In what ways have Ruth and James changed over the course of the book? What change is most significant for each of them and why?
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Hi Its Oni In this book I think that James and Rachel/Ruth have changed tremendously. I think that these two main characters are so important and this book really takes you through all the steps of them changing and them growing as a character and as people. Ruth at the beginning of the book is very confined at this certain childhood and her parents keep her in isolation and they keep her from the world that she will soon know about. Where as with James at the beginning of the book you see how he really depends on his family unlike Ruth who saw the opportunity to get away from her crazy childhood and left. James was with his whole family except his father all the way through college. Then by the middle of the book you see Ruth opening up and seeing the world as it really is instead of seeing it from the rabbi's eyes. But she finds that not all people will except a white woman in Harlem but you also realize that Ruth doesn’t care and just wants to be with her family.
In this book I think that the most significant change of Ruth is that you really see Ruth the way that she wants to live instead of how her family wants her to live and its great. Then you see James finally finding out about the story of his mothers childhood and how they are really the same in so many ways but that it is great.
Ruth's most significant change is that she became more open about her past. In the beginning of the book she was very closed off to the world knowing about her life. She lived with many secrets and emotions that were locked inside of her and guarded with fierce passion. Her actions were always left unexplained. Asking questions was taboo to the children and that was merely how things were. When Ruth talked about herself she was always refined and gave information only on how things were for her a a kid. However, later in the book she talks about the emotions behind her behavior and how she reacted to her environment throughout her life. She also begins to be more open with the people that populate her world. She is finally emerging from her mental turtle shell. By the very end of the book, Ruth is even able to enter a Synogogue without any trouble at all. This is a large change considering how much of an impact her religion has always played on her life.
James most significant change is that he has come to a completely new understanding of his mother. In the beginning of the story he was content to have no reason as to why his mother did the things she did. She said no asking and James wrote her ways off as eccentric and completely out of the blue. However, Ruth was his mother and therefor her word was law. As James gets older he is no longer contented with being left in the dark. When he begins writing his book he learns so much about his mother. He gains a lot of respect for the obstacles Ruth had to overcome. Before that he knew his mother was a strong person but didn’t quite know the extent of all that she had endured in her life. In addition, James also is able to understand how he himself fits into the bigger picture of his family. In the end of the book he understands how his mother is the sturdy trunk of his forever growing family tree.
Ruth has changed by finally being able to accept herself. James has changed by finding out who he is. In the beggining of the book, James and Ruth had no idea who they were. As they went through their lives they slowly found out who they were. James use to think he was a bad boy who drank, did drugs, and stole. He later found out he was not. Ruth thought that she was Jewish, but then later on converted to Christianity because of her husband Dennis. Ruth had no idea who she was so she moved to New York City to find herself. They both have gone through a long journey and they have found who they are. As James grew up he started to question himself, just like his mother, Ruth. Later on in the book they found who they were.
Hi, its Stef. I think that Ruth and James have not changed, but merely found themselves, and found what they needed to be happy. For example, in the beginning of the book, Ruth talks about how sad her life was, and how she was not happy. But at the end of the book, she talks about how Dennis showed her Christ and true happiness, and shows that she found what she was looking for, and what she was looking for was love, religion, and true happiness. In the beginning of the book from James perspective, he talks about how confused he was, and how he question his mothers race, and his own race as well. At the end of the book, though, he writes about how he found himself and what he wanted to be. He talked about how he found himself, and answered his question of race.
One way Ruth has changed through out the book is how she has converted from a Jew to a Catholic. Another way she has changed is that she has learned to let go of her past when it seems that it will be in her mind when she dies.
She has also changed her whole life because it was as if she died as a child and was reborn as a teenager because she died inside when she stopped following Judaism.
I think that for Ruth, her most significant change is how she changed from a a believer in the Jewish god to a believer in Jesus because that was life changing and a persons religion is a big part of them.
James has changed through out the book by finaly learning who he really is. He has also changed from the bad boy drug addict who hangs out on the corner to a smart man who is a reporter. He has also changed by somewhat becoming Jewish because he finally understood ruth and while look around Suffolk, he went to a Synagog and met Ruth's old Jew friends.
I think that James' most significant change was when he learnt about Ruth and started to become a Jew because like Ruth, religion is a big part of a person and it is also important because it is just like Ruth did. Another significant change was how James became educated and became a reporter when he had a bad start in life.
Throughout this book, we hear Ruth and James' life stories, both which intertwine. Within these, we recognize that their two situations are very similar, and both overcome similar changes. At the beginning of this book, James and Ruth are uncomfortable with their pasts, and tend to "run" from it. Ruth begins as a person who likes to literally run, but also see's the metephorical meaning within it. Ruth run's because she loves the feeling and because she wants to escape from what is happening at home, and what has happened in the past. She eventually runs to New York, and to Harlem, where she lives a life that is the opposite of what she began with, married to an African American man.
James also "runs" in more ways than one. His life takes on many complications, as he experiences his mother's instability, and the stress within his family. When his stepfather dies, and as his mother begins to crumble, James turns to drugs, and escapes from the difficulties of his family.
Both James and Ruth edge away from this need to run by the final chapters of the book. Ruth has settled in Ewing, and James has become very successful, and changes job to job. However, Ruth pushes him to stay at one job. The two people although have not fully become willing to stay put, have become fond of the idea, and seek happiness in familiarity. On page 277, James describes his experiences at Christmas:
Every year, all twelve of us claim we're going to have Christmas at our own house and we're not going to travel a zillion miles with a zillion children to sleep with a zillion people on the floor of Ma's like we're little kids, because we're just tired, man, and we did this last year. But at age 74, the president, CEO, and commander in chief of this her army still has the power." Ruth and James are comfortable with their past, showing they are no longer fearful, and not "dead."
The book opens with Rachel’s strikingly true words: “I’m dead.” We are immediately introduced to a woman who is blunt and we see her reluctantly start to tell her tale as we start to sink into the story. From Suffolk to Red Hook to Delaware to Philladelphia, Rachel/Ruth changes so many ways. We, the readers, are first introduced to Rachel Shilsky, an obedient, lonesome Jewish girl. We know from the start that her family is unhappy and that they lack communication. As Rachel grows, we see her first question her family’s relationship when she awakens a vivid fear of death and feels she cannot tell anyone about it. Slowly, Rachel grows more and more aware of the tension in her household. She begins to be ashamed of her Jewish roots when she is teased and shunned at school, thus changing her Polish name to Ruth. When Ruth meets Peter she is shown a kindness she hardly seen before. For the first time, she is happy. But their relationship is dangerous and when it results in pregnancy, her joyvanishes, leaving dreadful terror. But she grows because of the terror, she becomes more careful. New York sets her free and she sees a glimpse of a different lifestyle. One she admires. She slaves away in her aunt’s factory. Along the way, she finds Dennis. Dennis treats her with such humor, kindness, thoughtfulness and eventually love and she is instantly falling for him. The happiest nine years of her life were spent with him. Dennis opened her eyes to wonderful things, happiness and love included. He cooked her delicious things that were shamelessly un-kosher, took her to the theater, fathered her children and introduced her to God and Jesus. A bond that would aid her strongly long after Dennis’ own heart expired. Ruth forgets her Jewish heritage and becomes a full out Christian. This period in her life is like a dream-world, she’s happy and satisfied.When she goes back to Suffolk to see her mother, Mameh is in serious condition and Tateh could not care less. However, Tateh tries to make Ruth stay to take care of Mameh, by threatening to disown her if she marries Dennis. Ruth, a full grown woman now, stands up to the man who has terrorized her for so long and refuses to stay. She’s no longer scared. After Dennis dies she is heartbroken, unsure of where the future will take her. Her faith in God helps her carry on. Then Hunter Jordan sweeps in and resumes the role of husband and father and Ruth has found love once again. When Ruth loses Hunter, she falls into depression and a little bit of insanity. She does recover and when she does she is still the solid rock of the family. She is the power and the ruler that holds her family in place. Ruth goes from a scared, small, quiet, obedient Jewish girl to a headstrong, rebellious, powerful, loving, outspoken woman. It’s hard to believe Rachel Shilsky and Ruth McBride Jordan are the same people, but the quiet courage is seen in both.
James starts out as a child who struggles with the fact that his mother looks nothing like him. As a child, he was always frightened for his white mother’s safety in a dominantly black neighborhood. His mother, Ruth, won’t tell him anything about her race or about her family and past. James often wonders about it. He is brought up to worship God and Jesus and to be close with his siblings. When Ruth goes through her depression, James’ suffers with a drug addiction. It is a very low point in his life. He robs, he becomes addicted to drugs. He gets mixed up with the folks on the corner, witnessing the death of one on the way. James slowly recovers from his addiction. He struggles with his own race and how he is perceived because of it. As he grows up, he longs to understand his mother. Now He finally does. He goes from a confused little boy to a grown man, sure of himself and in awe of his mother. He pulls himself u[p from the streets and tracks down his mother’s past, uncovering the mystery behind her and gain more and more admiration for her everyday. It is evident in his work that he loves her, no matter the color of her skin.
In the book The Color Of Water, change is significant throughout the book. At the start of the book Ruth was living in a loveless family. Everybody kept to themselves. Ruth's family was people she just lived with not people she wanted to live with. Even though Ruth try’s as hard as she can to forget her past and have nothing to do with it its inevitable. She can’t help the way she was raised. Throughout Ruth's life she kept some of the traits that her family raised her in. over the course of the book Ruth as a very private person. She did not share a single memory from the past with her kids. That was Ruth’s way of erasing her past forever. At the end of the book she learned how eager her kids were to meet her.
Even though her kids "knew" Ruth her whole life they never met Rachel. The McBride/Jordan children wanted to know who there mother was and what her life was like. Ruth kept all of her past locked up for years because she was afraid. She was afraid to find the emotional part of herself. She hated her childhood and thinking about it made her cry. Ruth discovered that the world was good. That talking about how you feel is connecting with people and it’s a bond that she shared with James that is unbreakable.
