The Color of Water
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The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother is the autobiography of James McBride; it is also a memoir for his mother. The chapters alternate between James McBride's descriptions of his early life, and first-person accounts of his mother's life, mostly before James McBride was born. The novel depicts the conflicting emotions that James endures as he struggles to discover who he truly is, as his mother narrates the hardships that she had to overcome to educate her children. The novel also depicts the emotional struggle James has with uncovering his true identity only through discovering his mother's past.
Ruth had a very depressed childhood in Suffolk, Virginia. Her father owned Shilsky's Grocery Store. He made her and her brother Sam work hard before and after school. They did their homework at the store when there were no customers at the counter. Ruth's father sexually abused her as a child. He did not let her be friends with Gentiles. Ruth had a secret friend, Frances. They hung out at school and their homes secretly. Ruth had a black boyfriend named Peter. Segregation was in action in 1930s, 40s, and 50s so they had to meet secretly. Ruth got pregnant with Peter; soon her mom discovered it and sent her to live with her aunt in New York.
Her Aunt Betsy helped Ruth get an abortion; Aunt Mary was mean but she gave Ruth a job in her leather factory where Ruth met a black man Andrew Dennis McBride. They fell in love, married, and had eight children. Andrew McBride died of lung cancer. James McBride is the son of Andrew McBride. Later, Ruth remarried another black man, Hunter Jordan, and had four more children. James McBride grew up in a family of 12 siblings, a black stepfather, and a mother whose past was a mystery until he went out and discovered it for himself.
James decided to look into his mother's past in order to have an easy emotional transition into his future. He had always been confused about his racial identity, which led to outrageous behavior. He ended up failing out of school, reverting to the streets, and doing all kinds of unruly things. His supportive family put him in check, and he was able to find music and activities that reformed his life and distracted him from his confusion and his mom's weeping.
Contents |
[edit] Characters
[edit] Ruth's side of the family
- James: the narrator, her son
- Ruchel Dwajra Zylska aka Rachel Deborah Shilsky aka Ruth McBride-Jordan: mother of 12 children and the second narrator
- Fishel Shilsky aka Tateh: the father of Ruth
- Hudis aka Mameh: the mother of Ruth
- Laurie, Laura, Dotty, Bernadette, Mary, Rhonda, Betsy, Candis: aunts
- Schiffman, Hal, Dave, Isaac, Stein: uncles
- Gladys "Dee-Dee": her sister
- Sam: Ruth's brother
- Zaydeh and Bubeh: Ruth's grandparents
- Etta: Dennis' mother
- The McNairs: godparents
- The Floods and the Taylors: close friends of Dennis and Ruth
[edit] James' side of the family
- Andrew 'Dennis' McBride:the biological father of James, the first husband, father and a pastor. Died of lung cancer.
- Hunter Jordan: stepfather, the second husband, died after having a stroke
- Judy, Henry, Hunter, Dorothy, Kathy, Richie, David, Billy, Dennis, Helen, and Rosetta: James' 11 siblings (Jacqueline: Andrew's daughter from a previous marriage)
- Nash and Etta: his grandparents
- Henry, Walter,and Garland: uncles
- Clemy: cousin from down south
- Z and Maya: his nieces
- Becky: sister-in-law
- Karen aka Karone, Leander Bien, and Laurie Wesman: ex-girlfriends
- Stephanie: current wife
- Linwood Bob Hinson: cousin from North Carolina
- Paul, Azure, and Jordan: James' children
[edit] Other people
- Frances Moody: Ruth's very close childhood friend; only schoolmate who befriended Ruth; a gentile.
- Peter: her first boyfriend
- Billy Smith: best friend
- Big Richard
- Mrs. Ingram: Ruth's best friend
- Israel Levy: old Jewish friend of Ruth's who allowed her father (rabbi) a permanent place.
- Rocky: the manager of the Barber Shop
- C. Lawler Rogers and Hal Schiff: music teachers
- David H. and Ann Fox Dawson: donators, helped James go to Europe concerning his aspiration for being a musician.
[edit] Symbols
Black Power He spoke of the civil rights movement which foreshadowed his decision to lean towards the African-American side of his bi-racial identity.
Ruth's bicycle this symbolized her constant need for movement in order to deal with her stress and depression
Ruth's mother's song: Love of Birds when her mother sang that song "birdie, birdie, fly away" she was referring to Ruth as the bird able to move so swiftly and easily while she referred to herself as the handicapped bird who deserved to be sacrificed and killed. This foreshadowed her death.
[edit] Themes
Past vs. Present; self-motivation; and the burden of secrets
