The setting is England, but not the Mary Poppins version that many Americans have in their minds -- rather, it's the dreary, drafty, drab working-class town of Accrington, whose principal claim to fame is the loss of a great swathe of its young men -- known as the Accrington Pals -- in World War I. In this world drained of color, the initially dutiful daughter Jeanette eventually grows in directions that place her increasingly at odds with her mother, and eventually, as she begins to identify as a lesbian, into outright violation of the core tenets of her mother's religious faith. The efforts that her mother and her fellow Pentacostals make to exorcise Jeanette's sexuality are disturbing and strange, but as readers we also sense from the start that they're likely to be futile.
Ultimately, it's a coming-of-age tale, and also a tale of a young woman coming into further self-awareness as a literary creator, an artist. You can read about Winterson's actual life on her website -- but don't read it until you're well along in the novel -- in her case, it's a bit difficult to say which is stranger, the 'truth' or the fiction. Winterson is also adamant that she does not want the book to be seen as a "lesbian novel" -- any more than a book about anyone should be limited in its audience to those who share the identity of its main character -- and its enduring popularity is testimony to the wide range of readers it has found.
So how does the story speak to you? Are there elements of the world it discloses, the characters, the situations, that evoke aspects of your own life? And what about the role of religion which, as we've discussed in class, seems just as often to stir rebellion as it is to reproduce faith? Your thoughts below.
Very interesting book, i liked the title and the double meaning to it. In this generation it wouldn't stir rebellion just for the fact that this generation has evolved tremendously, but back in the day that was a total no, it was a sin to even think about it, you could have only date men and woman not same sex and if you did the punishments were extremely brutal. Even dating men and woman you had to be careful and the men had to ask permission to the family, everything had a protocol and rules to follow before you even start dating.
ReplyDeleteI have met people who are very dedicated to religion but have done things which would be considered rebellious to the religion, and I feel that this story is a good representation of it. Until Jeanette goes to school, she followed her mother and focused strictly on religion which she then brought with her to school. As I've read halfway through the story, she was looked at differently for using religion for projects but as the story is progressing, I can see she is becoming more self-aware, and she is starting to realize things about herself that she may not have discovered if she stuck strictly to religion.
ReplyDeleteI think Jeanette's character development over the course of the story was interesting. The passage of time showing the characters growing up was also something that I thought was interesting. I did not like the characters in the story that were rude to Jeanette, and her mother seemed very selfish and neglectful. I also thought it was upsetting that only a few of the characters were by Jeanette's side, and that by the end of the story Jeanette did not have a lot of characters supporting her, which made her seem lonely, but I did like the ending.
ReplyDelete- Ethan Opoku
I find this book to be very interesting it does remind me a bit of an example of my own family experience. I'm blessed to still have my great-grandparents around who are in their 80's and very catholic, church every Sunday all that stuff. However, I have an aunt who is gay and she wasn't afraid to tell anyone that she was, but she was terified to tell my great grandparents because she wasn't sure how they'd react. They were accepting of it thankfully, but that was kind of my thought process while reading the story sometimes it's sad that people have to hide who they truly are because of other's beliefs or opinions. Also I didn't really like the way the mother treated Jeanette I thought she would be more involved in her daughters life, but she seemed to be very absent and more focused on the church.
ReplyDeleteAlexis Manning
I think that this story not only can speak to me, but it can genuinely speak to many children, teens, and even adults who are or have been in the same situation as Jeanette. some major themes that many people can relate to are religious trauma, how jeanette's mom is a very religious person and raises Jeanette around those religious beliefs. Going as far as wanting to train her to be a servant to God. Making all her school projects based on Bible themes, which in turn makes Jeanette into an outcast to her classmates. Then when Jeanette eventually does come out to her mom that she's in love with Melanie and they're in a relationship her mother and her argue eventually ending in Jeanette leaving for the night. Upon returning home her mother makes her prayer in church for 14 hours and when Jeanette does not repent her mother locks her up for 36 hours with no food.