James's whole life has been one log marathon with no finish line. From when he was a child who was running to drugs and alcohal to when he was an adult running from his family to find who he was. James always thought there was so much in the world that any job he got he thought was not good enough. He thought there was so much in the world that he never stopped and just kept running to find what he was looking for.
I think once he discovered who his mother was, he realized how lucky he was to have her. He realizes how much he provided for him and his siblings and he realized to top and smells the roses. He wanted to finish the marathon and see were his next step was. James realized he could stop running and pace himself in life.
In the beginning of the book, Ruth's life was filled with sadness and the burden of being a limited Jewish girl living in the South. She had traveled many times, and most of the traveling she had done was to run away from her problems. Ruth had described her past life as Rachel with very little meaning, almost as if she were disgusted of her past. Ruth's life is filled with running rom her fears, and at the end of the book Ruth finally stops running. She has faced many difficulties, such as losing her crippled mother, her first husband and her second husband. She has been left alone many times and was always afraid to face her loneliness. She was also afraid of re-entering her past, and talking about the cause of her being in present time. In the end Ruth finally gains the courage to look back on her past, and to look back on who she was as a child. She also stops running from her problems, and on page 258 she learns to accept the young minister into her church, and to leave the hurt that has been knawing at her heart, and to live in the present. I think that this is the most significant change, because all of her life was filled with sorrow and looking back on the past, but at that moment she stops looking back and looks forward into the future, into a new beginning.
James had first been a boy who ahd only wanted his mother's love. As the story continues, he settles on this idea of his mother being "different" and keeping to herself more often than others do. He kept on focusing on how she would ride on her bicycle, and how she would isolate herself from the outside world. James had later dropped out of school and left the house once his step father (Ruth's second husband) had died, and his mother's depression drove him out. He to found comfort in running from his problems, but instead of literally running he found it in drugs. He had been careless with this life at that time, but he went back to his mother and helped the family. In the end James after James had been uncertain of who he was, he goes out to find out about his mothers past and to find out who he is. James had been going back and forth, being unsure of himself and not being able to know his future, because to know your future you have to know your past as well. James had gone from an uncertain and confused boy to a settled and successful author. Finding who he was and who his mother was had to be the most significant change for him, because he and his mother both finally became comforted with knowing who they were. James had also finally found his place in the world, after struggling through years of endless pain from his mother to him. James had gone out into the world and changed his and his mother's life with one travel back to the past.
Over the course of the book, Ruth struggled to open up to the world about her difficult past. She felt that all of the events that happened in her life contrasted her beliefs, so there was no need to explain about her childhood.
As we read through James' life, we notice that he becomes a more responsible human-being. With addiction to drugs and alcohol, James fights through the battle, and later succeeds in it.
Both of these examples of change also connect to the idea of growing up. In both characters, we see a significant change. All of James' life, he resented the fact that his mother put him in an all-white school because he felt like an outsider. As he grew older, he realized that his mother did this in order to help him in his future. Towards the end of the book, James feels grateful for his mother, which contrasts his attitude towards her in the beginning.
Ruth changes by being more open to her past. Towards the end, she shows how powerful she is, not her weak self. She becomes more of a mother, paying attention to all her children's needs.
Throughout "The Color of Water" James had come to understand more about his heritage, race, and mother. He had learned to accept more religious values of all kind and race values as well. Through his whole process of growing up in this book, he had also learned to appreciate his mom and family rather than be embarrassed by them. The most significant change for James was his acceptance for other races and cultures. This whole book is mainly based on the idea of race and culture. I think that seeing the process of James opening his mind to Judaism and truly understanding his race was a significant part of the book in general. It gave the reader new things to think about when it came to difference between races and culture and the separation.
Throughout the book Ruth had significantly changed in a lot of ways as well. She learned to live on her own, became happy and loved, learned to be strong and to overcome her past. I think that from all of these amazing changes, the most significant was that change of being able to overcome her past in a certain way and move on. The process of seeing her leave her home and her dark, hard, world and change in new york city and find a new religion and be happy again was a very important and inspiring part of the book. Seeing her leave her past, slowly push away her past, suffer from the process, and eventually overcome it and be able to talk about it was a significant and key change in the book.
There are many ways in which one can say that James and Ruth have changed. But perhaps the most significant is the idea of accepting who they are and who they want to become. In the last chapter of the book James is unsure of what career to choose and much like his constantly moving mother, he goes back and forth between musician and journalist. It is interesting because in this way they are more connected than the other children. While reading through the career list of the children I see a historian and I would have thought that they might have been more interested in a thing like this versus a kind of journalist. It one of the mystery as to why this happens because as James recalls in earlier chapters he and his mom didn't talk much other that the 10 minute walk to the bus in which every child at some point has gotten. But back to the question, I think this idea of realizing who they were is very important. As a rule Ruth told the entire household to never spill their business in an effort to shield her own. But in the last few chapters we see slowly as she comes out of her comfort zone. She tells her history and even goes into a synagogue, a place she was supposedly exiled from. This moment is really important because in the beginning chapters where she is denied the right to enter the church for her graduation, it is a reversal where now she has the choice and accepts in a way taking the risk she wishes she had. James really changes in that he goes from this lost for identity reported into this saved musician. He felt the big thing was that he wasn't expressing himself and by becoming a musician, the thing he really loved, he would find that expression. Overall change is an overarching theme in this book as setting, characters, and theme change, ultimately adding to the enjoyment of the book.
Ruth and James have undergone the similar process of isolating themselves from the outside world and abiding by the moral codes created by their parents. Both Ruth’s and James’ were filled with uncertainty as neither individual had developed a definite sense of who they were. Thus, they were strongly influenced by the world around them. However, the values of the greater world often conflicted with the moral values that were instilled in James and Ruth. Both James’ mother and Tateh did not take the time to explain to their children how they should perceive the world outside them. This only exacerbated James’s and Ruth’s identity confusion. In particular James was in a constant struggle between the ideals of both white and black ethnic groups as he was biracial. It is only when James and Ruth become more independent of others that they are able to grow emotionally by blocking out unfavorable experiences and influences in their lives. It is during this time James and Ruth are able to more quickly mature into the individuals who they are today.
Ruth started off as tight-lipped. She never wanted to discuss her past with anyone. She didn’t want to revisit those painful memories of her evil father with his abuse of everyone, her slavery to her religious traditions, and discrimination everywhere she went. She wrote half of the book, and her story ends where James’s begins. It seems like the entire point of this book was for James to learn about her. Through this book, she can finally give the answers that James was looking for. Because James didn’t know about his family, he was missing a part of himself as a person. Through tracing back his origins, he can learn new things about who he is. It is almost like Alex Haley’s Roots, in which the stories of his family allow him to find who he is, where he came from, and why he is here. The concept of this book is the same. The development is finding who they both are. Another change is that in the beginning, James was the child and Ruth, as the mother, had control of James’s life. By the end, Ruth needed someone to look after her, and James was that person. At this point, James had control of Ruth’s life. In the end, they swapped roles.
I think there has been a change for Ruth and James in each chapter of the book. Each chapter presents a new obstacle they overcome and learn from. I think they finally learn this about themselves in the final chapter. “I had to find out more about who I was, and in order to find out who I was, I had to find out who my mother was.” I think James in this chapter learns about his history and stops fighting. I think the biggest change in both Ruth and James is that they finally stop fighting, questioning, and ignoring their pasts and make peace with who they are.
James hears all about his mother’s past and understands finally all the hardships she had to go to. He stops quitting jobs in order to “find himself” and accepts that he is not one thing. He is not white or black. He is not Christian or Jewish. He is not a musician or a writer. He is a mix of everything. He is unique and unidentifiable. The biggest change for James is realizing and being happy with that truth and moving on.
For Ruth the biggest change is letting go of her past. By finally opening up and letting James interview her on every detail of her childhood she is able to proceed with her life. She sees Frances, she goes to a temple, and she has her whole family with her all the time. Ruth is finally content. She has closed all the open ends in her life, and now Ruth and the book have a happy ending.
In this book Ruth started our as a person who was always scared. She was abbused and other concerns that were always on her mind. She then grudually escaped from her horrible so called family and lived in other places like New York. Few people did things for her but they showed her what actual life was about. Dennis espeially showed Ruth about life and family. Ruth has discovered a public learning that she didn't get when she was younger.
James changed from a drop out to a commited muscisian. He was scared and didn't know where he bolonged. Then people told him and gave him good enough advice and explanation that he took it and excelled in it. He went to college after that.
I think what changed them both signifigantly was the people who drove them through toards the end of childhood. That is what made them who they are today.
Ruth McBride-Jordan and James McBride have changed much over the course of the book, many of the changes relating to each other. Ruth began as a small-town, Jewish girl and became a respected mother of 12 children. In the beginning, Ruth was fragile and isolated because of her religion. Her family life consisted of an abusive father and managing the family store. She found her love and support amongst the town's black people. In the time between escaping from Suffolk and meeting her first husband, she made desperate and uncertain choices for herself. When she meets Dennis, she begins to break out of the shell she been confined in all her life. Dennis introduces her to Christianity, family, and unconditional love. This helps to shape the mother James McBride loved and revered. She builds an armor of pride and fearlessness. This armor has been shown to crumble when Dennis and her second husband, Hunter Jordan die. The stableness of the armor depended on the two, most significant men in Ruth's life. But, in the chapters where James describes his mother's most recent efforts, Ruth appears to have learned to stand on her own without the support of a man. Of course, she still had her strange quirks such as moving all the time, giving the appearance of her running from something. What she is running from, I am not sure... (As for the most significant change, I guess I described it as her not completely depending on the men in her life for support?)
