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Summary: The Color Of Water By James Mcbride

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To get through difficulties in life different people have various solutions however one of the most renowned solution to most struggling individuals is to turn to God for help. Especially problems that involve race, Jesus is considered the answer since it is an immense overlapping between the two conflicting diversities. In “The Color of Water” by James McBride, the main character, Ruth who was a Jewish mom and wife to two African-American men, brought up twelve children and gave them the best education all because of her God. She dealt with many biracial questions and one day when her son pressingly asked her if Jesus was black or white she responded the he was the color of water. The central idea is that identity is not based on color however it is plainly the color of water while who we really are is the choices we make in life. …show more content…
McBride went back to Suffolk, Virginia and upon experiencing the “loneliness and agony that Hudis Shilsky”, his grandmother, felt he realized that she was trapped there. (pg.178) Hudis made the decision to agree to an arranged marriage and stay with her unloving and ungrateful husband and McBride said to himself, “The greatest gift that anyone can give anyone else if life. And the greatest sin a person can do to another is to take away that life.” (pg.179) Ruth sought out new life and she received it when she accepted Jesus into her life and rejected the Jewish ways. She did not let anyone take that life away from her, she made her own decisions and lived life, as a proud mother of twelve successful children. After this McBride decided that “his life would not be lived that way” where it was lonely and defined by something he could actually control than rather let that thing control him, for instance, his race.

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