Analysis Of The Book ' The Color Of Water '

a. Reading James McBride’s novel brought on a plethora of emotions. I sometimes forget just how trying life can be for “minorities.” For Ruth I mostly felt empathy and sadness. During her childhood, the white kids were mean to her, her father molested her and showed absolutely no respect for her mother, teen pregnancy/abortion, and then she finds the courage to leave where she finds true love not once, but twice only to have that ripped away from her. Ruth’s life is one struggle after another.

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

In life, relationships change based on what two people experience while living with one another. In The Color of Water by James McBride, one relationship that changes throughout the book is James’s relationship with his mother, Ruth. Although James states that he loved his mother, he was also embarrassed by her at a young age. Since James is black, he’s embarrassed by his mother's white skin, because her complexion showed her difference from his friends and their parents. James states that at the age of 10, he “had reached a point where I was ashamed of her and didn’t want the world to see my white mother.” (McBride, 100) In order to avoid being seen with his mother, James would avoid telling his mother where he and his friends would be playing so she wouldn’t look for him. At his young age, he would also refuse to walk with her to the grocery store, making it clear that “the intent was to hide my white mom and go it alone” (McBride, 101)

* 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.”

James McBride was a black boy that had a white mother. You can imagine that going to an all-white school that he was going to get teased in school and that he was going to question himself. If it wasn’t for a change in perspective, you would never grow. But James had needed to change his perspective faster than others. James has gone through a huge change in perspective in the book, “The Color of Water.” It is shown in his book from the beginning, middle, and end of the book noting on how by changing his perspective he was able to grow and mature into someone better. As teenagers we always think that our parents have no idea about what we go through and everything is different than when they were our age but in a sense

Ruth was a source of knowledge that James trusted growing up. James, being a mixed child, is confused about what skin color God would have, so he asks his mother,”

As a teenager she got pregnant by Peter and she went to New York to get an abortion. Ruth did not tell anyone but Peter. Peter was a black man and he was first boyfriend. By her being a white women and being Jewish, she knew it would be a

Ruth and James had different experiences when they attended school. Back in the days, when Ruth attended school in Suffolk, there was a split between “white folks’ school and a black folks’ school and a Jewish school,” (McBride 79). The school Ruth attended was not actually a real school, but instead a synagogue, where they did not get a good education compared to what other students were learning in school. In contrast, James “was the only black kid,” (McBride 89), attending in his classroom and he would get called many names because he was the only black kid.

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

After Andrew`s death Ruth asked her family if they can help her with her and her eight children but they ignored her and they didn’t want to have any connections with her. But in the same year she found another man name Hunter Jordan and fall in love with him and he help her and her children. In same year (1958) she got married with Hunter and had four children together. They taught their children that school and God will bring them a better future. Hunter became like a father to James so in the year 1972 when Jordan Hunter died James started to do drugs and drink beer. When his grades started to drop, Ruth moved him and the whole family to Wilmington, Delaware. In 1973 James was in Louisville and work. When he was there he meets a man name the chicken man. The chicken man sets James right by pointing out his failures in his life and told him to stay in school to have a better future than him. James goes back to school and took chicken man advised to do better and he graduated high school and went to Oberlin College and in 1979 he graduated Oberlin college. Ruth goes to college in 1989 and gets a degree in social work from Temple

The middle of the book takes more of a look of some of the prejudices that both Ruth and James went through during their upbringing. Ruth begins to talk about the difficulties that came with being Jewish and living in the South during that time period. She was always the target for mockery by her peers, but fortunately met a girl named Frances who truly accepted her for who she was. They would spend a lot of time together, most of the time at Frances’ house due Tateh’s discern for gentiles. James also faced similar prejudices at school. Since his mother put so much of an emphasis on schoolwork, James and all of his siblings would have to go to predominantly Jewish schools and were the objects of ridicule for the other students. There was one instance in particular in which James was asked by his classmates to dance because of a predisposed idea that because he was black he could dance. He danced for the class, but conflicting thoughts were rushing through his mind. He felt accepted by his peers, but also ashamed that he stooped so low to gain that acceptance. This example as well as other instances that occurred with his siblings showed the racial tensions that were filling the air at that time.

In the book The Color of Water, the author, James McBride not only takes us through his own journey, but also gives us a perspective on the life of his mother, Ruth. James’ admiration for his mom reflects throughout the story while showing the readers the growth and development her character experienced as she went through life. Ruth McBride-Jordan endured many heartbreaking hardships throughout her life, but nevertheless, had an innumerable amount of cheerful and zestful moments. She grew to be a remarkable woman; however, it was a long journey before she became that woman. Separating from her family, and leaving the South was one of the hardest choices she ever made, yet it was best for her, in order to move on and adjust her future for the better. A main factor in Ruth’s life prosperity was her first husband, Andrew Dennis McBride, who taught her many important things and, in a sense, changed her entire lifestyle and outlook on the world. The last large impression that altered her life immensely in a way that led her character to mature, was the death of her beloved “Dennis”. These elements all highlight a point in this woman’s life that caused a development in her personality.

Her parents hated it, there were scared people would do bad things to them and even worse her but at the same time they supported her and they were proud. Ruby knew she was just like everyone else, she didn't give up and she gave her parents faith that she could go to an “All-White” School and get a good

To start off, both James and Ruth were the minority in their own school. Even though Ruth was white, or light-skinned, she was Jewish and that’s what made her different because most kids in her school were not jewish. Since she was the minority, it was easy for kids to point that out and bully them for that. For example, one kid told Ruth, “‘Hey Ruth, when did you start being a dirty Jew?’” James was also the minority and bullied at school. He went to a Jewish school which mostly consisted of light-skinned people and since he was darker, kids took notice. One time, they were learning about Black

The different types of contributions that the Book of Ruth made to ethics and racial issues are acceptance of being an alien in a foreign land and that God’s covenant are not limited by any boundaries no matter where you come from or what your background may be. Ruth married a man name Boaz. Ruth was constantly mentioned as the Moabitess because she was from a strange land. Her background teaches that even this Moabite woman can live in covenant and have faithful relationship with him.