James McBride has also undergone many significant changes. In his youth, James worshipped his mother and described his image of her to the very last detail. In his teenage years, he began to detach himself from his mother and family, to get away from his mother's suffering. In his adulthood, he has matured, still somewhat spiteful of whites, but he's matured nonetheless. He even begins to recognize the racial double-standards and how the power structure of one of his occupations worked. The process of running begins once again and he quits many of his jobs. In his anger, James realizes he does not who he is himself. To find himself he determines he will need to know who is mother is. James McBride's most significant change is beginning to learn who he is, instead of running away from life.
I just thought the quote was interesting while I was reading...
I think this book talks mostly about how James’s mother is able to overcome this obstacle in her life, and that obstacle is being able to evolve from this fearful, insecure person into a confident, secure woman. For example, in the last chapter James starts to say how his mother has opened the door for him, but not herself. He also says that whenever she cracks open this door to her past, it burns her like the lava from a volcano. I think this book also focuses on how she is able to overcome that, and also, how some of her past however, is better left uncovered, that some of it might be just too gruesome to dig up. In time, James comes to accept that. However, I also think that some people never change, or that some people are incapable of changing, and I think that Ruth is one of those people. Even though the theme of the book is really about overcoming obstacles in your life, James never directly says that she did just that. Even in some of the very last pages of the book, it says that moving constantly is a part of Ruth’s regular lifestyle, and I believe that that is her version of running, since she cannot run away from death. It also says that even after all these years, Ruth still manages to have power in her large family, and I think this shows how she doesn’t really have anything ells in her life that she is proud of. Her family is her best (if not only) accomplishment, and it is one of the only things that makes her happy.
I think that James changes throughout the book are actually very similar to his mother’s. I think that towards the beginning of the book, James talks about how he is just living the life that his mother set up for him, and that he is kin of living in the darkness, not really knowing a whole lot about his family. Towards the middle of the book, I think that he starts to talk a little bit about trying to find out more about his background and more about himself, like Ruth was in that time of her life. (She did this by leaving Suffolk). Finally, towards the end of te book James ends by talking about how he has not yet totally figured out what he wants to do with his life, but he has a pretty clear idea about who he is as a person. He starts to talk about how he is more comfortable with staying on the (blacker side) of society. He feels that because he is black, life just seems more natural for him when around people of the same race. I think this book also talks about how both James and his mother went through and are still going through this stage of confusion. However, I also think that James and his mother’s changes throughout the story are both very different. I think that Ruth’s journey has been longer, and defiantly more painful than James has been so far, and I think she seems perfectly content with spending the rest of her life running from her past. It no longer seems like a choir to her, but more like an everyday life routine, whereas James has more of a persistent attitude. I feel that he will not stop until he has a clear idea of who he is and that is one of the reasons why Ruth and James’s journeys are so different, yet the same.
Over the course of the book, both Ruth and James have changed. Ruth and James' mindset's have both changed. Towards the end of the book, they begin to enter the world with positive mindsets.
In the beginning of Color of Water, Ruth is a stubborn lady who can't answer any questions about her past. She doesn't want to relive her past and she feels that completely ignoring it is the best way to get over it. As James is growing, he becomes more curious and wants to find out about his own race, values, etc. At some point in the book these two characters feel that running from who they are is the best answer.
James goes through a rough time and is heavily involved with alcohol and drugs during his teenage and early adult life. At this time he is not self-motivated and doesn't feel that he has a purpose. The way he escaped was through these substances. When Ruth and James run, they are running away from who they are.
Later, James has a wake up call when he sees his mother at her worst. He gets his act together and goes to college. Soon after, his life is uphill from then, but he still hasn't completely felt like he has found himself as a person. He balances jobs and lifestyles and soon comes to the conclusion that "in order to find out who I was, I had to find out who my mother was." Ruth realizes that she can express herself through these stories and that hiding her past completely was not going to help.
These two characters find themselves throughout the book and James realizes his true appreciation for his mother.
The very first chapter of the book is about Ruth and how her family immigrated. Hers was different from what James had as a child. "There were too many rules to follow, too many forbiddens and 'you can'ts' and 'you mustn'ts,' but does anybody say they love you? Not in my family we didn't. We didn't talk that way. We said things like, 'There's a box in there for nails,' or my father would say 'be quiet while I sleep.' " As a child Ruth was hidden and unloved. No one liked her at school because she was Jewish. Only one person didn't care. In James' time it didn't whether or not you were Jewish (maybe a little) but that was long gone for him. For him it was racism. The color of his skin. As a child James was first an innocent kid who was afraid of his mom getting hurt from someone's dad who was a black panther. Then he was on drugs and drinking for the longest time, failing school, he was out. While trying to stop and trying to find himself he became more interested in music. That was how he started. Then he wanted to write a book about his mother, and this is a long process and he becomes a writer. On and off, but he writes a book about his mother's past that he had no idea about and his past realizing child mistakes, even adult mistakes. The book starts with the mother saying how unloved her family was, how she was. There was no "I love yous" just orders. She told James he had the best family he could get. As Ruth grew up she realized what love was. When she was with Dennis she realized new opportunities. Even when she decided to remarry after Dennis died and told his parents they told her that it was great. SHe was their daughter now and that she deserved to get married. Ruth experience what it was liked to be loved and she became use to it. At the end of the book when her children are grown adults yelling wondering where to go, she's on the couch and says she's hungry. Now anyone can say they're hungry but as a child she was hungry she was told. Throughout Ruth's life she realizes that she has a voice. And throughout James' life he realizes who his mother was and added on some information about his life as well.
All through 'The Color of Water' James begins to understand more and more about his heritage, race, mother, and his whole family back ground in general. In the beginning of the book he is confused about the differences between blacks and whites because of the black power movement going on. However in the end of the book he realizes that "not all jews were like my grandfather" and he realizes that he is Jewish too even though he does not practice the religion. He also learns to appreciate his family in the end even though its very different from those of his friends and neighbors. James' understanding on race, religion and culture, are definitely his largest change.
In 'The Color of Water' Ruth changed a lot as well. Her biggest change was how she was able to over come her past, tell James about some of the difficult things that happened to her. By being allowing herself to open up to James, she was also allowing herself to move on and let go and realize that even though her childhood and young adulthood was difficult, now she had raised 12 wonderful and very successful children.
I think that the ways that Ruth and James changed in the book were very significant to ' The Color of Water' because Race, Identity, and Over coming your past were the three biggest symbols that I saw at the end of the book. Both of their ways of change were very interesting to read about, and I thought that the book as a whole was very inspiring.
Ruth and James have grown in similar ways. As we discuss constantly in class, they both went through a period of running. Ruth ran physically by riding her bike and James ran metaphysically by doing drugs and ignoring his responsibility as the eldest in the house. After this experience of running, they had both morphed into new people. James had turned over a new leaf, he had really made a commitment to college and although he kept quitting his jobs, James always got a new one. James talks about how he had no idea what he was doing being a journalist. He knew he wanted to be a musician, but even that never really did it. He needed to learn more about himself. Once again he was that confused little boy, never really knowing where he came from or who is is. James changed from a scared little boy wanting to know everything about who he is, to a druggie not wanting to know a thing except how much he had to steal t be able to afford what he needed, and back to that little boy, almost exactly the same as before except now he could actually do something about it.
In the beginning of the book, Ruth used to hide her past from her family and didn't want to speak about it at all. James mostly had to find out Ruth's past on his own. Also, a really big change that happened to Ruth was that she converted from being a Jewish girl to a Catholic one. It was a significant change in the Color Of Water book because that changed her life and the way she acted.
James had changed throughout the book by realizing who he is and who his mother is. When he was in high school, he was a drug addict and would do bad things with his friends. Later on, he changed himself and realized that he could be good and be successful. When he went to college, he became a reporter. This was a really important change in the book.
Ruth and James have both changed a lot over the course of the book.
Like Oni said, Ruth had many rules as a child and breaking those rules was something she was very happy about as she grew up. As she realized that she did not have to have rules suffocating her life, she broke out of her shell and became a more open person - slowly. She becomes by the end of the book a person who is comfortable with the fact that she was once Jewish, and now she's Christian. She becomes so comfortable with who she is she walks into a synagogue! This is a big step in what she considers to be the "dead" part of her life.
As for James, I agree with KJ when saying that he found himself over the course of his life as far as we can see. In the beginning, James talks about how he longed for the life of the boy he saw in the mirror. Now he sees himself as a guy who must have talent because he keeps getting jobs, but when he feels like he’s missing out on opportunities in life, he moves on. He realizes he's ok with who he is and that’s a big change from the beginning of the book where he was confused about who he was and who he should be.
In the end, both James and his mother find there spot in the world after being so confused about where it is.
In the "Color of Water" both characters struggle with their identities. I think that by the end of the book, both of the characters have grown. James has matured since the beginning of the book. In the start of the book James was confused about his place in the world, and his role. Ruth was confused about where she fit in and to which groups she belonged. Durning the book, both James and Ruth help each other find themselves.
With Ruth’s help James learns about his family’s past. James also realizes that his history does not define his future. With Ruth’s help James learns how to move on from the past and to embrace the future.
With James’ help Ruth learns to stop running from the past. Ruth realizes that the past does not define who you are. With James’ help Ruth learns how to embrace the past and learn from her mistakes.
At the end of the book both of the characters have been born again. They have learned to move on from the past, without ignoring history. Ruth and James have changed greatly since the beginning of the book
James and Ruth have changed a lot. I agree with Oni that James and Ruth have grown. When I finished this book, I gained a new perspective on the impact of James’ interviews with his mother. The interviews allowed James and his mother to move forward with their lives. Over the course of time and the many interviews Ruth has learned to cope with her haunting past and speak about it. Ruth ignores her past by not speaking of it. Yet by not speaking about her past, she acknowledges its existence. Her past becomes an invisible force that affects the rest of the family without their knowledge. James’s life has been inflicted silently by Ruth’s past. The interviews, a process in which James started to learn about his identity, also forced Ruth to overcome and diminish the power of her past. Ruth later acknowledges her past and acknowledges that it’s truly gone.
