From Rachel Shilsky to Ruth McBride Jordan Ruth McBride Jordan was displayed as an outstanding and incredibly strong woman in The Color of Water by James McBride, her son. He explained how her hardships transformed her from an obedient Polish Jewish girl to a significantly influential Christian woman. Someone that helped her in this alteration was her mother Hudis Shilsky. The devastating deaths of her two black husbands also powerfully impacted her. In the end, however, it is acknowledged that Christianity is what changed her the most. One day when Ruth (or Rachel Shilsky as that was her past name) was working she received a phone call from her boyfriend at the time saying her Mameh had passed away. Ruth suddenly felt an anchor of severe
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Her first husband, Andrew Dennis McBride helped Ruth deal with her mother’s death after he informed her about it. “It took a long time to get over it, but Dennis stuck it out with me, and after a while I began to listen to what he said about God forgiving you” (Ruth 217). Dennis was a proud Christian and he knew Ruth’s past as a Jewish girl had never helped her during dark times before, so he used Christianity as a way to make her realize that God forgives her. Dennis told Ruth “He’ll forgive the most dreaded sin” (Ruth 203). After a while, Ruth began to listen to him and God. Dennis not only helped her find forgiveness for herself, but he also helped her assemble a new life for herself. They started a family in their small apartment and before they knew it, they had seven wonderful kids and were expecting an eighth. He taught his kids good morals and preached on how much school and religion were important. However, Dennis couldn’t stick around for as long as he hoped and died due to cancer. Up to a certain amount of time, Ruth was a single mother, and then she wasn’t. She found a man. He restored her faith in her perception of love. Sure enough, that was Hunter Jordan who added four more kids to the bunch and reinforced the same principles as Dennis. Unfortunately, Hunter Jordan also passed away when he had a stroke. Nonetheless, both men used their potency to help penitential …show more content…
For example, after Ruth’s mother passed away, Ruth had lost all hope and was completely broken. Before her recognition of Christianity, Ruth did not have much faith. Her past religion never made her feel the way Christianity did. She would constantly feel guilty of anything she did that was against her religion. She was a bird trapped in a cage. Christianity was what freed her. Her discovery of Christianity glued her back together one piece at a time. After believing Dennis about God forgiving her, a piece of her was glued back. This new religion decreased the guilt of her past by making her realize that God will forgive her for her sins no matter what. When Dennis died, and she still continued to go to church, another piece was glued back. This was her first leap of faith to embrace her journey on Christianity. When Hunter died, and she still continued to visit church, another piece was glued back, because she knew that she wasn’t alone. She had God. Sure, many events depressed her so much that it would hurt her just to wake up in her life, but each visit to the church would slowly complete her. “’Why do you cry in church?’ I [James] asked her one afternoon after service. ‘Because God makes me happy’” (James 50). Church would make her feel whole because that is exactly what Dennis and Hunter preached about, so the preaching not only helped the kids, it also helped her.
Her first husband, Andrew Dennis McBride helped Ruth deal with her mother’s death after he informed her about it. “It took a long time to get over it, but Dennis stuck it out with me, and after a while I began to listen to what he said about God forgiving you” (Ruth 217). Dennis was a proud Christian and he knew Ruth’s past as a Jewish girl had never helped her during dark times before, so he used Christianity as a way to make her realize that God forgives her. Dennis told Ruth “He’ll forgive the most dreaded sin” (Ruth 203). After a while, Ruth began to listen to him and God. Dennis not only helped her find forgiveness for herself, but he also helped her assemble a new life for herself. They started a family in their small apartment and before they knew it, they had seven wonderful kids and were expecting an eighth. He taught his kids good morals and preached on how much school and religion were important. However, Dennis couldn’t stick around for as long as he hoped and died due to cancer. Up to a certain amount of time, Ruth was a single mother, and then she wasn’t. She found a man. He restored her faith in her perception of love. Sure enough, that was Hunter Jordan who added four more kids to the bunch and reinforced the same principles as Dennis. Unfortunately, Hunter Jordan also passed away when he had a stroke. Nonetheless, both men used their potency to help penitential …show more content…
For example, after Ruth’s mother passed away, Ruth had lost all hope and was completely broken. Before her recognition of Christianity, Ruth did not have much faith. Her past religion never made her feel the way Christianity did. She would constantly feel guilty of anything she did that was against her religion. She was a bird trapped in a cage. Christianity was what freed her. Her discovery of Christianity glued her back together one piece at a time. After believing Dennis about God forgiving her, a piece of her was glued back. This new religion decreased the guilt of her past by making her realize that God will forgive her for her sins no matter what. When Dennis died, and she still continued to go to church, another piece was glued back. This was her first leap of faith to embrace her journey on Christianity. When Hunter died, and she still continued to visit church, another piece was glued back, because she knew that she wasn’t alone. She had God. Sure, many events depressed her so much that it would hurt her just to wake up in her life, but each visit to the church would slowly complete her. “’Why do you cry in church?’ I [James] asked her one afternoon after service. ‘Because God makes me happy’” (James 50). Church would make her feel whole because that is exactly what Dennis and Hunter preached about, so the preaching not only helped the kids, it also helped her.