The environments in which Jeanette and Melanie experience their first

romantic encounters are very different. Jeanette has been dragged off on
a shopping trip by her mother in the rain. She is forced to wear a bright
pink mac, which leaves her feeling trapped and miserable. Whilst there
is underlying sadness - Jeanette admits to feeling sick about what she
has been forced to wear - Winterson gives the scene a comic atmosphere,
drawing out the irony of the colour of Jeanettes pink mac and comparing
it to a Battenberg cake a nearby woman is eating. The setting of the fish
market is entirely deromanticised, and is a reflection of the way
Jeanettes emerging sexuality is less conventional than her surroundings.
It is also typical of the manner in which Winterson challenges the
perversity of peoples attitude towards homosexuality through humour
and lightness.
Whilst the atmosphere of the first romantic encounter in Oranges is ironic
and playful, the scene for Melanie and Finns first kiss in The Magic
Toyshop is intense. Finn impersonates a crow and refers to himself in third
person, this depicts the acts displayed in Uncle Phillips puppet show; His
loss of character is a consequence of living in bluebeards castle, it has
left him with a mismatch between animalistic and humane traits which is
elucidated upon through the mention of Pan God of the wild, half human
half goat. It is only poor Finn who will do you know harm, he speaks in
dialogue form as if performing a play therefore identifying his role by
characterizing himself to the audience with Melanie unconsciously playing
a part in the play too, however lacking knowledge of this . Finn has
unknowingly become Uncle Phillips puppeteer, only becoming aware
when he later restrains himself from the manipulation of Uncle Phillip,
suppressing his intentions of wanting to fuck Melanie because he finally
understands that Uncle Phillip has been pulling their strings for it is
Uncle Philip that has engineered Melanie and Finns encounter(Catherine
Martin) and in the Leda and the swan re-enactment she is once again
playing a part in his fantasies (Catherine Martin) so when the cats away
the mice will play but not by their own accord only because of the
predetermined acts of the mice (Melanie and Finn) that support the
intended absence of the cat. (Uncle Phillip). During the moment Finn
attempts to kiss Melanie Carter describes her as Stiff, wooden and
unresponsive this denotes features of a puppet, thus reinforcing the
notion of Uncle Phillip intended construction of a world revolved around