Fried Green Tomatoes Analysis

There are various examples of food being significant to the personal, cultural, and political aspects throughout the film, Fried Green Tomatoes. The time span of the film is from the 1920’s to the 1980’s, although most of the political and cultural issues are prevalent in the flashbacks (1920’s-1960’s). During the time period of the flashbacks there are serious racial issues, acts of horizontal violence towards African Americans by the Ku Klux Klan, as well as marital abuse issues between Ruth Bennet and her husband Frank Bennet. Marital issues are also present in the present-time segments of the film between Evelyn and her husband, Ed. During a majority of the film, Evelyn attends marital counseling classes in attempt to help save her marriage.

After much tribulation, she runs away with Idgie to open their own café, named the Whistle Stop Café, to raise her baby in a safe environment and get away from the abuse from her husband. The food that they prepare and serve at the café not only saves Ruth from the terrible suffering she had to go through, but also brings life into the small town that they live in. The first time that fried green tomatoes are brought up in the film is a very significant moment in Idgie and Ruth’s relationship. The fried green tomatoes that Idgie made have a connotation regarding the happiest moments of their lives during the film. The café that they worked hard at and the fried green tomatoes that were very popular, along with their barbeque, made the two women very successful in that small town and allowed them to get very close and grow their friendship. At one point, Frank appeared in the small town that Idgie and Ruth live in and tried to take Ruth’s baby away from her. He was then murdered, chopped up, and barbequed by Big George and then, ironically, was served to the man who was investigating his murder. Later in the film Ruth dies of cancer, and it was mentioned that when Ruth died, the Whistle Stop Café was closed and the small town withered away thereafter. The food and the joy that Ruth and Idgie brought to the town by opening the Whistle Stop Café was the only thing that had been keeping that town