Oranges and Coming of Age (from Monday Oct 13th)

I think that every person has his/her own beliefs, yet we all choose to act on those beliefs in different ways. My family has strongly shaped my belief system, although as I have grown I have developed my own beliefs as well. In Oranges, belief in God is always upheld, especially by her mother and the Pastor. Jeanette's belief in God and sexuality change as the novel progresses. She begins to question her beliefs at a young age, and eventually explores those beliefs with Elsie, Melanie, and Mrs. Jewsbury. On page 134 Jeanette said "If there's such a thing as spiritual adultery, my mother was a whore." You can tell Jeanette is upset and is questioning her role, and her mother's. Even though in the end Jeanette seems to be okay with her mother, I think she still is struggling to figure out where she belongs. Jeanette tells Melanie "I love you almost as much as I love the lord", showing her struggle to accept the fact that it is possible to have such strong feelings for both of them. In church, page 104, the Pastor tells the congregation that both Melanie and Jeanette have fallen under Satan's spell. The church all seems to believe this statement and the girls are escorted out.
Another thing that I notice in the book so far was the foreshadowing. The oranges that her mother has been feeding her eventually turn into the orange demon that she must face while making decisions. The story of Winnet and the sorcerer runs somewhat parallel to Jeanette's story too because in the end, both are abandoned and shunned by the one person who claimed to love them. They both seem to face their own demons in life at a young age, but both grow and learn from it too.