Analysis Of Ruth Mcbride 's ' The Cold Cake '

The narrator in the first chapter is Ruth McBride. Ruth is addressing her son James McBride because he is interviewing Ruth.“I don't remember the name of the town where I was born, but I do remember my jewish name: Ruchel Dwajra Zylska. My parents got rid of that name when we came to America…” pg 1

Ruth just want to get out of poverty and to have a happy family. She doesn’t want to lose her opportunity to get out of the too small dilapidated apartment of which her family is forced to live in do to their lack of finances.

James McBride is the son of Ruth McBride and is only one of twelve mixed race children. McBride delves into his mother’s closed off past. Something she never allowed herself to share with any of her children. He grew up in the projects. Growing up McBride did not understand his mother; he was embarrassed, and baffled by her. It was not until he was a

Ruth stresses the importance of maintaining a good image of her family. When George arrives to take Beneatha out, Walter and Beneatha are not being well mannered, so Ruth takes control and tries to make-up for their behavior. “Beneatha, you got company-what’s the matter with you? Walter Lee Younger, get down off that table and stop acting like a fool…(80)” Ruth is also independent and kind.

Ruth’s Jewish background, her conversion to Christianity, and James’ childhood influence James’ confusion with his identity. Ruth was born Jewish and lived her life experiencing multiple situations of discrimination growing up. Jews and Blacks were hated upon during that period and by her marrying a black man, it attracted even more discrimination towards her. James experienced discrimination when he was younger because he was black. James knows nothing about Ruth’s past because she had kept it a secret from him and his siblings since they were young. Ruth had taught them a mindset that is set to focus only on education and religion, not focusing on anything else so they couldn’t question other ideas Ruth did not want them to see. When Ruth was living in New York with her husband Andrew McBride, Ruth found out that her mother

* James notices that his mother’s skin color than his friends’ mothers’ skin color are different, so Ruth tells him “Who cares about your friends’ mothers’ skin color? Just educate your mind.”

In the Color of Water, Ruth Mcbride has an important significance, because her complex past is what propels the book. Without her, the book would not be nearly as interesting. James Mcbride, Ruth’s son and author of the book, portrays Ruth as a secretive, un maternal like, and spiritual woman. Ever since James was a child, he remembers his mother never mentioning her past or her racial identity. James notes:”She had a complete distrust authority and an insistence on complete privacy which seemed to make her and my family odder .... Matters involving race and identity she ignored (9) Ruth keeps her past hidden away from her children, so that she doesn’t have to relive painful memories or inquire her past. In doing so, Ruth also doesn’t label

man, her family cuts all ties with her and sit shiva, to prove that Ruth is no longer

The author James Mcbride uses diction in chapter 5, of the book “The Color of Water”, to prove the theme. The author displays Ruth’s low self-esteem due to her father killing her self-esteem

Ruth led a life broken in two. Her later life consists of the large family she creates with the two men she marries, and her awkwardness of living between two racial cultures. She kept her earlier life a secret from her children, for she did not wish to revisit her past by explaining her precedent years. Once he uncovered Ruth 's earlier life, James could define his identity by the truth of Ruth 's pain, through the relations she left behind and then by the experiences James endured within the family she created. As her son, James could not truly understand himself until he uncovered the truth within the halves of his mother 's life, thus completing the mold of his own

At the beginning of The Color of Water, James McBride’s mother Ruth goes on to introduce particular aspects about her upbringing. She mentions how she grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family and begins to describe both her parents. Ruth’s father was a very cold and hard individual who didn’t care too much for his children’s overall well-being, while her mother was very sweet and kind in nature. She also goes on to talk about how her family was originally from Poland but decided to move to the United States from fear of oppression from the Russian government. Along with outside forces that proved to be a problem for Ruth’s family were similarities in oppressive behaviors in their family as well. Since Ruth’s family were Orthodox Jews,

In the book The Color of Water by James Mcbride the main character Ruchel, later Ruth, lived through some of the most dangerous and prejudice times in history. Being part of a Jewish immigrant family from Poland, Ruth’s childhood was everything but easy. Her father, Tateh, was a dictative man who mistreated his family and tried to control every aspect of their life. He also forced his racist and anti-Christian views upon those around him. Ruth’s mother, Mameh, was not much better than her father. Mameh allowed herself to be suppressed by Tateh and did little to help with the abuse of her children. As Ruth grew up her parents flaws helped to mold her into the person she became.

It affected Ruth’s life in many ways as well as in James’. In Suffolk, Virginia Ruth is constantly judged at school and pushed away for being Jewish. (McBride, 80-81) In New York, Ruth marries a black Baptist preacher named Dennis McBride. They are afraid because people were not used to seeing a marriage between two races.

"Ruth is a sensitive and studious African American. Ruth’s mother has been serving Sam Hallowell and his family since before the birth of her sister. Sam Hallowell has been the background voice on TV for a long time. Rachel, Ruth’s older sister, and Ruth were born poor and their father left them before Ruth’s birth. Since Ruth is lighter than Rachel in skin tone, she has always been given favors and priority over her older sister. Rachel changed her name to Adisa when she grew up and embraced her African American roots more than Ruth.

She doesn’t love her dad, he’s just “tollable” (183). When asked about her friends it was “as if (she was) puzzled” (183). She was trapped in her home without friends or affection. She isn’t accepted by whites because she lives so poorly and isn’t properly educated. The blacks don’t accept her because she is white.