“What’s different is that she can face the past now. After years of saying, ‘Don’t tell my business,’ she reached a point where she now says, ‘It doesn’t matter. They’re all dead now, or in Florida,’ which in her mind is the same as being dead.” (270)
The interviews were at first a struggle in which Ruth would mention nothing. Ruth’s growth and struggle has destroyed the power of her past.
James within this book has grown to discover who he is. As James discovers and uncovers his mother’s past, he searches for the purpose within his life. Revisiting his mother, he sees leaving Suffolk as a choice that impacted her life. James feels he must make a choice that will impact his life. This choice is whether he would like to be a musician or a writer.
As he searches his identity in life and the book you see that he describes his race and identity as something unique.
“Like any family we have problems, but we have always been close. Through marriage, adoptions, love-ins, live-ins, and shack-ups, the original dozen has expanded into dozens and dozens more- wives, husbands, children, grandchildren, cousins, nieces, nephew- ranging from dark-skinned to light-skinned: from black kinky hair to blond hair and blue eyes. In running from her past, Mommy has created her own nation, a rainbow coalition.” (277)
James realizes through his search that, rather then being black or white, his family is its own separate unique race. Rather then just having one profession James realizes that he can be a writer and musician.
James and Ruth have changed so much as characters over the course of this book. Ruth has gone from being very protective and closed to the public. (especially with comments questioning her past) In the beginning of the book Ruth struggles with keeping her past hidden from her kids. She thinks it'll haunt them like how its haunted her. Since she didn't have a good childhood or the childhood she wanted, she wanted to make a good childhood for her kids, sending them to the best schools, making them very educated ect. As the book goes on, and James starts finding a way into his mother's past, Ruth starts to understand that he wants to find himself and identify himself since he's been having trouble since he was a little boy, so Ruth starts opening up.
James has grown from being a confused child to a confident man. When he was a young child he was having trouble identifying himself as a black or white boy. Having to accept the fact that he was both was confusing at a young age because there was still racism and segregation when he was a child. So to be both white and black seemed unreal and it almost didn't seem right. When James started growing up and started grasping with the concept of being both white and black he started to believe he could have the best of both worlds.
Ruth and James changed a lot over the course of the book. For Ruth, it was her stability. For James it was his realization of the core principles in his life.
Ruth went through a childhood of confinement and a teens of struggle. Since she was small, her father abused her and treated her like a laborer in his shop. She was bullied by others because she was Jewish. no one wanted to care about her or show her friendship or kindness. Only blacks showed her this. She rebelled against society to acquire what she needed most-love and kindness. She lost her family and status in the world. She went to New York, and clung on to the hope and happiness blacks and Jesus gave her. Many events stabbed Ruth's heart, pulling her into the air like a puppet then releasing, making her crumble into a heap. Her mom and two husbands, best of all the people in her life and the most loving died tragically. She always jumped from a foot sized stepping stone a hundred feet in the air to another, and only through many staggers did she reach "heaven". After her 12 children succeeded in the world outside, was she finally allowed to "rest in peace" and walk about without a 100-ton burden on her weak shoulders.
James went through a world of racism, activism and confusion. His house operated like a constant cleanup after a hurricane. He coped with the rather crazy lifestyle his mom had without understanding, and knowing nothing but that education was his life. At the end of the book, he understands the story of his mother, and the reason for his rather tumultuous life.
Over the course of the book, you start to notice that both Ruth and James have a very similar life. Ruth grows up in Suffolk and leaves to New york, whereas James grows up in New York and leaves to Delaware. Ruth becomes trapped in Suffolk and finds that she can not stand to live there anymore, which also happens to James. James feels that by leaving New York, he can leave his past behind, similar to how Ruth felt that she was dead to her family when she left Suffolk, although she also states that Dennis breathed new life into her once she got to New York. Both of them were also escaping their home life. James couldn’t handle living in a cramped home with a numerous amount of little kids to look after and put up with, and Ruth could’t bare her father and his dictatorship that he had set up. For both of the characters, if they hadn’t had the change of scenery, they would not of been able to of had liberated lives.
Both characters have changed dramatically over the course of the story. For starters, Ruth and James have changed literally and metaphorically.
Ruth starts out, not knowing who she is or where she fits in in the the world surrounding her. It takes her quite a long time to get adjusted to the skin that she is in, and to identify herself with a certain group. Not until she interacts with the African-American community does she feel like she has a place in the world. She even converts to Christianity, because her acquaintances have been persuasive in telling her that Jesus and God are very important in guiding her in life.
Ruth meets Dennis, and she falls in love, having a total of eight children with the man. She finally feels accepted, and has a family that she can turn to and even identify with. She is very happy about her readjustments. I think that all of the things that Ruth has experienced have made her grow into the strong-willed woman that she was.
James on the other hand, was going through certain things in life which prove to be difficult. At one point, he wan doing juvenile things that did not benefit his life, but after realizing the importance and preservation of life, he turned around so that he could accomplish certain things such as writing this book.
Ruth McBride The book greets the reader with: "I'm dead," written by Ruth (1).
This greeting portrayed how Ruth's feelings were at the beginning of her reflection on her life. She has changed from that person in many different ways. Before I can tell how she changed, I have to tell how she was to begin with.
Ruth's childhood was filled with torment and remorse. Her father did things that shouldn't be spoke of to her as a child. (Note: No one should o through that) Ruth was forced into early maturity. Her brother, Sam, leaving home unexpectedly, tore her mother apart. Her sister, Dee Dee/Gladys, and Ruth were pushed more to take Sam's place. Ruth's first boyfriend got Ruth pregnant and cheated on her with another woman. To add to the pressure, because Peter --her boyfriend-- was black, if anyone in her family found out, they would both be shot.
Ruth, after going to New York for an abortion while staying with Bubeh, she decided to run. Ruth kept on running and continuously got lost. She did this until she found Dennis. Andrew Dennis McBride opened Ruth's mind and changed her for the better, even changing religions. Although times became tough after Andrew died, she still lived on, teaching and raising her children. This change is significant because Ruth's change from a lonely runner changed into a crowded walker.
You can run down an open field without worrying about hitting someone, but, you will hit someone when walking in a crowd. Ruth had matured tremendously from the dead person introduced, into a very lively person.
James McBride James changed in many ways as well. At first, James was like any other child, curious. He wanted to know why he didn't look like his mother. He wanted to know why he needed an education.
When James was especially troubled. It is very important, because, he would not be able to write this tribute to his mother if he stayed that way. James had began to play hooky and avoided his mother. He began his form of running, in relation to his mother's form.
James had began to run away from the truth, as he had no place to go. Unlike his mother who had Bubeh, he had no one close other than his sister Jack. When James visited Jack the trip Chicken Man died, he was changed forever. He was snapped out of his phase as he realized the cruel, harsh reality of life, changing his future.
After this moment he began to readjust and eventually, got back to his education and went on to college and more importantly, to this book.
In the beginning Ruth did not tell James anything about her past. She told him not to question her about any of her life’s history. She surrounds herself with 12 children and two of her husbands have died. She would isolate herself and travel back to her past mentally. James seems to be the most interested in his mother. She is James own mother and the only thing he knows about her is that she’s white and accepts black people. He never really understood why she was white and he and the rest of his siblings were black. He wants to know more about the person who takes care of him. I think that James and his mother have a connection that is different from his other siblings. He was the last child Ruth had with Andrew McBride. He is always questioning her and is the most curious. I’m sure many of his siblings have asked her about her childhood but James never seems to give up. He just has to know everything.
Towards the end of the book there is part when then the whole family comes together for Christmas. Ruth doesn’t see her children all together very much anymore because they are all grown up. When they all come together they all have changed yet their personalities and their relationship with one another stays the same. When Ruth watches James go off to college she is very emotional. I think that she surrounds herself with that huge family because back during her childhood she didn’t have a lot of friends or a family that loved her and she loved back. When James asks her to go to a friends wedding she goes. It is a Jewish wedding at a synagogue. When she leaves she takes a look at it before going. I think that she was finally letting her past go and not drowned herself in it. She is also getting pretty old. In the book it says that you can’t avoid death but you can avoid what has been left behind you.
Since the beginning of the book Ruth and James have changed a lot. Throughout the whole book Ruth searches for a good life (which consists of love, happiness, and a family). In the beginning of the book, we learn about Ruth and her family. They have a horrible relationship and Ruth swears that we she's old enough, she'll leave and find a new family, one that's perfect. I think the most significant change in Ruth's life is when she leaves Suffolk. Ruth keeps searching for the perfect normal life, but in the end, she realizes that her chaotic family and life are the perfect fit for her. James' most significant change is when he realizes who he is; when he finds his identy. He kept on trying to figure out who his mom was and in turn who he was. When he starts to embrace both his cultures he starts doing better in life. When he sees that there's no reason for him to be embarrassed of his mother, he accepts himself more.
Ruth and James have many similar, as well as different Changes throughout the book. Both Ruth and James have learned more about themselves and family throughout the book, the knowledge of their life also brings wisdom, and the wisdom brought strength, and so on. Basically there was a chain of change going on in the book.
Ruth Changed herself, many times in the book. She grew and also grew wiser with the help of companionships in her life. Ruth started as an unwise little girl in the story, into a married woman, that had learned from her loving companions’ mistakes and wisdom. Ruth would not have earned her wisdom without her mother, father, sister, brother, grandmother, and husbands. Tateh and Mameh’s struggles as a couple taught Ruth what to avoid, and her family fully forgetting about her, and hating her taught her what not to do. Dennis helped Ruth learn what was right, and taught her to trust god, and god would trust her.
James also grew a lot in the story as well. James grew from a confused little boy, into am immature teenager, then into a successful adult. In the beginning of the book James explained him childhood, being raised by his godfather, then went to being a teenager, acting stupid and doing drugs, and then went to a successful adult, when the thing that is on his mind was whether he wanted to be a musician or writer.