ReplyDelete
DeleteI agree with this book speaking to many children, teens, and even adults. It can relate to most of us. It is astonishing how far people’s faith can go. I am happy that Jeanette eventually comes out to her mom and tells her that she is in love with Melanie. This shows her will of fighting for what makes her happy without harming anyone. I encourage for people to speak up the same way about anything they want to be heard about.
-Victor h Valenzuela
This book, I would have never really chosen to read because of it's structure. However, it was a bit of an eye opening book for me because of how far some people are willing to take their faith. I didn't grow up in such a setting, so I did know a lot of the broader aspects. I didn't like how most characters of the book were ridged towards Jeanette and that made her fear being the person she wanted to be.
ReplyDelete-Jacob Chace
This story was definitely not what I was expecting but to see Jeanette grow throughout the story even when she was going against the way of her faith showed that she really did grow as a character. She was looked at differently in school for her religious ties and outcasted from her church and was treated poorly do to who she loved. It was like she was fighting to find herself for most of the story even when the odds were stacked against her. I ended up enjoying this read and really felt bad for Jeanette because the way she was treated by all the other characters in the book besides Miss Jewsbury who helped her when she was at her lowest.
ReplyDeleteThis story speaks to me in many ways. One that stood out most was the theme of society wanting us to be exactly how they want us to be. Societies lack authentic acceptance that is perhaps due to discomfort towards different perspectives. Perhaps because of change in which many being are daunting towards. Unfamiliarity or unique circumstances/views, or causes that make us unique, but can be tormenting towards those who are not mindful. Lack of empathy, open-mindedness, and indifference can be difficult to understand, but not everything in life is understood, especially because we as being all live a different life with a different mindset. Some people in society have not learned or accepted that is it okay (and also healthy) to be able to agree to disagree and then there is tension and conflict because of lack of emotional maturity. Some people are held back from this because they have power urges and must fulfil their ego, and/or have full control of their lives as well as others. They have n learned to let go and that carries a lot of energy tension. For example, rebellion in which we are experiencing as a society currently is through the fight of a pandemic wearing protective masks or getting vaccines to those who seem to qualify through their doctors' orders helping us as a society get to herd immunity, and suggested CDC protocols that at questioned by society and a lot of people are skeptical of government whether they have our best interest at heart. it is difficult to get everyone on the same page since there are many beliefs openly shared and some considered hearsay, but had government remained open about health in all aspects of things throughout history? not really. For example: tobacco smoking. For years on years, it was claimed to not have any affect negatively on our bodies and people chose to follow that lie that was fed to us because they had faith in our government system, yet here we are trying to have that faith again, but due to past lies I can understand why some people find it difficult to trust them. That reminds me of the boy who cried wolf. So yes, although we desperately need to put health first the lack of trust on governments end has led rebellion towards proper protocols turning a health crisis into a political crisis. Her friends turning against her because they don't accept who they want her to be is the epiphany of the fight each of us have towards society every day.
ReplyDeleteThis story definitely speaks to me. My mom has always been a deeply religious person. Growing up my mom brought me to church every Sunday and we would pray and read the bible every night, but as I got older, she did not give me a choice to do these things. Since Christianity has always been forced on me; I am currently questioning it because I feel like I never got to explore it myself. So, I understand how Jeanette felt to a certain extent (My story obviously was not as severe). I enjoyed seeing how Jeanette evolved throughout the story.
ReplyDeleteThis book was weird and kind of depressing. It is sad to see Jeanette struggle so much to be who she wants and truly find herself without all the negativity of what other people want her to be. No one was really there for her when she needed support. Trying to find oneself can be quite challenging, especially at that age, and for her to have little to no support system is sad as this is an age of major developmental growth as a person. Although by the end things aren’t still horrible with her mom, they still aren’t the best either but what can you expect with what kind of relationship Jeanette had with her mother. The harsh punishments her mother puts her through are quite extreme and it definitely puts a big strain on the way Jeanette feels towards her mom.
ReplyDeleteTiffany Bouley
This book is not exactly the kind of book I would read on my own but while reading it was different from the books read before in class. I liked how jeanette was persistent for what she believed, although throughout the story she had no support at times in trying to find herself and had to do what she had to get there was not easy. For jeanette to be raised and brought up with such different views and become who she was, was interesting to see but it did make me feel bad through the story to see how she was treated by the people that were supposed to care for her.
