“Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color” (Unknown). Majority of the people in today’s society tend to think that there is a dominant race compared to other races. Searching for a place to ‘belong to’ is a lifelong quest for people in color. Racism has been one of the biggest problems mixed race children face in the society. James McBride is a good example of a black man that was prohibited by his white mother almost his entire life to be exposed to the reality of the world. Ruth McBride prevented him in associating himself with the outside world. She tried to ‘protect’ his morality and innocence by secluding him from people that are going to affect his views of the world. In the memoir, The Color of Water by James McBride,
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James went through multiple obstacles in life to tackle the missing identity he was longing to have. His father, Andrew McBride, was able to help open his eyes to see the importance of his life when he read from his notebook, “Sometimes without conscious realization, our thoughts… faith… interests are entered into the past. We talk about other times, other places, other persons, and lose our living hold on the present. Sometimes we think if we could just go back in time we would be happy. But anyone who attempts to reenter the past is sure to be disappointed” (250). Even though James never met his biological father, he felt a connection with him that led to his realization that he also has a connection with his white mother. The battle between whether he is black or white is coming to an end because he is overcoming the racial differences he’s been fighting throughout his life. He is seeing the sacrifices his mother had to go through, and he is starting to understand that Ruth is going through similar hardships as him. James’ sister, Jack, also helped James foresee the life that Ruth wants him to attain when she told him, “[He had] to choose between what the world expects of [him] and what [he] want for [himself.]” She also tells him to “...put [himself] in God’s hands and [he] can’t go wrong” (161). Ruth wants …show more content…
After learning about Ruth’s upbringing, he finally found what he has been yearning for. James no longer views his mother as a mystery after “it took him many years to find out who she was…” as he realizes, “[He] never knew who she was, partly because [he] never knew who [he] was” (261). In the end, James accepts that blackness is his source of power even though it caused him confusion for a long period of time. Ruth made James see that race does not matter in life. The only thing that matters is that he is a human being and all human beings are the same no matter what skin tone or race they are. This is significant because Ruth was able to set a good example to James, and she showed him a good way to live life. James McBride’s journey allowed him to fill in the missing puzzle piece in his life when he notices that “they seemed free in ways [he] could not be” (261). James’ curiosity had gone unanswered until he visualized the differences between black and white. His solution to clear the color boundary in the society is to not associate himself with the skin color that will not benefit him. He is at the final stage of his life where he must choose between his identity or dignity. He needs to learn to adapt and proceed through life despite the never ending
James went through multiple obstacles in life to tackle the missing identity he was longing to have. His father, Andrew McBride, was able to help open his eyes to see the importance of his life when he read from his notebook, “Sometimes without conscious realization, our thoughts… faith… interests are entered into the past. We talk about other times, other places, other persons, and lose our living hold on the present. Sometimes we think if we could just go back in time we would be happy. But anyone who attempts to reenter the past is sure to be disappointed” (250). Even though James never met his biological father, he felt a connection with him that led to his realization that he also has a connection with his white mother. The battle between whether he is black or white is coming to an end because he is overcoming the racial differences he’s been fighting throughout his life. He is seeing the sacrifices his mother had to go through, and he is starting to understand that Ruth is going through similar hardships as him. James’ sister, Jack, also helped James foresee the life that Ruth wants him to attain when she told him, “[He had] to choose between what the world expects of [him] and what [he] want for [himself.]” She also tells him to “...put [himself] in God’s hands and [he] can’t go wrong” (161). Ruth wants …show more content…
After learning about Ruth’s upbringing, he finally found what he has been yearning for. James no longer views his mother as a mystery after “it took him many years to find out who she was…” as he realizes, “[He] never knew who she was, partly because [he] never knew who [he] was” (261). In the end, James accepts that blackness is his source of power even though it caused him confusion for a long period of time. Ruth made James see that race does not matter in life. The only thing that matters is that he is a human being and all human beings are the same no matter what skin tone or race they are. This is significant because Ruth was able to set a good example to James, and she showed him a good way to live life. James McBride’s journey allowed him to fill in the missing puzzle piece in his life when he notices that “they seemed free in ways [he] could not be” (261). James’ curiosity had gone unanswered until he visualized the differences between black and white. His solution to clear the color boundary in the society is to not associate himself with the skin color that will not benefit him. He is at the final stage of his life where he must choose between his identity or dignity. He needs to learn to adapt and proceed through life despite the never ending