41 comments:
Hi Its Oni
In this book I think that James and Rachel/Ruth have changed tremendously. I think that these two main characters are so important and this book really takes you through all the steps of them changing and them growing as a character and as people.
Ruth at the beginning of the book is very confined at this certain childhood and her parents keep her in isolation and they keep her from the world that she will soon know about.
Where as with James at the beginning of the book you see how he really depends on his family unlike Ruth who saw the opportunity to get away from her crazy childhood and left. James was with his whole family except his father all the way through college.
Then by the middle of the book you see Ruth opening up and seeing the world as it really is instead of seeing it from the rabbi's eyes. But she finds that not all people will except a white woman in Harlem but you also realize that Ruth doesn’t care and just wants to be with her family.
In this book I think that the most significant change of Ruth is that you really see Ruth the way that she wants to live instead of how her family wants her to live and its great.
Then you see James finally finding out about the story of his mothers childhood and how they are really the same in so many ways but that it is great.
Ruth's most significant change is that she became more open about her past. In the beginning of the book she was very closed off to the world knowing about her life. She lived with many secrets and emotions that were locked inside of her and guarded with fierce passion. Her actions were always left unexplained. Asking questions was taboo to the children and that was merely how things were. When Ruth talked about herself she was always refined and gave information only on how things were for her a a kid. However, later in the book she talks about the emotions behind her behavior and how she reacted to her environment throughout her life. She also begins to be more open with the people that populate her world. She is finally emerging from her mental turtle shell. By the very end of the book, Ruth is even able to enter a Synogogue without any trouble at all. This is a large change considering how much of an impact her religion has always played on her life.
James most significant change is that he has come to a completely new understanding of his mother. In the beginning of the story he was content to have no reason as to why his mother did the things she did. She said no asking and James wrote her ways off as eccentric and completely out of the blue. However, Ruth was his mother and therefor her word was law. As James gets older he is no longer contented with being left in the dark. When he begins writing his book he learns so much about his mother. He gains a lot of respect for the obstacles Ruth had to overcome. Before that he knew his mother was a strong person but didn’t quite know the extent of all that she had endured in her life. In addition, James also is able to understand how he himself fits into the bigger picture of his family. In the end of the book he understands how his mother is the sturdy trunk of his forever growing family tree.
Ruth has changed by finally being able to accept herself. James has changed by finding out who he is. In the beggining of the book, James and Ruth had no idea who they were. As they went through their lives they slowly found out who they were. James use to think he was a bad boy who drank, did drugs, and stole. He later found out he was not. Ruth thought that she was Jewish, but then later on converted to Christianity because of her husband Dennis. Ruth had no idea who she was so she moved to New York City to find herself. They both have gone through a long journey and they have found who they are. As James grew up he started to question himself, just like his mother, Ruth. Later on in the book they found who they were.
hey its me brad im dooing the blog from my dads computer
Hi, its Stef.
I think that Ruth and James have not changed, but merely found themselves, and found what they needed to be happy. For example, in the beginning of the book, Ruth talks about how sad her life was, and how she was not happy. But at the end of the book, she talks about how Dennis showed her Christ and true happiness, and shows that she found what she was looking for, and what she was looking for was love, religion, and true happiness. In the beginning of the book from James perspective, he talks about how confused he was, and how he question his mothers race, and his own race as well. At the end of the book, though, he writes about how he found himself and what he wanted to be. He talked about how he found himself, and answered his question of race.
One way Ruth has changed through out the book is how she has converted from a Jew to a Catholic. Another way she has changed is that she has learned to let go of her past when it seems that it will be in her mind when she dies.
She has also changed her whole life because it was as if she died as a child and was reborn as a teenager because she died inside when she stopped following Judaism.
I think that for Ruth, her most significant change is how she changed from a a believer in the Jewish god to a believer in Jesus because that was life changing and a persons religion is a big part of them.
James has changed through out the book by finaly learning who he really is. He has also changed from the bad boy drug addict who hangs out on the corner to a smart man who is a reporter. He has also changed by somewhat becoming Jewish because he finally understood ruth and while look around Suffolk, he went to a Synagog and met Ruth's old Jew friends.
I think that James' most significant change was when he learnt about Ruth and started to become a Jew because like Ruth, religion is a big part of a person and it is also important because it is just like Ruth did. Another significant change was how James became educated and became a reporter when he had a bad start in life.
Throughout this book, we hear Ruth and James' life stories, both which intertwine. Within these, we recognize that their two situations are very similar, and both overcome similar changes. At the beginning of this book, James and Ruth are uncomfortable with their pasts, and tend to "run" from it. Ruth begins as a person who likes to literally run, but also see's the metephorical meaning within it. Ruth run's because she loves the feeling and because she wants to escape from what is happening at home, and what has happened in the past. She eventually runs to New York, and to Harlem, where she lives a life that is the opposite of what she began with, married to an African American man.
James also "runs" in more ways than one. His life takes on many complications, as he experiences his mother's instability, and the stress within his family. When his stepfather dies, and as his mother begins to crumble, James turns to drugs, and escapes from the difficulties of his family.
Both James and Ruth edge away from this need to run by the final chapters of the book. Ruth has settled in Ewing, and James has become very successful, and changes job to job. However, Ruth pushes him to stay at one job. The two people although have not fully become willing to stay put, have become fond of the idea, and seek happiness in familiarity. On page 277, James describes his experiences at Christmas:
Every year, all twelve of us claim we're going to have Christmas at our own house and we're not going to travel a zillion miles with a zillion children to sleep with a zillion people on the floor of Ma's like we're little kids, because we're just tired, man, and we did this last year. But at age 74, the president, CEO, and commander in chief of this her army still has the power." Ruth and James are comfortable with their past, showing they are no longer fearful, and not "dead."
The book opens with Rachel’s strikingly true words: “I’m dead.” We are immediately introduced to a woman who is blunt and we see her reluctantly start to tell her tale as we start to sink into the story. From Suffolk to Red Hook to Delaware to Philladelphia, Rachel/Ruth changes so many ways.
We, the readers, are first introduced to Rachel Shilsky, an obedient, lonesome Jewish girl. We know from the start that her family is unhappy and that they lack communication. As Rachel grows, we see her first question her family’s relationship when she awakens a vivid fear of death and feels she cannot tell anyone about it.
Slowly, Rachel grows more and more aware of the tension in her household. She begins to be ashamed of her Jewish roots when she is teased and shunned at school, thus changing her Polish name to Ruth.
When Ruth meets Peter she is shown a kindness she hardly seen before. For the first time, she is happy. But their relationship is dangerous and when it results in pregnancy, her joyvanishes, leaving dreadful terror. But she grows because of the terror, she becomes more careful. New York sets her free and she sees a glimpse of a different lifestyle. One she admires.
She slaves away in her aunt’s factory. Along the way, she finds Dennis. Dennis treats her with such humor, kindness, thoughtfulness and eventually love and she is instantly falling for him. The happiest nine years of her life were spent with him. Dennis opened her eyes to wonderful things, happiness and love included. He cooked her delicious things that were shamelessly un-kosher, took her to the theater, fathered her children and introduced her to God and Jesus. A bond that would aid her strongly long after Dennis’ own heart expired. Ruth forgets her Jewish heritage and becomes a full out Christian. This period in her life is like a dream-world, she’s happy and satisfied.When she goes back to Suffolk to see her mother, Mameh is in serious condition and Tateh could not care less. However, Tateh tries to make Ruth stay to take care of Mameh, by threatening to disown her if she marries Dennis. Ruth, a full grown woman now, stands up to the man who has terrorized her for so long and refuses to stay. She’s no longer scared.
After Dennis dies she is heartbroken, unsure of where the future will take her. Her faith in God helps her carry on. Then Hunter Jordan sweeps in and resumes the role of husband and father and Ruth has found love once again.
When Ruth loses Hunter, she falls into depression and a little bit of insanity. She does recover and when she does she is still the solid rock of the family. She is the power and the ruler that holds her family in place. Ruth goes from a scared, small, quiet, obedient Jewish girl to a headstrong, rebellious, powerful, loving, outspoken woman. It’s hard to believe Rachel Shilsky and Ruth McBride Jordan are the same people, but the quiet courage is seen in both.
James starts out as a child who struggles with the fact that his mother looks nothing like him. As a child, he was always frightened for his white mother’s safety in a dominantly black neighborhood. His mother, Ruth, won’t tell him anything about her race or about her family and past. James often wonders about it. He is brought up to worship God and Jesus and to be close with his siblings.
When Ruth goes through her depression, James’ suffers with a drug addiction. It is a very low point in his life. He robs, he becomes addicted to drugs. He gets mixed up with the folks on the corner, witnessing the death of one on the way.
James slowly recovers from his addiction. He struggles with his own race and how he is perceived because of it. As he grows up, he longs to understand his mother. Now He finally does. He goes from a confused little boy to a grown man, sure of himself and in awe of his mother. He pulls himself u[p from the streets and tracks down his mother’s past, uncovering the mystery behind her and gain more and more admiration for her everyday. It is evident in his work that he loves her, no matter the color of her skin.
In the book The Color Of Water, change is significant throughout the book. At the start of the book Ruth was living in a loveless family. Everybody kept to themselves. Ruth's family was people she just lived with not people she wanted to live with. Even though Ruth try’s as hard as she can to forget her past and have nothing to do with it its inevitable. She can’t help the way she was raised. Throughout Ruth's life she kept some of the traits that her family raised her in. over the course of the book Ruth as a very private person. She did not share a single memory from the past with her kids. That was Ruth’s way of erasing her past forever. At the end of the book she learned how eager her kids were to meet her.
Even though her kids "knew" Ruth her whole life they never met Rachel. The McBride/Jordan children wanted to know who there mother was and what her life was like. Ruth kept all of her past locked up for years because she was afraid. She was afraid to find the emotional part of herself. She hated her childhood and thinking about it made her cry. Ruth discovered that the world was good. That talking about how you feel is connecting with people and it’s a bond that she shared with James that is unbreakable.