ReplyDeleteThis story really spoke to me because I grew up in an extremely religious family. Not as extreme as her mother of course because at that point it is no longer religion but an obsession with control. I completely understand how having a religion forced upon you can turn you off completely to it. It's unfortunate because it can actually be a really great thing, believing in something greater than you. I did enjoy this read, it was definitely a dark and disturbing one, but a good read.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the story on this book. I love the fact that they use the different books in the bible to describe what’s happening to the character as she evolves in life. It is impressive how religions can really shape the way we see or react to things. Nowadays religions are more accepting and open minded but, back in the days they were very strict. Everyone was afraid of rebelling against their religion. Now we are able to speak up and show how we feel. We should always strive to be better humans for the best of humanity. We should respect others beliefs and always strive to do well. I love the fact that the character questions everything throughout her life until she was basically free from all the religious oppression.
ReplyDelete-Victor H Valenzuela
This is a very interesting story. I find the mother to be absolutely nutty and she is potentially very harmful to the child. Not only that but she can be potentially harmful to those around her as well. As someone who grew up around religion and is not religious it can be difficult to deal with people who are extremely so. The good thing is that the child/author grew up to use this experience to better herself rather than let it knock her down and be a burden for the rest of her life. Just by inference I can tell that the mother lost her mind when this story came out and denied it all.
ReplyDeleteOff the bat, I felt a connection, growing up in a family that is religious, but not as bad as this mother haha. Religion definitely has a way in life and a meaning to the person. But at the end of the road, everyone is their own person and has their own faith and destiny. It wasn't so cool how everyone in the story was basically attacking her to either choose God or Melanie. I feel that now in days, things like this in families still tend to happen.
ReplyDeleteThis was a beautiful coming of age story that unfortunately I think a lot of children growing up can relate to. Obviously I would hope that other parents in the real world are not as dedicated to to the cult-like sect of the church that her mother is committed to. It was very disturbing reading about how Jeanette was not adopted to be raised like a normal child and have an opportunity with a happy family, but instead was intended to be trained like a servant to God. It was also sad watching her struggle with choosing between love and her religion/lifestyle that had pretty much been all she had ever known. However, it made me happy that she stood her ground and broke free from everyone else's beliefs and opinions to eventually make decisions fully for herself at the end.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very religious book. I feel that the mother was extremely religious and even myself who grew up in a religious family felt that the mother was very excessive. When I was growing up, my family went to church and I made all of my sacraments but in the reading, the mother took Sundays very seriously. It was a holy day of obligation but to an extreme. I could never imagine being quizzed on the bible. I plan on finishing this book since I have not yet because it is something I enjoyed reading and was less confusing for me to read than "Eggshells" in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteIf I could describe this book in one word, it would be "unexpected". From the title alone and without reading the summary, I genuinely wasn't sure what to anticipate. After having read this rollercoaster of a story, though, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I related to Jeanette. As someone who identifies themselves as a lesbian and also was forced to believe in God by their mother, this story spoke to me in so many ways that I never would've thought. This may sound cliche`, but it almost felt as if I was reading an autobiography of my own life because of the struggle with faith, my sexuality, and my relationship with my mother. Granted, I was not adopted, but I did unfortunately still relate to Jeanette in many other aspects. I was very moved by this book and I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteThis book is not unlike the many people that absolutely rebuff same sex marriages and relationships because they believe that it goes against what the bible describes as appropriate. Jeannette's relationship with her mother is undoubtedly something that many people face daily with their overly religious parents. While this day and age have become more acceptable about these personal choices, many people today still struggle with opening up to their parents. I don't believe that you can raise a child this strictly and not have him or her eventually act out in defiance. There should be some give and take and her mother was as rigid as there was.
ReplyDeleteDaniel Aldana
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the book. There things that I didn't expect and I like how the book has to deal with what many people have experienced before. Many people struggle to be who they truly are just because their family are very religious, coming from a religious household the mother is going over the top, she takes sunday very seriously. Being this strict is something that will obviously cause some sort of problems in the home.