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Identity In Mcbride's Color Of Water

189 Words1 Pages
In Color of Water many of the characters, especially Ruth, try to fulfill the American dream or the liberty to attain individuality. Ruth Shilsky wants to break away from her family’s ties to the Jewish culture and money. Thus, her search for identity began and through this she discovered Jesus. From Jesus Ruth - now Ruth McBride-Jordan - discovered her identity; one that revolved around education and God. As said by James McBride, “I asked her (Ruth) if I was black or white. She replied You are a human being. Educate yourself or you'll be a nobody!” Ruth had achieved her American Dream and she wanted her children to accomplish that feat too. Although both novels stand as effective portrayers of the theme of identity, James’s intricately woven
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In the story The color of Water, by James McBride, James learns a lot from a new person. In chapter 22, James meets a character named Aubrey Rubenstein. They talk for a while. Rubenstein gives James a lot of knowledge that he will learn from. To begin with, James first meets Aubrey Rubenstein on a synagogue’s steps.

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Ruth tells James about her past although she avoided and ran away from it for many years. She passed on her actions and reactions to her children, especially James, as she formed a family. James learning about his mother's past made him realize that he resembles Ruth in many ways. They both grieved on their own, but how they grieved was similar. Whether it was drugs or a bike ride, they both had their own way to run.

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In the book the Color of Water, Hunter Jordan, James ' stepfather, died of a sudden stroke when he was younger. His mother first married a man named Andrew McBride, that was James’ biological dad, but was only alive to see the moment where his mother, Ruth, re-married to Hunter. When he had died each one of them had a different way of grieving. Ruth rode a blue bicycle Hunter had brought in before he died. For example, James explains how his mother rides the bike around everyday and “... what the world thought of her, a nonchalance in the face of what i perceived to be imminent danger from the blacks and whites who disliked her for being a white person in a black world.”

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This exposure to oppression shaped her to be the person she is today. As her “Incidents” show, she was not afraid to use her past as a stepping stone for future success. Truth and Jacobs’ sacrifices demonstrate the evolution one might call rags to riches. In this case, however, the riches displays a sense of impact that both women achieve. They fought until their dying breaths and their legacy still holds strong

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She grows old with the self-condemnation of staying with Nathan for as long as she did, for if she mustered up the courage to leave the Congo earlier, Ruth May would not have died. Ruth May’s plea for Orleanna to forgive herself, just as Ruth May has forgiven her, presents the possibility of repentance for anyone, no matter how great of consequence their mistakes are. Though she never passed the age of 6, Ruth May seems to have learned better than most the importance of finding strength from and learning from wrong-doings. Urging her mother to “Move on. Walk forward into the light”, Ruth may passes along her own moral reassessment to anyone whom will listen, telling the error in letting so-called sins weigh down ones self forever

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Throughout the book, The Color of Water, the author- James McBride depicts how females in mid-1900’s were experienced “otherness” in the society. As Dr. Zuleyka Zevallas states in “What is Otherness?” that, “otherness...is controlled by groups that have greater political power. He also says, otherness is the construction of social identities which are “often thought as being natural or inhale…” In other words, the society is controlled by a group or groups of people who have greater political power.

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The latter is described as being pretty and lively whereas Mrs. Wright lives the life of an outcast, keeping to herself. The loneliness in the two women’s lives adds a dark atmosphere to the respective stories as well as an undeniable gloom. In conclusion, Ruth Warren and Mrs. Wright share many life experiences and struggles, but what makes them different is the way in which those struggles shape them. While Ruth Warren retains her cheerful attitude despite her gloomy situation, Mrs. Wright becomes a shell of her former self, yielding her happiness completely to her

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The Color of Water revolves around James McBride’s mother, who has two identities: One is Rachel, the frightened Jewish girl who flees her painful past to reinvent herself in New York City’s black community. Rachel’s way of raising her children turns out to be a reflection of her otherwise repudiated Jewish cultural background. This side of McBride’s mother establishes her home as a place of learning and moral instruction and, despite the domestic chaos of her household, maintains strict rules and high expectations for her children both intellectually and ethically. Her other identity is Ruth, a jubilant Baptist and an eccentric but loving mother, who allows her twelve children to assume she is a light-skinned black woman. A strong and spirited matriarch, the Ruth her children know is sustained through many crises by both her personal resourcefulness and her deep religious faith.

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‘God is the color of water. Water doesn’t have a color’”(McBride 51). Ruth is a very wise person. In this excerpt, she teaches her son that skin color doesn’t matter by telling him that God doesn’t have a skin color. Because James is bi-racial, during his childhood he was confused about where he belonged.

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“The Color of Water” by James McBride, elucidates his pursuit for his identity and self-questioning that derives from his biracial family. McBride’s white mother Ruth as a Jewish seek to find love outside of her house because of her disparaging childhood. The love and warmth that she always longed from her family, was finally founded in the African American community, where she made her large family of twelve kids with the two men who she married. James was able to define his identity through the truth of his mother’s suffer and sacrifices that she left behind in order to create a better life for her children and herself. As a boy, James was always in a dubiety of his unique family and the confusion of his color which was differ than

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At the age of six, her mother died and she was forced to live with Margaret Horniblow, the mother’s owner. The mistress took a good care of Jacobs and taught her how to read, write and sew. Her father was always telling her to feel free and do not feel someones property. While her grandmother was always teaching Jacobs respect and manners. She was always telling her about principles and ethnics.

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1368 Words | 6 Pages

In the narrative, Oates recalls her high school years in which she reconnects with Ruth Weidel, who gave teachers the implication that “something had happened” and how they “treated her guardedly” (Oates 561). This ties into the theme of the individual versus society. When she lived with her family, Ruth and the rest of her family were treated as outcasts and were talked about behind their backs. Now in high school, she remained alone until Oates worked up the nerve to befriend. Something had caused her to mature quickly and in the midst of that growth, Ruth created a barrier to protect herself from anymore pain.

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898 Words | 4 Pages

Yet, at home, she devotes love and curiosity to her family. This contrasts to multiple other characters, as the relationship between Ruth and her single mother is inspiring. Accordingly, she respects her mother, who provides encouragements like, “It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness.” With pure gratitude, Ruth seeks to apply her mother’s words. When bullies trouble Philip, Ruth can empathise with him.

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Identity is something people tend to think of as consistent, however that is far from the case. The Oxford English dictionary states that the definition of identity is “ The characteristics determining who or what a person or thing is.” The allegorical novel Lord of the Flies by William Golding tackles the issue of identity while following young boys from the ages twelve and down as they struggle with remembering their identities when trapped on a deserted island. Identity is affected by the influence of society and how individuals influence society based on their identities. By looking at Lord of the Flies by William Golding, the Stanford Prison Experiment, and Sigmund Freud 's philosophical ideas, it becomes clear that identity is affected by society through peer pressure and social normalities.

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In this literary work, Mrs. Johnson is a prime example of a Christian hypocrite. She blesses the Younger family in their new home, but the author states that she does not really mean it, she is just there for gossip. Every member of the family is sanguine, Mama will spend the insurance money on something which will benefit them. They each want to live the American Dream in their own way. Walter Lee wants to invest in a liquor store and Ruth wants a house.

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