James's whole life has been one log marathon with no finish line. From when he was a child who was running to drugs and alcohal to when he was an adult running from his family to find who he was. James always thought there was so much in the world that any job he got he thought was not good enough. He thought there was so much in the world that he never stopped and just kept running to find what he was looking for.
I think once he discovered who his mother was, he realized how lucky he was to have her. He realizes how much he provided for him and his siblings and he realized to top and smells the roses. He wanted to finish the marathon and see were his next step was. James realized he could stop running and pace himself in life.
In the beginning of the book, Ruth's life was filled with sadness and the burden of being a limited Jewish girl living in the South. She had traveled many times, and most of the traveling she had done was to run away from her problems. Ruth had described her past life as Rachel with very little meaning, almost as if she were disgusted of her past. Ruth's life is filled with running rom her fears, and at the end of the book Ruth finally stops running. She has faced many difficulties, such as losing her crippled mother, her first husband and her second husband. She has been left alone many times and was always afraid to face her loneliness. She was also afraid of re-entering her past, and talking about the cause of her being in present time. In the end Ruth finally gains the courage to look back on her past, and to look back on who she was as a child. She also stops running from her problems, and on page 258 she learns to accept the young minister into her church, and to leave the hurt that has been knawing at her heart, and to live in the present. I think that this is the most significant change, because all of her life was filled with sorrow and looking back on the past, but at that moment she stops looking back and looks forward into the future, into a new beginning.
James had first been a boy who ahd only wanted his mother's love. As the story continues, he settles on this idea of his mother being "different" and keeping to herself more often than others do. He kept on focusing on how she would ride on her bicycle, and how she would isolate herself from the outside world. James had later dropped out of school and left the house once his step father (Ruth's second husband) had died, and his mother's depression drove him out. He to found comfort in running from his problems, but instead of literally running he found it in drugs. He had been careless with this life at that time, but he went back to his mother and helped the family. In the end James after James had been uncertain of who he was, he goes out to find out about his mothers past and to find out who he is. James had been going back and forth, being unsure of himself and not being able to know his future, because to know your future you have to know your past as well. James had gone from an uncertain and confused boy to a settled and successful author. Finding who he was and who his mother was had to be the most significant change for him, because he and his mother both finally became comforted with knowing who they were. James had also finally found his place in the world, after struggling through years of endless pain from his mother to him. James had gone out into the world and changed his and his mother's life with one travel back to the past.
Over the course of the book, Ruth struggled to open up to the world about her difficult past. She felt that all of the events that happened in her life contrasted her beliefs, so there was no need to explain about her childhood.
As we read through James' life, we notice that he becomes a more responsible human-being. With addiction to drugs and alcohol, James fights through the battle, and later succeeds in it.
Both of these examples of change also connect to the idea of growing up. In both characters, we see a significant change. All of James' life, he resented the fact that his mother put him in an all-white school because he felt like an outsider. As he grew older, he realized that his mother did this in order to help him in his future. Towards the end of the book, James feels grateful for his mother, which contrasts his attitude towards her in the beginning.
Ruth changes by being more open to her past. Towards the end, she shows how powerful she is, not her weak self. She becomes more of a mother, paying attention to all her children's needs.
Throughout "The Color of Water" James had come to understand more about his heritage, race, and mother. He had learned to accept more religious values of all kind and race values as well. Through his whole process of growing up in this book, he had also learned to appreciate his mom and family rather than be embarrassed by them. The most significant change for James was his acceptance for other races and cultures. This whole book is mainly based on the idea of race and culture. I think that seeing the process of James opening his mind to Judaism and truly understanding his race was a significant part of the book in general. It gave the reader new things to think about when it came to difference between races and culture and the separation.
Throughout the book Ruth had significantly changed in a lot of ways as well. She learned to live on her own, became happy and loved, learned to be strong and to overcome her past. I think that from all of these amazing changes, the most significant was that change of being able to overcome her past in a certain way and move on. The process of seeing her leave her home and her dark, hard, world and change in new york city and find a new religion and be happy again was a very important and inspiring part of the book. Seeing her leave her past, slowly push away her past, suffer from the process, and eventually overcome it and be able to talk about it was a significant and key change in the book.
There are many ways in which one can say that James and Ruth have changed. But perhaps the most significant is the idea of accepting who they are and who they want to become.
In the last chapter of the book James is unsure of what career to choose and much like his constantly moving mother, he goes back and forth between musician and journalist. It is interesting because in this way they are more connected than the other children. While reading through the career list of the children I see a historian and I would have thought that they might have been more interested in a thing like this versus a kind of journalist. It one of the mystery as to why this happens because as James recalls in earlier chapters he and his mom didn't talk much other that the 10 minute walk to the bus in which every child at some point has gotten.
But back to the question, I think this idea of realizing who they were is very important. As a rule Ruth told the entire household to never spill their business in an effort to shield her own. But in the last few chapters we see slowly as she comes out of her comfort zone. She tells her history and even goes into a synagogue, a place she was supposedly exiled from. This moment is really important because in the beginning chapters where she is denied the right to enter the church for her graduation, it is a reversal where now she has the choice and accepts in a way taking the risk she wishes she had.
James really changes in that he goes from this lost for identity reported into this saved musician. He felt the big thing was that he wasn't expressing himself and by becoming a musician, the thing he really loved, he would find that expression.
Overall change is an overarching theme in this book as setting, characters, and theme change, ultimately adding to the enjoyment of the book.
Ruth and James have undergone the similar process of isolating themselves from the outside world and abiding by the moral codes created by their parents. Both Ruth’s and James’ were filled with uncertainty as neither individual had developed a definite sense of who they were. Thus, they were strongly influenced by the world around them. However, the values of the greater world often conflicted with the moral values that were instilled in James and Ruth. Both James’ mother and Tateh did not take the time to explain to their children how they should perceive the world outside them. This only exacerbated James’s and Ruth’s identity confusion. In particular James was in a constant struggle between the ideals of both white and black ethnic groups as he was biracial. It is only when James and Ruth become more independent of others that they are able to grow emotionally by blocking out unfavorable experiences and influences in their lives. It is during this time James and Ruth are able to more quickly mature into the individuals who they are today.
Ruth started off as tight-lipped. She never wanted to discuss her past with anyone. She didn’t want to revisit those painful memories of her evil father with his abuse of everyone, her slavery to her religious traditions, and discrimination everywhere she went. She wrote half of the book, and her story ends where James’s begins. It seems like the entire point of this book was for James to learn about her. Through this book, she can finally give the answers that James was looking for. Because James didn’t know about his family, he was missing a part of himself as a person. Through tracing back his origins, he can learn new things about who he is. It is almost like Alex Haley’s Roots, in which the stories of his family allow him to find who he is, where he came from, and why he is here. The concept of this book is the same. The development is finding who they both are.
Another change is that in the beginning, James was the child and Ruth, as the mother, had control of James’s life. By the end, Ruth needed someone to look after her, and James was that person. At this point, James had control of Ruth’s life. In the end, they swapped roles.
I think there has been a change for Ruth and James in each chapter of the book. Each chapter presents a new obstacle they overcome and learn from. I think they finally learn this about themselves in the final chapter. “I had to find out more about who I was, and in order to find out who I was, I had to find out who my mother was.” I think James in this chapter learns about his history and stops fighting. I think the biggest change in both Ruth and James is that they finally stop fighting, questioning, and ignoring their pasts and make peace with who they are.
James hears all about his mother’s past and understands finally all the hardships she had to go to. He stops quitting jobs in order to “find himself” and accepts that he is not one thing. He is not white or black. He is not Christian or Jewish. He is not a musician or a writer. He is a mix of everything. He is unique and unidentifiable. The biggest change for James is realizing and being happy with that truth and moving on.
For Ruth the biggest change is letting go of her past. By finally opening up and letting James interview her on every detail of her childhood she is able to proceed with her life. She sees Frances, she goes to a temple, and she has her whole family with her all the time. Ruth is finally content. She has closed all the open ends in her life, and now Ruth and the book have a happy ending.
In this book Ruth started our as a person who was always scared. She was abbused and other concerns that were always on her mind. She then grudually escaped from her horrible so called family and lived in other places like New York. Few people did things for her but they showed her what actual life was about. Dennis espeially showed Ruth about life and family. Ruth has discovered a public learning that she didn't get when she was younger.
James changed from a drop out to a commited muscisian. He was scared and didn't know where he bolonged. Then people told him and gave him good enough advice and explanation that he took it and excelled in it. He went to college after that.
I think what changed them both signifigantly was the people who drove them through toards the end of childhood. That is what made them who they are today.
"Who the hell are you anyway?" (266).
Ruth McBride-Jordan and James McBride have changed much over the course of the book, many of the changes relating to each other. Ruth began as a small-town, Jewish girl and became a respected mother of 12 children. In the beginning, Ruth was fragile and isolated because of her religion. Her family life consisted of an abusive father and managing the family store. She found her love and support amongst the town's black people. In the time between escaping from Suffolk and meeting her first husband, she made desperate and uncertain choices for herself. When she meets Dennis, she begins to break out of the shell she been confined in all her life. Dennis introduces her to Christianity, family, and unconditional love. This helps to shape the mother James McBride loved and revered. She builds an armor of pride and fearlessness. This armor has been shown to crumble when Dennis and her second husband, Hunter Jordan die. The stableness of the armor depended on the two, most significant men in Ruth's life. But, in the chapters where James describes his mother's most recent efforts, Ruth appears to have learned to stand on her own without the support of a man. Of course, she still had her strange quirks such as moving all the time, giving the appearance of her running from something. What she is running from, I am not sure...
(As for the most significant change, I guess I described it as her not completely depending on the men in her life for support?)
