Sexuality and religion in the novel Oranges are not the only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson.
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Date
2016
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Abstract
This thesis is based on the novel Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit authored by Jeanette
Winterson in 1985. The auto-fiction novel is about a young girl who is raised in a
Conservative Christian background and learns that she is a lesbian. This novel is only a
starting point for dialogue on homosexuality in the Church in Africa, in which I use a postcolonial
approach and is not in anyway a model to be used in understanding same-sex
relations in Africa.
The thesis begins its dialogue on the premises of the incoherent voices of the Church in
Africa on its standpoint on homosexuality. While the church continues to deliberate on its
position on homosexuality LGBTIQ persons continue to be victims of hate crimes,
discrimination and society continues to relate to them as mysterious and exotic.
The question which is addressed is what issues on sexuality and religions are raised in the
novel Oranges and how has the Church in Africa dealing with homosexuality. It is beyond the
scope of my study to answer the question of which orientation is right or wrong. The main
purpose of this thesis instead is seeking to facilitate a dialogue and develop positive sexual
images and conceptions of expression of oneself sexually. In a way this will unburden the
body from the expectations of the religious institution and the family institution. I present
rising tensions between sexuality and religion in the novel and in the Church in Africa.
To accomplish this I made use of books, essays, videos, newspapers, websites and articles
published on sexuality, homosexuality, legislation, the Churches and their varied positions
and engagements with LGBTIQ persons was read and utilized.
The discussions that are on-going and past are twofold: (i) they reveal that the uneasiness
around homosexuality, I argued, is rooted in the absence of positive language to talk about
the body and sex in heterosexual relations that are supposedly the ‘relations’. (ii) On looking
at the homosexuality conversations, I argue they are philosophical and ontological and I
argued that this intentionally/unintentionally excludes a certain group of people for an
example, those at the grassroots of the community. This, I argue because the hate crimes
directed LGBTIQ persons suggests that there is no clear understanding amongst most people
of what homosexuality entails substantially.
In concluding, I argued that there is an urgent need for narratives of LGBTIQ persons to
represent themselves and actively formulate their identities and theology. The agenda of nonv
LGBTIQ persons writing as allies to the community are progressive and worth celebrating,
however the outsider approach is limited in what they can offer in terms of daily experience
and formulation on theology. I acknowledge that there is a lot of work that has been done on
the theology of LGBTIQ persons, but not much has been done by LGBTIQ persons
themselves. So what we have is theology about homosexuals and not with homosexuals.
Lastly, it is recommended for further work that one explores if up-bringing impacts and
shapes sexual orientation and to see how Christianity has maneuvered this area. Is there
anything in Christian bible that prepares parents and children to understand their bodies and
express themselves sexually?
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.