Ruth Character Analysis 721 Words | 3 Pages "As usual, she was broke, dumping single dollar bills, change, pennies on the counter to pay for the one-way ticket to Ohio. You know, the thing was, I was supposed to be white and number one, too. One afternoon on the way home from church I asked her whether God was black or white. This sentiment echoes one of the main themes of the book: to understand the present, one must be familiar with the past. You know, the thing was, I was supposed to be white and number one, too. She couldnt stand racists of either color (Chpt. There but for the grace of God goes my own motherand by extension, myself. Both Ruth and James had to live in constant fear of attack because they are both in the minority. Thats what they called me. I went through this entire ordeal and here he was getting busy with somebody else. Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. (one code per order). Please come home, Helen. The door had a peephole in it. Detailed quotes explanations with page numbers . 20% There were white sections of Suffolk, like the Riverview section, where Jews werent allowed to own property. And a little money. Ruth's conversion to Christianity coincides with her reinvention of herself from Rachel Shilsky to Ruth McBride. Sometimes it seemed like the truth was a bandy-legged soul who dashed from one side of the world to the other and I could never find him. 1, p. 1).This begins Ruth McBride Jordan's account of her past, recorded by her son, James McBride. Mommy got the address and went to the place herself. Gone. Ruths relationship with her first husband is then so offensive to her family that they entirely cut her out of their lives. The stereo lowered. Religion also functions as a framework through which James and his siblings can navigate their racial identities. Andrew McBride was a black man who fled persecution in the South. A group of white men try to kill her and Dennis with bottles when theyre out on the street one night, and a black woman punches Ruth in the face because she disapproves of Ruth and Denniss relationship. Sometimes coming back home could feel the same as being in a strange place. He's a spirit." "Does he like black or white people better?" "He loves all people. It said a lot about this religionJudaismthat some of its followers, old southern crackers who talked with southern twangs and wore straw hats, seemed to believe that its covenants went beyond the color of ones skin. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. You may cancel your subscription on your Subscription and Billing page or contact Customer Support at [email protected]. Not in 1937.I made up my mind then that I was going to leave Suffolk for good. There was something inside me, an ache I had, like a constant itch that got bigger and bigger as I grew, that told me. But as a kid, I preferred the black side, and often wished that Mommy had sent me to black schools like my friends (Chpt. Ruth also deals with anti-black racism in her love life, as she attempts to date and marry black men. She had to die in order for me, the rest of me, to live. They didnt have to run for their lives like we did. God is the color of water. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. Complete your free account to access notes and highlights. It said a lot about this religionJudaismthat some of its followers, old southern crackers who talked with southern twangs and wore straw hats, seemed to believe that its covenants went beyond the color of ones skin. Blacks could be trusted more, but anything involving blacks was probably slightly substandard. Ruth McBride Jordan Quotes 17 of the best book quotes from Ruth McBride Jordan 01 Share "I do remember my Jewish name: Ruchel Dwarja Zylska. The question of race was like the power of the moon in my house. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. A spirits a spirit. Nobody liked me. It was like the sun started shining on me for the first time, and for the first time in my life I began to smile. It sent me tumbling through my own abyss of sorts, trying to salvage what I could of my feelings and emotions, which would be scattered to the winds as she talked. And the greatest sin a person can do is to take away that life. We were all clearly black, of various shades of brown, some light brown, some medium brown, some very light-skinned, and all of us had curly hair. One afternoon on the way home from church I asked her whether God was black or white. Hes a spirit. That started to worry me a little but I didnt worry much. And I wanted to tell folks that, I wanted to shout out, Hey yall, it really doesnt matter! I actually believed folks would accept that, that theyd see what a good person he was and maybe accept us, and I went through a few days of thinking this, after which I told him one night, Lets run off to the country and get married, and he said, No way. Its what made the river flow, the ocean swell, and the tide rise, but it was a silent power, intractable, indomitable, indisputable, and thus completely ignorable. This affects the opportunities, self-esteem, and even human rights of