James McBride has also undergone many significant changes. In his youth, James worshipped his mother and described his image of her to the very last detail. In his teenage years, he began to detach himself from his mother and family, to get away from his mother's suffering. In his adulthood, he has matured, still somewhat spiteful of whites, but he's matured nonetheless. He even begins to recognize the racial double-standards and how the power structure of one of his occupations worked. The process of running begins once again and he quits many of his jobs. In his anger, James realizes he does not who he is himself. To find himself he determines he will need to know who is mother is. James McBride's most significant change is beginning to learn who he is, instead of running away from life.
I just thought the quote was interesting while I was reading...
I think this book talks mostly about how James’s mother is able to overcome this obstacle in her life, and that obstacle is being able to evolve from this fearful, insecure person into a confident, secure woman. For example, in the last chapter James starts to say how his mother has opened the door for him, but not herself. He also says that whenever she cracks open this door to her past, it burns her like the lava from a volcano. I think this book also focuses on how she is able to overcome that, and also, how some of her past however, is better left uncovered, that some of it might be just too gruesome to dig up. In time, James comes to accept that. However, I also think that some people never change, or that some people are incapable of changing, and I think that Ruth is one of those people. Even though the theme of the book is really about overcoming obstacles in your life, James never directly says that she did just that. Even in some of the very last pages of the book, it says that moving constantly is a part of Ruth’s regular lifestyle, and I believe that that is her version of running, since she cannot run away from death. It also says that even after all these years, Ruth still manages to have power in her large family, and I think this shows how she doesn’t really have anything ells in her life that she is proud of. Her family is her best (if not only) accomplishment, and it is one of the only things that makes her happy.
I think that James changes throughout the book are actually very similar to his mother’s. I think that towards the beginning of the book, James talks about how he is just living the life that his mother set up for him, and that he is kin of living in the darkness, not really knowing a whole lot about his family. Towards the middle of the book, I think that he starts to talk a little bit about trying to find out more about his background and more about himself, like Ruth was in that time of her life. (She did this by leaving Suffolk). Finally, towards the end of te book James ends by talking about how he has not yet totally figured out what he wants to do with his life, but he has a pretty clear idea about who he is as a person. He starts to talk about how he is more comfortable with staying on the (blacker side) of society. He feels that because he is black, life just seems more natural for him when around people of the same race. I think this book also talks about how both James and his mother went through and are still going through this stage of confusion. However, I also think that James and his mother’s changes throughout the story are both very different. I think that Ruth’s journey has been longer, and defiantly more painful than James has been so far, and I think she seems perfectly content with spending the rest of her life running from her past. It no longer seems like a choir to her, but more like an everyday life routine, whereas James has more of a persistent attitude. I feel that he will not stop until he has a clear idea of who he is and that is one of the reasons why Ruth and James’s journeys are so different, yet the same.
Over the course of the book, both Ruth and James have changed. Ruth and James' mindset's have both changed. Towards the end of the book, they begin to enter the world with positive mindsets.
In the beginning of Color of Water, Ruth is a stubborn lady who can't answer any questions about her past. She doesn't want to relive her past and she feels that completely ignoring it is the best way to get over it. As James is growing, he becomes more curious and wants to find out about his own race, values, etc. At some point in the book these two characters feel that running from who they are is the best answer.
James goes through a rough time and is heavily involved with alcohol and drugs during his teenage and early adult life. At this time he is not self-motivated and doesn't feel that he has a purpose. The way he escaped was through these substances. When Ruth and James run, they are running away from who they are.
Later, James has a wake up call when he sees his mother at her worst. He gets his act together and goes to college. Soon after, his life is uphill from then, but he still hasn't completely felt like he has found himself as a person. He balances jobs and lifestyles and soon comes to the conclusion that "in order to find out who I was, I had to find out who my mother was." Ruth realizes that she can express herself through these stories and that hiding her past completely was not going to help.
These two characters find themselves throughout the book and James realizes his true appreciation for his mother.
The very first chapter of the book is about Ruth and how her family immigrated. Hers was different from what James had as a child.
"There were too many rules to follow, too many forbiddens and 'you can'ts' and 'you mustn'ts,' but does anybody say they love you? Not in my family we didn't. We didn't talk that way. We said things like, 'There's a box in there for nails,' or my father would say 'be quiet while I sleep.' "
As a child Ruth was hidden and unloved. No one liked her at school because she was Jewish. Only one person didn't care. In James' time it didn't whether or not you were Jewish (maybe a little) but that was long gone for him. For him it was racism. The color of his skin.
As a child James was first an innocent kid who was afraid of his mom getting hurt from someone's dad who was a black panther. Then he was on drugs and drinking for the longest time, failing school, he was out. While trying to stop and trying to find himself he became more interested in music. That was how he started. Then he wanted to write a book about his mother, and this is a long process and he becomes a writer. On and off, but he writes a book about his mother's past that he had no idea about and his past realizing child mistakes, even adult mistakes.
The book starts with the mother saying how unloved her family was, how she was. There was no "I love yous" just orders. She told James he had the best family he could get. As Ruth grew up she realized what love was. When she was with Dennis she realized new opportunities. Even when she decided to remarry after Dennis died and told his parents they told her that it was great. SHe was their daughter now and that she deserved to get married. Ruth experience what it was liked to be loved and she became use to it. At the end of the book when her children are grown adults yelling wondering where to go, she's on the couch and says she's hungry. Now anyone can say they're hungry but as a child she was hungry she was told. Throughout Ruth's life she realizes that she has a voice. And throughout James' life he realizes who his mother was and added on some information about his life as well.
All through 'The Color of Water' James begins to understand more and more about his heritage, race, mother, and his whole family back ground in general. In the beginning of the book he is confused about the differences between blacks and whites because of the black power movement going on. However in the end of the book he realizes that "not all jews were like my grandfather" and he realizes that he is Jewish too even though he does not practice the religion. He also learns to appreciate his family in the end even though its very different from those of his friends and neighbors. James' understanding on race, religion and culture, are definitely his largest change.
In 'The Color of Water' Ruth changed a lot as well. Her biggest change was how she was able to over come her past, tell James about some of the difficult things that happened to her. By being allowing herself to open up to James, she was also allowing herself to move on and let go and realize that even though her childhood and young adulthood was difficult, now she had raised 12 wonderful and very successful children.
I think that the ways that Ruth and James changed in the book were very significant to ' The Color of Water' because Race, Identity, and Over coming your past were the three biggest symbols that I saw at the end of the book. Both of their ways of change were very interesting to read about, and I thought that the book as a whole was very inspiring.
Ruth and James have grown in similar ways. As we discuss constantly in class, they both went through a period of running. Ruth ran physically by riding her bike and James ran metaphysically by doing drugs and ignoring his responsibility as the eldest in the house. After this experience of running, they had both morphed into new people. James had turned over a new leaf, he had really made a commitment to college and although he kept quitting his jobs, James always got a new one. James talks about how he had no idea what he was doing being a journalist. He knew he wanted to be a musician, but even that never really did it. He needed to learn more about himself. Once again he was that confused little boy, never really knowing where he came from or who is is. James changed from a scared little boy wanting to know everything about who he is, to a druggie not wanting to know a thing except how much he had to steal t be able to afford what he needed, and back to that little boy, almost exactly the same as before except now he could actually do something about it.
In the beginning of the book, Ruth used to hide her past from her family and didn't want to speak about it at all. James mostly had to find out Ruth's past on his own. Also, a really big change that happened to Ruth was that she converted from being a Jewish girl to a Catholic one. It was a significant change in the Color Of Water book because that changed her life and the way she acted.
James had changed throughout the book by realizing who he is and who his mother is. When he was in high school, he was a drug addict and would do bad things with his friends. Later on, he changed himself and realized that he could be good and be successful. When he went to college, he became a reporter. This was a really important change in the book.
Ruth and James have both changed a lot over the course of the book.
Like Oni said, Ruth had many rules as a child and breaking those rules was something she was very happy about as she grew up. As she realized that she did not have to have rules suffocating her life, she broke out of her shell and became a more open person - slowly. She becomes by the end of the book a person who is comfortable with the fact that she was once Jewish, and now she's Christian. She becomes so comfortable with who she is she walks into a synagogue! This is a big step in what she considers to be the "dead" part of her life.
As for James, I agree with KJ when saying that he found himself over the course of his life as far as we can see. In the beginning, James talks about how he longed for the life of the boy he saw in the mirror. Now he sees himself as a guy who must have talent because he keeps getting jobs, but when he feels like he’s missing out on opportunities in life, he moves on. He realizes he's ok with who he is and that’s a big change from the beginning of the book where he was confused about who he was and who he should be.
In the end, both James and his mother find there spot in the world after being so confused about where it is.
In the "Color of Water" both characters struggle with their identities. I think that by the end of the book, both of the characters have grown. James has matured since the beginning of the book. In the start of the book James was confused about his place in the world, and his role. Ruth was confused about where she fit in and to which groups she belonged. Durning the book, both James and Ruth help each other find themselves.
With Ruth’s help James learns about his family’s past. James also realizes that his history does not define his future. With Ruth’s help James learns how to move on from the past and to embrace the future.
With James’ help Ruth learns to stop running from the past. Ruth realizes that the past does not define who you are. With James’ help Ruth learns how to embrace the past and learn from her mistakes.
At the end of the book both of the characters have been born again. They have learned to move on from the past, without ignoring history. Ruth and James have changed greatly since the beginning of the book
James and Ruth have changed a lot. I agree with Oni that James and Ruth have grown. When I finished this book, I gained a new perspective on the impact of James’ interviews with his mother. The interviews allowed James and his mother to move forward with their lives.
Over the course of time and the many interviews Ruth has learned to cope with her haunting past and speak about it. Ruth ignores her past by not speaking of it. Yet by not speaking about her past, she acknowledges its existence. Her past becomes an invisible force that affects the rest of the family without their knowledge. James’s life has been inflicted silently by Ruth’s past. The interviews, a process in which James started to learn about his identity, also forced Ruth to overcome and diminish the power of her past. Ruth later acknowledges her past and acknowledges that it’s truly gone.
