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The Whistle Stop Cafe

                    

The Cafe that Idgie and Ruth ran was much more than just a place to grab a bite to eat. It was what was holding the small town together. When the place went under, the town seems to fall apart. It was located just a few feet from the railroad and whenever travelers came through the town, they would always stop at the Whistle Stop Café for the best barbecue in the south.  Many hobos and people who could not afford the food would stop in and Ruth and Idgie would never turn down a single hungry person. It brought a sense of community and family feel to the town. So many different events were held at the little cafe. It was the place to hangout and relax. 

Junk Food

         Junk food was what brought Evelyn and Mrs. Threadgoode together. Their passion for food and treats helped start an ever-lasting friendship. For Evelyn, junk food was the only thing that made her happy. She knew it was bad for her and it didn’t help her as she wanted to lose weight but it was the only thing that made her happy. Every time she was down to the nursing home to talk to Mrs. Threadgood she would bring her some sort of junk food, like Tacobell, honeybuns, Twinkies, or candy bars. Mrs. Theadgoode told Evelyn not to go on any other those silly diets and to enjoy what makes her happy. She also told her not to worry about being a little over weight and to forget about what society tells us, no one needs to be model skinny and that she is beautiful the way she is. Food appears a lot throughout the novel. 

Railroad

         The train that passes through Whistle Stop represents life. It brings birth and death, and it keeps the town alive. The train brings Ruth to Whistle Stop where she met the love of her life. It brings in customers to the cafe, so it could stay in business. The train brings new people in everyday and without it, the town would be nothing.         

         Railroad Bill is a person who would ride the trains and dump food off whenever he would pass by slums near the small towns. Hobos would ride the rails to come to the Cafe where Idgie and Ruth would take care of them. They would give them shelter and food in return for a little work. The train led them to the cafe so they could survive. The trains kept the people and the town thriving. The train also caused death. The train killed Idgie's brother, Buddy, when she was a little girl. It caused the whole family much pain. The train cut off Ruth's sons arm, nearly killing him. When Ruth left to go marry her husband, the train took her away from Idgie causing her even more pain. The train is like the circle of life, birth and death, always coming and going. 

Beehive and Honey

Right before Ruth left to go back to Valdosta to marry her husband, Idgie took her to a beehive. Without any protective clothing Idgie went up to the beehive and carefully got a jar full of honey for Ruth. Thousands of bees swarmed Idgie but she never got stung and successfully brought the honey to Ruth. Ruth called her a bee charmer. Honey came up many times throughout the novel and was a symbol of Ruth and Idgie’s love for one another. When Evelyn visits Ruth’s grave she sees that there is a fresh jar of honey and a note that says that she will always love her. The honey represents all those years of love and sweet life. It showed how brave Idgie was and how strong her love was for Ruth.