Unseen extract 2 - Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit - Explore moral attitudes in detail

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by dhado

Unseen extract 2 from Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson (first published in 1985) presents a narrative episode where Jeanette recounts her mother’s intense fixation on “saving” their “godless” neighbours. The passage links religious control, moral judgment, and domestic rituals through hymns, the piano, and scripture. It explores how Winterson shapes meaning via tone, irony, dialogue, and escalating conflict, culminating in a shift from intrusion and “wailing” to dinner.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages3

Reading Time8 min

AccessFree to download

Moral attitudes in the extract

Winterson’s shaping of meanings

Unseen extract 2: Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit Read the extract carefully. It is taken from Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson which was first published in 1985. The novel tells the story of a girl named Jeanette, who is bought up by her adoptive parents in northern England. Jeanette’s dominant mother is a fundamentalist Christian who educates Jeanette through study of the Bible. In this extract Jeanette recounts her mother’s preoccupation with saving her ‘godless’ neighbours. Sample question Explore the significance of moral attitudes in this extract. Remember to include in your answer relevant detailed analysis of the ways that Winterson shapes meanings. Extract The Heathen were a daily household preoccupation. My mother found them everywhere, particularly Next Door. They tormented her as only the godless can, but she had her methods. They hated hymns, and she liked to play the piano, an old upright with pitted candelabra and yellow keys. We each had a copy of the Redemption Hymnal (boards and cloth 3 shillings) . My mother sang the tune, and I put in the harmonies. The first hymn I ever learned was a magnificent Victorian composition called Ask the Saviour to Help You. One Sunday morning, just as we got in from Communion, we heard strange noises, like cries for help, coming from Next Door. I took no notice, but my mother froze behind the radiogram, and started to change colour. Mrs White, who had come home with us to listen to the World Service, immediately crushed her ear against the wall. ‘What is it?’ I asked. ‘I don’t know,’ she said in a loud whisper, ‘but whatever it is, it’s not holy.’Still my mother didn’t move. ‘Have you got a wine glass?’ urged Mrs White. My mother looked horrified. ‘For medicinal purposes, I mean,’ added Mrs White hurriedly. My mother went into a high cupboard, and reached down a box from the top shelf. This was her War Cupboard, and every week she bought a new tin to putin it, in case of the Holocaust. Mostly it was full of black cherries in syrup and special offer sardines. ‘I never use these,’ she said meaningfully. ‘Neither do I,’ said Mrs White defensively, clamping herself back against the wall. While my mother was covering up the television, Mrs White slithered up and down the skirting board. ‘We’ve just had that wall decorated,’ my mother pointed out. ‘It’s stopped anyway,’ panted Mrs White. At that moment another burst of wailing began from Next Door. Very clear this time. ‘They’re fornicating,’ cried my mother, rushing to put her hands over myears. ‘Get off,’ I yelled. The dog started barking, and my dad, who had been on nights the Saturday just gone, came down in his pyjama bottoms. ‘Put some clothes on,’ shrieked my mother, ‘Next Door’s at it again.’I bit my mother’s hand. ‘Let go of my ears, I can hear it too.’ ‘On a Sunday,’ exclaimed Mrs White. Outside, suddenly, the ice-cream van. ‘Go and get two cornets, and a wafer for Mrs White,’ ordered my mother, stuffing 10 shillings into my hand. I ran off. I didn’t know quite what fornicating was, but I had read about it in Deuteronomy, and I knew it was a sin. But why was it so noisy? Most sins you did quietly so as not to get caught. I bought the ice-creams and decided to take my time. When I got back my mother had opened the piano, and she and Mrs White were looking through the Redemption Hymnal. I passed round the ice-creams. ‘It’s stopped,’ I said brightly. ‘For the moment,’ said my mother grimly. As soon as we had finished, my mother wiped her hands on her apron. ‘Ask the Saviour to Help You, we’ll sing that. Mrs White, you be the baritone.’The first verse was very fine I thought: ‘Yield not to Temptation, for yielding is sin, Each Victory will help you some other to win. Fight manfully onwards, Dark Passions subdue, Look over to Jesus. He will carry you through. ’ The hymn had a rousing chorus that moved my mother to such an extent that s

FAQs

What is the focus of Jeanette’s mother in this extract?

Her mother is intensely preoccupied with saving their “godless” neighbours, interpreting their behaviour through a Christian moral lens.

How does Winterson present religion and music in the passage?

Religious authority is expressed through Bible reading and hymns, while the piano and singing become part of the mother’s attempted control over events.

What conflict drives the extract’s action?

Noises and wailing from Next Door provoke panic and judgement, escalating into shouting and physical responses from both sides.

Oct 20, 2026

Uploaded by dhado