Analysis: The Color Of Water By James Mcbride

In The Color of Water by James McBride, we are taught through the eyes of a black man and his white mother that color shouldn’t matter. Although Ruth McBride Jordan had grown up as a Jew and had a father who disliked Jews very much, she was never prejudice against them and learned that she fit into the black world better than the white world. When she married a black man, she accepted Christ into her life and told her children, “God is the color of water.” She taught her kids that color didn’t matter, because God loves all races. Throughout her life, Ruth was torn between what relationships she should have with black people. Because her father hated black people so much, overcharging them when selling goods, it was initially hard for her to communicate with these people. Her first “real” boyfriend, Peter, had been black and Ruth could not reveal to her family
He was always wondering why his mother’s skin color was different than the other mothers. When he asked his mother, “Am I black or white?” she responded, “You’re a human being. Educate yourself or you’ll be nobody.” Then one day he asked his mother, “What color is God’s spirit?” And she answered, “It doesn’t have a color. God is the color of water. Water doesn’t have a color.” I love this quote, because it is so spiritual and its meaning is so true. Ruth was saying that God is not black or white and thus he loves all races equally. Race doesn’t make people worthy of God's grace. Although James did not understand at that time, he does now. He understands why his mother put him and his siblings in white schools, not only because they are the best, but because white people shouldn’t be the only ones able to have a great education. Through his mother, he learned that color does not matter especially because everyone is equally God’s