The color of water essay
The book, The Color of Water, was written by James McBride. It tells the story of a Jewish, white woman named Ruth who married two black men and had many children. Ruth’s child, James, did not understand why his mother was black and he was white. There were many factors that led to character’s disenfranchisement while growing up during the 1960s at the height of the Black Power movement. This disillusionment led James McBride to research and write about the story of his mother’s life.
James McBride was constantly looked down upon from the rest of society because he had a Jewish, white mother. When he went out with his mother, she was called a “nigger lover”. James did not understand what that meant when he was younger. He could never comprehend the color of his mother’s skin because she never admitted she was white until later in life. It was hard for James to figure out who he really was as a child. James went to a school with all white kids. The time period he lived in made it very hard to fit in as a black kid in a white school. African Americans were still being heavily discriminated against during the time period he lived in. As a child, James never understood why people hated his mother. Ruth would never give James an answer to most of his questions. James watched his mother get verbally abused by various people throughout his life. James never knew his father. His father died shortly after he was born. This made everything so much more confusing to James because his mother was white and he was black. He might have understood it a little better if he had seen and known his father. Most of James’ older siblings expressed themselves as only being black not white. They were actively involved in the Civil Rights movement and Black Power movement. They disregarded the fact that they had a Jewish, white mother. His siblings made it like it not exist. James’ sibling were embarrassed to have a white mother. Their skin was black and they had black friends. It
James McBride was constantly looked down upon from the rest of society because he had a Jewish, white mother. When he went out with his mother, she was called a “nigger lover”. James did not understand what that meant when he was younger. He could never comprehend the color of his mother’s skin because she never admitted she was white until later in life. It was hard for James to figure out who he really was as a child. James went to a school with all white kids. The time period he lived in made it very hard to fit in as a black kid in a white school. African Americans were still being heavily discriminated against during the time period he lived in. As a child, James never understood why people hated his mother. Ruth would never give James an answer to most of his questions. James watched his mother get verbally abused by various people throughout his life. James never knew his father. His father died shortly after he was born. This made everything so much more confusing to James because his mother was white and he was black. He might have understood it a little better if he had seen and known his father. Most of James’ older siblings expressed themselves as only being black not white. They were actively involved in the Civil Rights movement and Black Power movement. They disregarded the fact that they had a Jewish, white mother. His siblings made it like it not exist. James’ sibling were embarrassed to have a white mother. Their skin was black and they had black friends. It