Oranges
Oranges are the biggest symbolizing factor in the book, as seen by the title. Without reading the book, one could assume that, by the title, the author is trying to say that the main character is not the only one of something, and that is in fact correct. In the story, Jeanette does not adhere to societal standards, making her stand out from everyone else. In this case, heterosexuality would be the orange, and Jeanette, being a Lesbian, would be "the other fruit".
In the novel, oranges are also used in the plot. At one point, after the relationship between Melanie and Jeanette has ended, Melanie offers her an orange. Refusing, Jeanette is setting the standard that she will do what she thinks is right, even if other people do not want her to do it.
Stone Pebble
During a fantasy about the Forbidden City, Jeanette is thrown a small stone by an orange demon. Scared that it may hurt her, she views it as a weapon and tries to avoid it. Quickly, she realizes that the stone could be used to her advantage, because stones can kill people in this fantasy. Later, the stone is coughed up by a raven to represent his heart, and the stone calls to life the figures of Hansel and Gretel, who used small stones to mark their path through the woods.
The stone symbolizes the way Jeanette's writing has helped her in multiple ways - both as a weapon and a way to get back home. She has been able to keep her strength when others have gone against her, and still she manages to find her true self.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
In a Bible story, the names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego represent three Jewish men who refused to pay tribute to a King who wanted them to believe in another idol. In the end, God rewarded the three men for remaining faithful to him no matter what the consequences. In Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, these names are mentioned both as the names for three mice, and as the names of ravens in the Forbidden City.
Jeanette uses these three names as a symbol to represent that, no matter what is happening, you should remain faithful to what you believe in. That is exactly what she ends up doing, and, while never losing faith in God, she does what she thinks is right while keeping her religion.
Separation Between God and Man
Jeanette never questions that God is lesser than her, but constantly struggles with what the priests on Earth are telling her. She does not agree with many biblical ideas, the most predominant of which being that same sex marriage is incorrect. She instead believes that God is the one that ultimately decides your fate, and will not take into consideration anything but whether you were a good person. Being faithful to yourself is perhaps more important than being faithful to your religion, and Jeanette knows that a true God would understand this.
Raincoat
Another symbol in the novel is the raincoat that Jeanette's mother gives her. She buys Jeanette a new, large, pink raincoat after hers is ripped, but she despises it. The bright pink representing the femininity that Jeanette's mother wants her to uphold, Jeanette is ultimately defiant and will not wear the coat. She wants to get as far away as possible from her mother's ideas, and this raincoat is just the first step.
Ultimately, what Jeanette is trying to get away from is her mother's view on homosexuality, but the raincoat is just an example of how she drifts away from her mother over time. While she still has faith in her mother and the church, she wants to do what she knows is right for her.
Deafness
In the novel, plenty of content focuses on Jeanette’s relationship with her mother. Her mother is blindly devoted to her church and strictly follows her rituals. When Jeanette goes deaf, she tells her mother that ‘’the world is very quiet’’. Instead of immediately taking her to the doctor and helping her, she is proud, as she believes her daughter is ‘’in a state of rapture’’ and is in touch with God. When Janette finally gets the medical attention she needs, provided to her by Miss Jewsbury, a member of the church, her mother does not even make the time to visit her in the hospital at first, as she is too busy ‘‘waiting for the plumber’’ and because it was ‘‘the busy season at the church’’.
Béatrice Bijon (2008) in her article titled Voices under Water suggests that from a psychoanalytical perspective, Janette’s deafness portrays her mother’s own symbolic deafness and as well responds to the mother’s refusal to accept her daughter as an independent human being.
