family development analysis

Running head: FRIED GREEN TOMATOES ANALYSIS JONES 1

Fried Green Tomatoes Analysis

Farris Jones

The University of South Carolina

FRIED GREEN TOMATOES ANALYSIS JONES 2

Introduction/Family History

For this analysis, I watched the film Fried Green Tomatoes (1991). In this film, there are

numerous families that are observed, but for the purposes of this paper I have decided to only

evaluate Ruth Jamieson, and her experience of being a part of a family. The movie mainly

focuses on Ruth and her best friend Idgy who open a restaurant called The Whistle Stop Café. In

this film, a woman named Evelyn meets an older woman named Ninny in a retirement home.

Evelyn becomes close with Ninny and often listens to her recount the story of a young woman

named Idgy and her best friend Ruth. Most of the film is made up of the flashbacks about Idgy

and Ruth, though Evelyn’s home life and relationship with Ninny (during the present time in the

film) is also an important part of the film. This paper will focus on Ruth and her progression

through the stages of family life as she experiences different forms of family.

Stages of Family Life

In the first stage of family life according to the model by Carter & McGoldrick (1999),

Ruth falls in to the model quite nicely. She is establishing peer relationships – she is dating

Idgy’s beloved brother Buddy and developing relationships with the people around her. After the

death of Buddy, the film flashes forward to Idgy and Ruth being young adults. We assume that

Ruth has entered the second stage of family life, since she has left home in an attempt to build a

relationship with Idgy at the request of Idgy’s parents. Ruth eventually forms a very close

friendship with Idgy just as she is entering the pre marriage stage. Is it revealed that Ruth is soon

leaving in order to marry a man named Frank Bennett. The courtship of Ruth and Frank was

never shown, but since the plot of the story is supposed to be some point in the early 1900s, we

can conclude that it is likely that the relationship was a set up – either by society or by Ruth’s

parents.


This is where Ruth’s family life gets tricky. Idgy does not see Ruth after she gets married.

During the childless couple stage for Ruth, the viewer does not see much that is going on (Carter

& McGoldrick, 1999). One day, Idgy decides to surprise Ruth with a visit, it is then that she

realizes that Ruth is trapped in a very abusive relationship and vows to get her away from her

husband. Against a very angry Frank, Idgy returns to take Ruth away with the help of her friend

Big George (a kind, large, African American man). As Ruth progresses into stage five – a couple

with young children (it is revealed that she is pregnant shortly after she leaves her husband), her

family is no longer described as a two parent family since she is partner-less (Cherlin, 2013, p.5).

However, after giving birth to her son Buddy Jr., Idgy, Big George, and Sipsey (an older black

woman who helps her take care of Buddy Jr.) assume a parenting-type role during the family

with young children stage (Carter & McGoldrick, 1999). At this point in the film, Ruth

progresses through the rest of the stages of family life in a single parent family form (Cherlin,

2013, p.5).

Cherlin (2013) defines a “family of choice” as “a family formed through voluntary ties

among individuals who are not biologically or legally related” (p.191). I believe that Idgy

becomes a part of Ruth’s family of choice. I also believe that the characters Sipsey and Big

George voluntarily act as family to Rut; they are very protective of her and her son. Although

Ruth is only biologically/legally related to her son, she still has multiple family members of

choice for the rest of the movie. Unfortunately Ruth’s progression through the stages of family

life is cut short. Ruth dies at a young age from cancer and does not get to see her son grow up.

Context and its Impacts on the Family

This is a time period and location where discrimination based on sex and race is very

prominent. The deep South in the early 1900s suffered from a lack of women’s rights and


African American rights. There is a strong presence of the KKK in the film, and a significant

amount of racism. Cherlin (2013) discusses this time period and the impacts it can have on

African Americans and their families (p. 54). It states in the book that before the 1970s, the

terrible, constant discrimination that was experienced by African Americans had a huge impact

on their own family lives (Cherlin, 2013, p.4).

Indications and Effects of Discrimination/Oppression

There are many examples of discrimination and oppression portrayed in this film. I have

already discussed some of the discrimination experienced by African Americans. In Ruth’s case,

she suffers from an abusive relationship due to a wretchedly sexist husband. Cherlin (2013)

discusses feminist theory and states “arrangements that make men happiest don’t necessarily

make women happiest” (p.27). Frank obviously envisioned a wife as a possession or something

to control; Ruth was obviously not happy in this situation. Cherlin (2013) states that in the early

1900s, people were starting to care more about love and companionship in regards to marriage

(p.60). This concept was certainly not to be found for Ruth in her marriage to Frank.

