Loss of innocence in silas marner and oranges are not the only fruit by george eliot and jeanette winterson

The journey from innocence to experience is a fundamental rite of passage that countless literary protagonists undergo. In the novels Silas Marner Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit, the central characters Silas Marner and Jeanette embark on transformative arcs that strip them of their innocence and naivety. While the specific circumstances differ, both narratives explore the underlying societal, religious, and interpersonal factors that precipitate this loss of childlike purity. Eliot's Silas Marner depicts the title character's descent from a respected member of a Puritan community into solitude and misanthropy after being falsely accused of theft. Winterson's semi-autobiographical novel chronicles a young girl's struggle to reconcile her burgeoning sexuality with the rigid doctrine of the Pentecostal church in which she was raised. Though set in vastly different eras and contexts, these works unveil the myriad forces that can disrupt one's innocence.