A Goodreads user asked:

i started reading it, but didn't get into it. and it was about a lesbian couple. my question is, where did ruth and idgie get a child from? they weren't allowed to be gay parents back in that era right? and no one back then thought a lesbian couple was weird?

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9 years ago
21 answers

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Paige

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Cecelia Scott I think before you make comments you need to read the book. that could be why you did not understand it.It's a wonderful book and the movie with Kathy Bates is wonderful too..if you can't get into the book watch the movie,

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Cvpakkē Burgess It straight up says they're a couple in the book. There was no open for interpretation, they are a couple. Those are saying they're not are probably homophonic. Ruth's child is from her marriage to an abusive man. The town of Whistle Stop knew they were a couple and excepted it because they were not hateful people for the most part. Also Idgie and Ruth were loved by the town so much that it didn't matter to them. There was discrimination back then towards the lgbt community, but as I said before Whistle Stop was not a hateful town. Why don't you actually try reading the book before asking questions.

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lrv I don't think they were lesbians, back in those days loving someone deeply didn't mean you loved them the same way as you would love your spouse. Just like the word gay meant happy but now today it means being homosexual. So Ruth and Idgie had deep affection for eachother, like sisters and the best of friends. The book never said they acted on any of their feelings for eachother, so it most likely is a case of friends being so close to eachother they would die to protect eachother. They had intense love for eachother. Ruth's son was from her marriage to Frank.

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Ela Głogowska READ THE BOOK before you put silly comments out.

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SirZac The sapphic relationship was only implied and open to interpretation.

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Samantha I'm late to this party but to everyone saying they weren't in a relationship... y'all... re-read the book. There is literally a line that says “Idgie smiled back at her and looked up into the clear blue sky that reflected in her eyes and she was as happy as anybody who is in love in the summertime can be.” Also there is so much imagery in the book AND movie.

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MaryAlice The character, Evelyn Couch, had unanswered questions as Mrs. Threadgoode tells the story of her family. Evelyn had to wait from one week to the next to get answers that will be revealed to readers who keep on reading.

Society was much different in the 1920s; unmarried women were spinsters or old-maids. It would not seem out-of-place for two of them to live together without suspicion that their relationship was not purely platonic. The fictional town, Whistle Stop, had a population of about 250 people, most everybody knew everybody else's business.

As the story was written, no, I doubt the townsfolk cared one way or another about Idgie and Ruth's love for each other, finding it weird.

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Beth

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Sarrah

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Angel Clement Back in that time they were called "Life Partners" and the child was Ruth's that she got preggo with while with her ex husband. Stubs always referred to Idgie as his Aunt. It is definitely all open to interpretation since they never say straight up they are lesbians and not just besties. Idgie did take the fatherly role though.

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Georgia Sanders Mate these questions are answered in the book..

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Silver Smithy

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Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) Ruth was pregnant when she left her husband. They weren't "openly gay", they loved each other and lived in the same house. Women have shared living accomodation since forever without being pasted with a "lesbian" label until about 15 years ago when suddenly it became fashionable to be gay.

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Cole Ruth child was from her abusive ex husband

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Fluffster People talking about the movie like it's the same as the book: it is not. The film's director, Jon Avnet, even said in the DVD commentary that he regretted letting the producers push him into the decision not to include the reality of Idgie and Ruth's relationship in the movie.
Spielberg did the same for The Color Purple.
Fannie Flag is a lesbian author and Idgie and Ruth were lesbians in love. If you can't deal with it, don't whitewash it, just read something else.

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Amber Torres Though I have not finished the entire book yet (I'm a little over halfway), I can say that despite them being very close I don't think they were lesbians....they were in fact cousins. Although I do think Idgie had a "crush" on Ruth, Ruth married a man that would eventually do very bad things, hence where her child came from.

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Fata Morgana I loved it! And I did wonder,too, whether Rutg and Idgie were lesbians and the family and people around them accepted it and were just liberal? Or did they know but ignore it and just did not openly talk about it? I guess there are some hints about them being in love with each other. And it did seem odd that in the South, back in these times, no one minded...
But this didn't really bother me. And I mean this always existed, even back then, even in Alabama. Still a truly lovable and charming novel.

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Kathleen I’m not sure if anyone who answered the question actually read the book. When Idgie went and got Ruth and helped her move back to Whistle Stop, even Idgie’s father said she would now be responsible for Ruth and her child. She would have to make a living and provide for her (implying as a husband would). They were obviously a couple. Those who want to deny it and simply uncomfortable with the idea. Although it was a different time, everyone in the town knew each other, supported each other, and obviously didn’t care what went on behind closed doors when two people obviously lived one another. Grow up, folks.

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