Other Significant Individuals and their Stereotypes Portrayed

Obviously, Idgy plays a huge part in this movie. She is Ruth’s best friend and helps her

through many hard times. She is a stereotypical tomboy that does not put up with the air of

sexism that is constantly surrounding this era. Her character challenges the typical idea of how a

woman should act during this time period and the gender role that they should take on; for

example, while every other woman is wearing skirts, Idgy wears pants. It is not openly discussed

in the film, but it is clear that Idgy is making huge strides in terms of crossing gender lines and

defying typical feminine behavior of this time period.


Other important characters that I have not discussed much are Ninny and Evelyn. Ninny

has been left alone in a retirement home and is thrilled to have Evelyn’s companionship. Ninny’s

character in a way supports the stereotype that society has about older people; she is constantly

reminiscing about the past and obviously very lonely. The fact that she forms such a strong bond

with a random visitor, so much so that Evelyn even offers for Ninny to live with her once she

realizes her house is gone, is really empowering and heartwarming. The companionship of an

older person may not be as terrible as some often presume.

Strengths of Family and Individuals

One of the main strengths that Ruth possesses is the fact that she has a very strong

support system at the Whistle Stop Café. Idgy, Sipsey, Big George, and the regulars at the

restaurant provide her with great support with raising her son even though his father is absent.

This is a good strength to focus on when offering counseling to others. For example, when

counseling those with similar situations to Ruth and Buddy Jr., it is important to focus on the fact

that they gained a huge support system and family of choice as opposed to focusing on being

victims to a terrible husband/father and then experiencing life without a husband/father.

Indicators of Serious Distress

There are two main points of serious stress for Ruth in the family context. The first is the

stress that is presented through being trapped in an abusive relationship. Frank appears to be a

very evil, racist, sexist character. Ruth’s traditional family life is sacrificed in order to get away

from her terrible husband. Assessment and intervention would have been helpful for Ruth’s well

being at this point in her life, since she was obviously suffering a great deal emotionally and

physically. This situation could also potentially cause stress on Buddy Jr. As we discussed in


class (personal communication, March 6th, 2013), boys raised by single mothers are at a higher

risk for certain disadvantages later in life.

The second point of serious stress in need of assessment is when Ruth’s family of choice

is at risk. There is a point in the movie when Frank comes to the Whistle Stop Café in order to

kidnap Buddy Jr. Sipsey hits him over the head with a pan in order to protect herself and save

Buddy Jr. Idgy soon appears and knows that no one will believe Sipsey’s explanation for killing

Frank, so they drive his car into the lake and cook his body as barbecue. This puts Ruth’s family

of choice (Idgy, Sipsey, Big George) all at risk of going to jail. Potential intervention for each

member of Ruth’s family of choice and her son could be likely.

Social Work Intervention That Could Have Been Helpful

I definitely think that micro and macro level intervention could have been beneficial at

different points in this movie. Even legal services would have been helpful when Idgy and Big

George were arrested for murder. When Ruth was dying of cancer, proper medical services and

hospice care could have made the situation more comfortable for her and for those close to her.

From a macro perspective, policies and actions intended to promote equal rights for African

Americans and women could have made the context better. Of course, we know that great strides

were made during the Civil Rights Movement and Women Rights Movement that took place

after the setting of this film; but even today we still have a long way to go in both regards in

promoting equal rights for everyone.

From a micro perspective, I believe that counseling could have been beneficial for Ruth

and for Buddy Jr. Even though Ruth seems to be at peace after her terrible experience with Frank

and her terrible experience with marriage, it still had to be a traumatizing event that can have

lasting effects. I also think that Buddy Jr. could benefit from counseling because growing up


without a father and losing his mother at a young age can be detrimental for a child. Also, I have

not discussed this much, but in the beginning of the movie Idgy’s brother died in a terrible

accident. She was obviously very affected by it; they were very close. In fact, Idgy’s mother

asked Ruth to become close with Idgy in the first place because she was worried about her. Idgy

could have benefitted from counseling after she lost her brother as a young girl.

Lessons/Insights Gained from this Assignment

This assignment really gave me multiple new perspectives about types of family. Even

though I only discussed one aspect of family from this movie, there were a number of other types

of family portrayed. I feel like assessing this movie is directly related to what we are learning in

class and reading about in the book; it was fun to see the things we are learning come alive in a

film and it makes these concepts much easier to grasp. Although the film was a little bit

exaggerated, I still gained a unique perspective about families and their progression through

stages. It was also beneficial to see families from the early 1900s and the 1980s (Evelyn and

Ninny’s time period).


References

Carter, B., & McGoldrick, M. (1999). The expanded family life cycle: Individual, family, and

social perspectives. (3rd Ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon

Cherlin, A. (2013). Public and Private Families: An Introduction. (7th Ed.). New York: McGraw

Hill.

Lear, N. (Producer) and Avnet, J. (Director). December 27, 1991. Fried Green Tomatoes. United

States: Universal Pictures.

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