Rubyfruit Jungle

Essay by PaperNerd ContributorHigh School, 11th grade December 2001

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Rubyfruit Jungle is an amazing novel about a girl, named Molly, who I see as breaking free from societal norms with no shame. I think Molly sets a terrific example for people today. As I read, I felt exhilarated by the sense of freedom and shamelessness that was within Molly. I am not fully speaking of this in the sense that people should all feel compelled to be attracted to the opposite sex, through Molly's example. I am, however, saying that people should follow Molly's example of not being ashamed of who they truly are inside and the things that they want to do in their lives. If everyone goes through life not living how they want to live and not doing the things they love to do, then they won't truly live at all.

In some ways I saw Molly as modeling Sula in Toni Morrison's book. She had an air of arrogance to her at times, just as I saw Sula possessing.

Like Sula, Molly took off to better her life and left her family behind. Also, like Sula, Molly at times hurt people, by her harsh honesty. However, one thing that set Molly and Sula apart was Molly's willingness to return to her mother with whole heartedness, whereas Sula after returning home, treated her loved ones with utter disrespect, at times not even realizing that she was in the wrong.

Molly has a fire in her that so many people admire and others shy away from, scared that if they followed in showing their true feelings, that they may cause unnecessary conflicts in their life. If only people could bring themselves to break free of living by the norms of society and set their own norms. Or, possibly, just defy the norms without any thought about it. I feel that entirely too many people hide who they really are just for the sake of following everyone else. It's as if people believe that they will only be recognized positively if they are just like everyone else. Molly defied this aspect that I see in everyday life.

Another aspect of Molly's personality that I admired, aside from her willingness to show her true self to others, was her ambition to accomplish her goals in life. She knew from the time that she was young that she was going to become something. And though the story didn't end with her becoming a big film star, she did leave her footprints in many peoples lives and made a great impact on others. She had the drive to leave her family, and pursue her dreams thousands of miles from where she grew up without a soul to help support her but herself. She believed in herself with a passion that is so rare and was so determined to succeed that she did. And though she was discriminated against when she tried to enter the workplace, she did not let go of whom she was and just kept trying. Molly Bolt should be seen as an inspiration to everyone in society.