Fannie Flagg Influence

Patricia Neal, an up-and-coming actress, once faced a dilemma. There was already a well-known actress named Patricia Neal in Hollywood. Patricia ultimately chose the eccentric “Fannie Flagg”, which greatly reflects her jocular personality and novels. She works include Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, I Still Dream about You, and The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion. Flagg’s background in theater, progressive stances on political issues, and tragic childhood greatly impacted her to create her kind-hearted, important novels.

A large portion of Fannie Flagg’s life before writing was spent on stage; she was an actress, comedian, and producer (Contemporary). She got her start at a young age by volunteering to work a spotlight in a local show (Blog). Flagg spent many years acting in movies, television, and Broadway (Contemporary). Bystanders may have believed she had an affinity for theater, but this was not the case. Surprisingly Flagg stated in an interview that she “was never comfortable being an actress or being in the spotlight” and dreamed of being a writer (Blog). Although she

did not express much interest in acting, her background was a prominent influence on her writing. The humorous writing style of Flagg is reflected in her acting and comedic career (Contemporary). Her successful career impacted her publications as well as her feminist political ideology.
Fannie Flagg’s knowledge in politics has an influence on the plots and themes of her stories.

She is an ardent feminist and racial equalist, and is in support of legislation such as the Equal Rights Amendment (Novels). Feminism is a topic that Flagg incorporates into many of her novels including her best-seller, Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, where the entire story is predominantly surrounds females. For example, there are two sets of female-female relationships in the novel (Media Difference). More importantly, one of these relationships, between Ruth and Idgie, although not directly stated in the book, is romantic (Media Difference). In a time where same sex relationships were not widely accepted (the book is set in the 1920s), this is quite progressive. Feminism is a major theme throughout Flagg’s works; however, friendship is also a dominant

motif.
Fannie Flagg did not always have an effervescent nature. She fought through a disconsolate childhood; her parents died at a young age and she struggled with dyslexia. As one would expect, the death of Flagg’s parents made a lasting impression on her, which ultimately led to the strong recurring theme of friendship throughout her novels. She explained in an interview with Wendy Perkins, saying, “I have found that the friends I have made over the years are the people who get me through life”. Perkins, the author of a criticism in Novels for Students, identifies that friendship is the premise of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, as the story is almost entirely about the relationships between two sets of close friends, Evelyn and Ninny, and Ruth and Idgie. Another aspect of Flagg’s childhood that translates into her writing is her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama (Novels for Students). In her novels, she incorporates her southern heritage into the characters and settings, such as the “Whistle Stop Café”, which resembles an actual café in Alabama.
The quirky Fannie Flagg was in the spotlight for most of her early life. She began with theater and comedy, but was uncomfortable and unhappy. Her secret passion for writing became her primary career and pastime. Since then, she has written a plethora of books, such as Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, that have a relevant political importance and are filled with benevolence and friendship. Therefore, although she did not wish to be in the limelight, it somewhat happened anyways because of her books’ great success.