“The Color of Water” by James McBride, is a memoir about a black man learning about his white mother’s past and discovering who he really is along the way. He learns about his mother’s struggles growing up Jewish and the challenges she had to overcome. Throughout the memoir, the point of view changes in every chapter. This is done to give the reader a more in depth perspective of James's mother, Ruth. It allows the reader to see the decisions she had made and how they affected her life. While each chapter is about a different character, both character’s story lines related to each other. They are connected through race, lessons learned, and religion. Mentioned many times during the piece, James is an African American boy with a white Jewish
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All through Ruth’s life religion has made a substantial impact on her life. From being born Jewish, to later converting to Christianity, she never lost hope. Once when the McBride family was at church she began to cry. When James asks why she simply answers “Because God makes me happy.” A significant moment in the memoir is when Ruth describes her High School graduation. The pre-graduation ceremony was held in a Protestant church, and her best friend Frances asked her to come to graduation so they could graduate together. Reluctantly, Ruth goes but once she gets to the steps of the church, she begins to panic. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go inside that church. In my heart I was still a Jew.” This shows her struggle with religion. With James, religion was something he grew up with. HIs mother raised him to believe and God, and that God loved everyone. James’s father Andrew became a Reverend and opened a church before he died. The McBride family visited the Church, to honor Rev. McBride, and James learned about his father. In the Epilogue, James invites his mother to attend his Jewish friend’s wedding. They both go and together share the bond of
All through Ruth’s life religion has made a substantial impact on her life. From being born Jewish, to later converting to Christianity, she never lost hope. Once when the McBride family was at church she began to cry. When James asks why she simply answers “Because God makes me happy.” A significant moment in the memoir is when Ruth describes her High School graduation. The pre-graduation ceremony was held in a Protestant church, and her best friend Frances asked her to come to graduation so they could graduate together. Reluctantly, Ruth goes but once she gets to the steps of the church, she begins to panic. “I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go inside that church. In my heart I was still a Jew.” This shows her struggle with religion. With James, religion was something he grew up with. HIs mother raised him to believe and God, and that God loved everyone. James’s father Andrew became a Reverend and opened a church before he died. The McBride family visited the Church, to honor Rev. McBride, and James learned about his father. In the Epilogue, James invites his mother to attend his Jewish friend’s wedding. They both go and together share the bond of