“The Colors of Water”, written by James Mcbride, was published in 1996 by Riverheads Books. Even before McBride created the Color of Water, which was considered his most popular piece, he wrote many other realistic novels concerning realism such as “The Good Lord Bird”, which shares a common theme with the Color of Water having to do with racial tension and personal identity. The Color of Water was recognized for its alternation between two periods in time. The settings takes place in New York, and James tells the story of Ruth’s life which begins in the 1920’s, being considered as the “roaring twenties” in the South. He later puts great emphasis on the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s which was during the Civil Rights Era. During the roaring twenties, racial tension is at its …show more content…
The author’s main purpose throughout the novel is to tell the story of his mother Ruth, who was born Jewish and married an African American man in New York, and to relate the courage it required for her to have an interracial marriage and children which such racial tension going around. With the novel transitioning to the first person, being James, and the third person, being his mother Ruth, James major conflict is the struggle to come to terms with his racial identity and background.
Protagonists:
James McBride: Being our main character as well as our narrator of this piece, James describes precise moments having to do with his own personal life in order to bring highlight to his mother Ruth’s life as well. Like his father, McBride has talents for being a writer, journalist, jazz musician, and composer. Similar to his