The Color of Water

The Color of Water, written by James McBride, is an eventful story about the troublesome childhood of a man learning to live independently as he’s learning about his mother’s difficult life raising a handful of children to become successful adults. James McBride is a phenomenal author, composer, and screenwriter. Born in 1957, James was the eighth child of twelve. He achieved a degree in music composition from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio along with a degree from Columbia University in journalism. He also received the 1993 American Music Festival’s Stephen Sondheim, the 1996 American Arts and Letters Richard Rodgers, and the 1996 ASCAP Richard Rodgers Horizons Awards for his composers. McBride is known for award-winning works including The Color of Water and Miracle at St. Anna. The Color of Water displays the hardships and achievements of James McBride and his mother, Ruth McBride throughout their lives.

Ruth McBride grew up with a difficult childhood. Ruth endured many hardships as a child including sexual abuse from her father, having a child at a young age, and also the physical and emotional damage from receiving an abortion. Throughout the story, Ruth refuses to look back upon her past because her childhood was so difficult and different from her children’s. Her life was hard all the time because she was a Jew and at the time Jews were very discriminated against. She refused to look back at her childhood because she was so hurt in the past and her lifestyle had nothing she wanted to remember. Her past influenced her children’s sense of themselves because they had the strive in her that made her get through her life and all the hardships. The McBride children’s place in the world individually is created on how their mother has raised them which is based on Ruth McBride’s childhood.

Ruth McBride begins her story by saying she is “dead”. She uses this type of speech because she feels she is dead. She feels as if there is nothing left of her, she has given all she can give. Ruth has suffered and yet had happy times, she has given and also been given to, she has taken and been taken from, but also she has lived. Ruth has lived freely and she has lived constricted. Experiences and downfalls incomparable to others’ have influenced her largely and shown her things that many others have yet to experience. Ruth McBride had to mature early in her childhood in order to survive and endure the hardships. She also had to learn to be independent alone without anyone to teach her valuable life lessons she would soon need. Ruth McBride’s unique identity is shaped by the experiences and downfalls of her life, along with her lifestyle.

Ruth McBride showed many contradictions throughout her life. She chose the best decisions for her children’s lives because she wanted them all to be successful. She was successful in this goal and her children all became something worthwhile. Her contradictions confused her children when they were young but throughout their lives, helped them learn certain lessons as they matured. Ruth’s contradictions helped their view of humanity become more balanced as they matured and started to understand her reasons behind them.

Ruth McBride’s name changes numerous times throughout her life. Her name changes as her identity changes. “Ruchel Dwaira Zylska” is her name as a young child, still influenced greatly by her mother and father unable to break free from her constricted lifestyle. “Rachel Deborah Shilsky” is her name as she begins to move on her own slightly as she matures and grows up. As she grows up, she realizes that she can move her own way and live her own lifestyle that she chooses. “Ruth McBride Jordan” is her name as she lives her independent stage of life, as she raises her children, has matured fully, and is now showing, teaching, and displaying her own life lessons to each of her children.

Ruth and Tateh both ran their households in a “tyrannical” manner. Tateh liked to have control where as Ruth automatically chose the best decision for her children. Ruth’s was more of a caring decision to be tyrannical, where as Tateh’s was more of his own personal “power-hungry conscience” inside him breaking through. Ruth succeeded because she chose what was best for her children. Tateh failed because he did what was in his own interest. Tateh chose to further promote his ego rather than help his family. Their styles were different because Ruth’s were helpful and yet controlled and Tateh’s were just controlled and strict for the sake of being controlled. The styles were the same because they both chose for their children and made some of the same choices, for example Tateh told Ruth where she could and could not go and Ruth told her children where they were to go to school.

McBride’s recounting of his mother’s life helps him discover who he is deep down inside as he matures and becomes older. When he was younger, he didn’t understand or comprehend the reasons for his mother’s feelings on race and identity. As he grows up, he begins to understand what his mother felt like and why she made specific decisions.

The title, The Color of Water, is significant because the color of water cannot be defined to one specific color. This relates to race and religion because race and religion are abstract ideas and they cannot be defined to specific ideas in themselves. They cannot be explained under certain circumstances or have certain rules, standards, or settings. This offers a wide vision to Americans. It shows that there are many different races and religions throughout the world and it gives America numerous ideas about race and religion and expands the abstract idea behind race and religion. McBride perceives some of those people and events as different people who were not worth it. He also sees that these events and people have shown him lessons in life and helped him grow and mature from them.

I believe that The Color of Water shows many lessons about life, from two different lifestyles both with similar bases. The book shows two people’s lives who have learned from their own experiences and each others. I recommend this book to anyone interested in a book about life. This shows many life lessons. I thought it was a very well written book that was interesting and I would highly recommend it.


Logan W.