Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

“Idgie was about ten or eleven at the time and she had on a brand new white organdy dress that we’d all told her how pretty she looked in. We were having a fine time and starting in on our blueberry cobbler when all of a sudden, out of a clear blue sky, Idgie stood up and announced, just as loud…’I’m never gonna wear another dress as long as I live!’ And with that, honey, she marched upstairs and put on a pair of Buddy’s old pants and a shirt.” 

This anecdote is the first real glimpse Flagg offers into Idgie’s personality, and it establishes several character traits that will appear throughout the novel. First and foremost, it highlights Idgie’s gender nonconformity, with Idgie refusing from a young age to wear dresses. The choice to speak about this, and the way in which she does so, also point to Idgie’s impulsivity, stubbornness, and blunt honesty. She seems to make the decision on the spur of the moment, immediately and emphatically announces it, and apparently sticks to her word for the rest of her life. The fact that she puts on Buddy’s old clothes is an early indication of how close Idgie is to her older brother.

“This morning, Smokey Phillips was on a mixed train from Georgia, headed for Florida. He had not eaten anything for two days and remembered that his friend Elmo Williams had told him there were two women running a place right outside of Birmingham who were always good for a meal or two. On the way down he’d seen the name of the cafe written on the walls of several boxcars, so when he saw the sign WHISTLE STOP, ALABAMA, he jumped off.” 

The above passage is significant for several reasons. For one, it’s an early indication of the symbolism surrounding trains; the railroads serve not only as a conduit for business, but also for the chance encounters and events that can change the course of a person’s life. For instance, Smokey Lonesome meeting and falling in love with Ruth. The passage also serves as a reminder of the Whistle Stop Cafe’s social importance as a gathering place. It reveals that the cafe is at the center not only of the town’s community, but also of a nationwide community of freight hoppers.