Post written by contributor Mary W
Just because it’s iconic, doesn’t mean it’s right.
Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown is celebrated as one of the greatest sapphic fiction novels in modern times. Whilst technically fiction, it is generally considered a loose autobiography of Brown’s own coming of age as a lesbian, writer, filmmaker, and woman in the mid-20th century. The novel paints a picture of the main character Molly Bolt’s growth from childhood to university with the story ending in the midst of her post-graduate life.
Molly can only be described as a storm. Early on in the book we see from childhood what Molly wants most is to get away from her adopted family where Molly’s adopted mother, Carrie, treats her as if she is worthless. Molly declares—“I decided to go back to the house but only until I was old enough to get a job so I could leave that dump.” And whatever Molly wants, she will get it. Rubyfruit Jungle is the first of its kind for the time period it is written as it features an explicitly lesbian plot and strong lead woman character that challenges just about everything—heterosexuality, queer labelling, sexism, and class mobility.
The story opens while Molly is living in Pennsylvania with Carrie and her adopted father, Carl, who is her most staunch supporter that knows (not thinks) his daughter will be going to college. In middle school, we learn about Molly’s first experiences with love and sex with someone of the same gender. Notably, this is not the first time we learn about her affair with sex. From the first page, Molly’s interest in sex is made clear with all genders, though Molly is decidedly “lesbian.” In university, we see her grow further into her own understanding of love and sex. The novel ends with Molly living in New York and grounding herself deeper into her sexuality as well as meeting other queer people from who she learns more about queer culture, which Molly unsurprisingly rejects as she continues to forge her own way forward with her Molly storm. Sex is the name of the game of Molly’s life, but the story does cover other themes, including motherhood, family, patriarchy, and love (outside of sex).
In Rubyfruit Jungle, we learn to love to hate Molly. She is determined, strong-willed, sometimes inspirational because of her “nothing will stop me” attitude, and is incredibly selfish. At the end of the day, Molly doesn’t tend to care about anyone but herself. Whether that is because of her tough childhood (her adopted mother denouncing her “bastard” daughter, her beloved adopted father dying when she is quite young) or because of the patriarchal and homophobic society of the 1960s (Molly is kicked out of one university for being queer and is rejected constantly in her male dominated major in filmmaking), we see that Molly is not the “perfect lesbian” nor does she have to be. And it is important to make that distinction to fully grasp the novel.
Molly gives us an insider view of what the world was for a white lesbian in the 1960s Eastern United States. Molly was repeatedly “caught” being a homosexual, but seems to always get another chance in the world. Molly runs away to New York with just the clothes on her back and can secure an apartment within days, whilst the queer people of colour she meets are not living the same reality. Molly meets Calvin, a gay Black man who sleeps in an abandoned car near New York University, because she had the same idea to find shelter one night. Calvin shows Molly the city and from his extensive knowledge and connections, we know he has been in New York for a while. Though it only took Molly a few days to find an albeit shitty apartment, Calvin never meets the same fate and ends up hitchhiking to find a life in California.
Molly’s whiteness gives her opportunities and she still Molly faces oppression regularly because of homophobia. She was kicked out of university because of it, is disowned by Carrie for her “perverted acts,” and has her sexuality constantly questioned because how could she be one (from one of her lovers: “Molly don’t be silly; you can’t be a lesbian”). In spite of all of this, Molly still finds a home, graduates with honours, and secures a job after graduating (Although, yes it is a job she wouldn’t choose herself and is strong-armed into because she is a woman). Her whiteness gives her the privilege of chances while society simultaneously shames and blocks her success because of her lesbianism and womanhood. The latter two cannot be pulled apart and society colludes to work them against her. At the same time, her whiteness makes this reality a different type of oppression versus her Black counterparts we come across in the book. Even the fact that this book still exists today adds to this existence of her privilege creating a different world for her in the long run.
Rubyfruit Jungle is a wild ride and it is an iconic queer piece, but it is not good (for lack of a better word) and that’s okay. Molly does bad things. She says bad things. She is… bad. It doesn’t mean you shouldn’t read it, but it does mean you can’t do it without a critical eye and some healthy scepticism. In the Molly storm, we sometimes see sexual consent thrown out the window, glorification of incest, and someone who is willing to take revenge even if that means suffering herself. Molly gives you all of her vulnerability by laying bare everything she is and thinks. There is no filter. No crossing out. No holding back. She lays herself flat so you can see all of her edges, both good and bad, which is beautiful and scary all at the same time. Molly attacks the world whilst simultaneously embracing it. The book’s final line makes sure you know this: “I don’t feel like having to fight until I’m fifty. But if it does take that long… I’m going to be the hottest fifty year old this side of the Mississippi.”
It’s important and captivating and scary to read, but not everyone can read this book. It is not a bestseller for the population, but rather a work of research…a thought piece to be analysed. It cannot be handled carelessly and the reader must proceed with caution so you can be proud of Molly for her tenacity, but also angry at her for her lack of care for anyone else along her journey. It is 2022 and we all have to challenge appropriately while also being able to listen wholly. If you cannot understand and take on the responsibility of that, then this book cannot be for you until you are.
Synopsis | Goodreads
