much more than just a friendship. During those four years that they were apart, all Ruth does is pray that she could have Idgie back. "But sometimes, in the middle of a crowd or alone at night, she never knew when it was going to happen, Idgie would suddenly come to mind, and she would want to see her so bad that the pain of longing for her sometimes took her breath away." (FGT 194). Idgie loves Ruth more than anything in the world, and Ruth feels the same way about Idgie.
Some common words found in the essay are:
Idgie Ruth, Idgie Ruth's, Ruth Ruth, Whistle Stop, Bee Charmer, Frank Bennett, Stop Cafe, Buddy Threadgoode, Ruth Idgie, Grady Kilgore, idgie ruth, whistle stop, idgie ruth lesbians, ruth lesbians, idea idgie ruth, lesbian couple, idgie ruth's, act towards, speak act, 1920's 30's, idea idgie, speak act towards, idgie loves ruth, sexually involved, ruth's homosexual relationship,
Approximate Word count = 1695
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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