Powerful Characters and Powerful Themes in Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café

One Southern novel shines light on racism, feminism, and surprising lesbianism. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg, published in 1987, is about the different events happening and people living in Whistle Stop and Birmingham, Alabama. Fannie Flagg uses many powerful characters to enforce several themes. Idgie, Ruth, Evelyn, Mrs. Threadgoode, Big George, Artis, and Jasper are a few of the main characters that help Flagg show the themes though out Fried Green Tomatoes .

Fannie Flagg was born in Birmingham, Alabama on September 21, 1941. She was born as Patricia Neal but changed her name later (Thompson 186). William and Marion Neal were Flagg’s parents. At a young age Flagg fell in love with acting and writing plays. She went to see many films in the movie theater her father worked at and this made her love for acting and writing bloom.

In the fourth and fifth grade Flagg started struggling in school. She could not spell because she had dyslexia which had not been diagnosed at that point. The struggling with dyslexia continued into her teenage years. Flagg would have loved to pursue writing but instead started acting (Thompson 186). Upon receiving a scholarship from a beauty pageant competition, Flagg moved north to attend the Pittsburgh Playhouse. The troubling dyslexia caused her to drop out during her first year (186).

While attending college she changed her name from Patricia Neal. A famous actress also had her given name. Changing her name to Fannie Flagg seemed like the correct thing to do and this would also distinguish herself from the already famous actress. “I chose the name because it was the funniest one I could think of.” Flagg told reporter Kenneth R. Clark in an interview...

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Works Cited

“Fannie Flagg.” This Goodly Land. 30 May 2008. Alabama Center for the Book, Auburn University, Web. 11 Nov 2009. .

Flagg, Fannie. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café. New York: Fawcett Books, 1987.

Flora, Joseph M. and Lucinda H. Mackethan, eds. The Companion to Southern Literature. Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, 2002. 281,720.

“Literaturliste SEK II- Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg–englischleher.de.” The Teacher’s Site–englischleher.de. Peter Huuch, n.d. Web. 11 Nov 2009. .

Stanley, Deborah A., ed. Novels for Students. Vol. 7. Boston: Gale Group, 1999. 85-102.

Thompson, Clifford, ed. Current Biography Yearbook. 2006. New York: The H.W.Wilson Company, 2006. 185-189.