“What’s different is that she can face the past now. After years of saying, ‘Don’t tell my business,’ she reached a point where she now says, ‘It doesn’t matter.
They’re all dead now, or in Florida,’ which in her mind is the same as being dead.” (270)
The interviews were at first a struggle in which Ruth would mention nothing. Ruth’s growth and struggle has destroyed the power of her past.
James within this book has grown to discover who he is. As James discovers and uncovers his mother’s past, he searches for the purpose within his life. Revisiting his mother, he sees leaving Suffolk as a choice that impacted her life. James feels he must make a choice that will impact his life. This choice is whether he would like to be a musician or a writer.
As he searches his identity in life and the book you see that he describes his race and identity as something unique.
“Like any family we have problems, but we have always been close. Through marriage, adoptions, love-ins, live-ins, and shack-ups, the original dozen has expanded into dozens and dozens more- wives, husbands, children, grandchildren, cousins, nieces, nephew- ranging from dark-skinned to light-skinned: from black kinky hair to blond hair and blue eyes. In running from her past, Mommy has created her own nation, a rainbow coalition.” (277)
James realizes through his search that, rather then being black or white, his family is its own separate unique race. Rather then just having one profession James realizes that he can be a writer and musician.
James and Ruth have changed so much as characters over the course of this book. Ruth has gone from being very protective and closed to the public. (especially with comments questioning her past) In the beginning of the book Ruth struggles with keeping her past hidden from her kids. She thinks it'll haunt them like how its haunted her. Since she didn't have a good childhood or the childhood she wanted, she wanted to make a good childhood for her kids, sending them to the best schools, making them very educated ect. As the book goes on, and James starts finding a way into his mother's past, Ruth starts to understand that he wants to find himself and identify himself since he's been having trouble since he was a little boy, so Ruth starts opening up.
James has grown from being a confused child to a confident man. When he was a young child he was having trouble identifying himself as a black or white boy. Having to accept the fact that he was both was confusing at a young age because there was still racism and segregation when he was a child. So to be both white and black seemed unreal and it almost didn't seem right. When James started growing up and started grasping with the concept of being both white and black he started to believe he could have the best of both worlds.
Ruth and James changed a lot over the course of the book. For Ruth, it was her stability. For James it was his realization of the core principles in his life.
Ruth went through a childhood of confinement and a teens of struggle. Since she was small, her father abused her and treated her like a laborer in his shop. She was bullied by others because she was Jewish. no one wanted to care about her or show her friendship or kindness. Only blacks showed her this. She rebelled against society to acquire what she needed most-love and kindness. She lost her family and status in the world. She went to New York, and clung on to the hope and happiness blacks and Jesus gave her. Many events stabbed Ruth's heart, pulling her into the air like a puppet then releasing, making her crumble into a heap. Her mom and two husbands, best of all the people in her life and the most loving died tragically. She always jumped from a foot sized stepping stone a hundred feet in the air to another, and only through many staggers did she reach "heaven". After her 12 children succeeded in the world outside, was she finally allowed to "rest in peace" and walk about without a 100-ton burden on her weak shoulders.
James went through a world of racism, activism and confusion. His house operated like a constant cleanup after a hurricane. He coped with the rather crazy lifestyle his mom had without understanding, and knowing nothing but that education was his life. At the end of the book, he understands the story of his mother, and the reason for his rather tumultuous life.
Over the course of the book, you start to notice that both Ruth and James have a very similar life. Ruth grows up in Suffolk and leaves to New york, whereas James grows up in New York and leaves to Delaware. Ruth becomes trapped in Suffolk and finds that she can not stand to live there anymore, which also happens to James. James feels that by leaving New York, he can leave his past behind, similar to how Ruth felt that she was dead to her family when she left Suffolk, although she also states that Dennis breathed new life into her once she got to New York. Both of them were also escaping their home life. James couldn’t handle living in a cramped home with a numerous amount of little kids to look after and put up with, and Ruth could’t bare her father and his dictatorship that he had set up.
For both of the characters, if they hadn’t had the change of scenery, they would not of been able to of had liberated lives.
Both characters have changed dramatically over the course of the story. For starters, Ruth and James have changed literally and metaphorically.
Ruth starts out, not knowing who she is or where she fits in in the the world surrounding her. It takes her quite a long time to get adjusted to the skin that she is in, and to identify herself with a certain group. Not until she interacts with the African-American community does she feel like she has a place in the world. She even converts to Christianity, because her acquaintances have been persuasive in telling her that Jesus and God are very important in guiding her in life.
Ruth meets Dennis, and she falls in love, having a total of eight children with the man. She finally feels accepted, and has a family that she can turn to and even identify with. She is very happy about her readjustments. I think that all of the things that Ruth has experienced have made her grow into the strong-willed woman that she was.
James on the other hand, was going through certain things in life which prove to be difficult. At one point, he wan doing juvenile things that did not benefit his life, but after realizing the importance and preservation of life, he turned around so that he could accomplish certain things such as writing this book.
I have to repost because my original got deleted. I have it saved though.
Ruth McBride
The book greets the reader with:
"I'm dead," written by Ruth (1).
This greeting portrayed how Ruth's feelings were at the beginning of her reflection on her life. She has changed from that person in many different ways. Before I can tell how she changed, I have to tell how she was to begin with.
Ruth's childhood was filled with torment and remorse. Her father did things that shouldn't be spoke of to her as a child. (Note: No one should o through that) Ruth was forced into early maturity. Her brother, Sam, leaving home unexpectedly, tore her mother apart. Her sister, Dee Dee/Gladys, and Ruth were pushed more to take Sam's place. Ruth's first boyfriend got Ruth pregnant and cheated on her with another woman. To add to the pressure, because Peter --her boyfriend-- was black, if anyone in her family found out, they would both be shot.
Ruth, after going to New York for an abortion while staying with Bubeh, she decided to run. Ruth kept on running and continuously got lost. She did this until she found Dennis. Andrew Dennis McBride opened Ruth's mind and changed her for the better, even changing religions. Although times became tough after Andrew died, she still lived on, teaching and raising her children. This change is significant because Ruth's change from a lonely runner changed into a crowded walker.
You can run down an open field without worrying about hitting someone, but, you will hit someone when walking in a crowd. Ruth had matured tremendously from the dead person introduced, into a very lively person.
James McBride
James changed in many ways as well. At first, James was like any other child, curious. He wanted to know why he didn't look like his mother. He wanted to know why he needed an education.
When James was especially troubled. It is very important, because, he would not be able to write this tribute to his mother if he stayed that way. James had began to play hooky and avoided his mother. He began his form of running, in relation to his mother's form.
James had began to run away from the truth, as he had no place to go. Unlike his mother who had Bubeh, he had no one close other than his sister Jack. When James visited Jack the trip Chicken Man died, he was changed forever. He was snapped out of his phase as he realized the cruel, harsh reality of life, changing his future.
After this moment he began to readjust and eventually, got back to his education and went on to college and more importantly, to this book.
In the beginning Ruth did not tell James anything about her past. She told him not to question her about any of her life’s history. She surrounds herself with 12 children and two of her husbands have died. She would isolate herself and travel back to her past mentally. James seems to be the most interested in his mother. She is James own mother and the only thing he knows about her is that she’s white and accepts black people. He never really understood why she was white and he and the rest of his siblings were black. He wants to know more about the person who takes care of him. I think that James and his mother have a connection that is different from his other siblings. He was the last child Ruth had with Andrew McBride. He is always questioning her and is the most curious. I’m sure many of his siblings have asked her about her childhood but James never seems to give up. He just has to know everything.
Towards the end of the book there is part when then the whole family comes together for Christmas. Ruth doesn’t see her children all together very much anymore because they are all grown up. When they all come together they all have changed yet their personalities and their relationship with one another stays the same. When Ruth watches James go off to college she is very emotional. I think that she surrounds herself with that huge family because back during her childhood she didn’t have a lot of friends or a family that loved her and she loved back. When James asks her to go to a friends wedding she goes. It is a Jewish wedding at a synagogue. When she leaves she takes a look at it before going. I think that she was finally letting her past go and not drowned herself in it. She is also getting pretty old. In the book it says that you can’t avoid death but you can avoid what has been left behind you.
Since the beginning of the book Ruth and James have changed a lot. Throughout the whole book Ruth searches for a good life (which consists of love, happiness, and a family). In the beginning of the book, we learn about Ruth and her family. They have a horrible relationship and Ruth swears that we she's old enough, she'll leave and find a new family, one that's perfect. I think the most significant change in Ruth's life is when she leaves Suffolk. Ruth keeps searching for the perfect normal life, but in the end, she realizes that her chaotic family and life are the perfect fit for her.
James' most significant change is when he realizes who he is; when he finds his identy. He kept on trying to figure out who his mom was and in turn who he was. When he starts to embrace both his cultures he starts doing better in life. When he sees that there's no reason for him to be embarrassed of his mother, he accepts himself more.
-Kai Marcel
Ruth and James have many similar, as well as different Changes throughout the book. Both Ruth and James have learned more about themselves and family throughout the book, the knowledge of their life also brings wisdom, and the wisdom brought strength, and so on. Basically there was a chain of change going on in the book.
Ruth Changed herself, many times in the book. She grew and also grew wiser with the help of companionships in her life. Ruth started as an unwise little girl in the story, into a married woman, that had learned from her loving companions’ mistakes and wisdom. Ruth would not have earned her wisdom without her mother, father, sister, brother, grandmother, and husbands. Tateh and Mameh’s struggles as a couple taught Ruth what to avoid, and her family fully forgetting about her, and hating her taught her what not to do. Dennis helped Ruth learn what was right, and taught her to trust god, and god would trust her.
James also grew a lot in the story as well. James grew from a confused little boy, into am immature teenager, then into a successful adult. In the beginning of the book James explained him childhood, being raised by his godfather, then went to being a teenager, acting stupid and doing drugs, and then went to a successful adult, when the thing that is on his mind was whether he wanted to be a musician or writer.
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