the central black characters, but also affects characters like Ruth, who is white but lives in close proximity to blackness, and as a result must deal with bigotry from those who do not understand why a white woman would marry a black man and raise a mixed-race family. Thats all. The second is her need to keep moving so her traumatic past never catches up to her. They called you white trash. James, confused about race in general and specifically where he falls on the spectrum, asks his mother if God is black or white, and Does he like black or white people better? His mother explains that God is colorless, and loves people of all colors equally. I would turn to leave, but when I wheeled around he was always there, waiting for me. This sentiment echoes one of the main themes of the book: to understand the present, one must be familiar with the past. Her oddness, her complete nonawareness of what the world thought of her, a nonchalance in the face of what I perceived to be imminent danger from blacks and whites who disliked her for being a white person in a black world. Ruth married Andrew Dennis McBride, a black man from North Carolina. She told Ma she didnt know much about the lady other than that she wore a lot of scarves and used incense. My siblings had already instilled the notion of black pride in me. In running from her past, Mommy has created her own nation, a rainbow coalition that descends on her house every Christmas and Thanksgiving and sleeps everywhereon the floor, on rugs, in shifts; sleeping double, triple to a bed, two up, three down, just like old times. Although racist attitudes are prevalent, and have the potential to literally end the lives of the books black protagonists, cultural racism can be combatted on a personal level. Sometimes without conscious realization, our thoughts, our faith, our interests are entered into the pastWe talk about other times, other places, other persons, and lose our living hold on the present. If The Color of Water is trying to say one single thing about race, its thesis is that race in America is complicated. I loved my mother yet looked nothing like her. Ruth said in Ruth 1:16-17, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. The Color of Water is a moving story that centers around the narrative of son and mother James and Ruth McBride. Dont come back. Ill always come to see Mameh.Not if you marry a nigger you wont, he said. He was never hungry, he had his own bed probably, and his mother wasnt white. I myself had no idea who I was. She and Frances marched in the ceremony, and Ruth was determined to go into the church, but when the crucial moment came, she just couldn't do it: "In my heart I was still a Jew. In seemingly serial incarnations, she was Ruchel Zylska, Rachel Zylska, Rachel Shilsky, Ruth Shilsky, Ruth McBride . But anyone who attempts to reenter the past is sure to be disappointed. Then after a while, my period was late. They constantly badgered me to do the James Brown for them, a squiggling of the feet made famous by the Godfather of Soul himself, who back in the sixties was bigger than life. I had no tears to shed. Definitions and examples of 136 literary terms and devices. What color is Gods spirit? By this the reader learns about both Ruth's and James' life as well as the progression of the United States. James McBride asks her mother why she cries in Church, and her response is that God makes her happy. My siblings had already instilled the notion of black pride in me. And I wanted to tell folks that, I wanted to shout out, Hey yall, it really doesnt matter! I actually believed folks would accept that, that theyd see what a good person he was and maybe accept us, and I went through a few days of thinking this, after which I told him one night, Lets run off to the country and get married, and he said, No way. The boy in the mirror, he didnt seem to have an ache. She is reborn through Christianity, and finds that this religion provides her with everything she's always wanted: love and community, a sense of belonging, and a reason to live. More Details, The Color of Water: Novel Summary:Chapter 1: Dead, The Color of Water: Summary of Chapter 2-5, The Color of Water: Summary of Chapter 6-10, The Color of Water: Summary of Chapter 11-15, The Color of Water: Summary of Chapter 16-20, The Color of Water: Summary of Chapter 21-25, Thomas Jefferson: the Man, the Myth, and the Morality, Teddy Roosevelt: the Man Who Changed the Face of America, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. She is reborn through Christianity, and finds that this religion provides her with everything shes always wanted: love and community, a sense of belonging, and a reason to live. Hes not white. for a group? To further escape from painful reality, I created an imaginary world for myself. They will surely hang me., I know youre gonna marry a shvartse. chapter, And the greatest sin a person can do to another is to take away that life. I didnt want to be white. When I asked she'd say, "God made me." The nature of identity, race and heritage was explored deeply in the book. . Youre white, and even if youre a Jew, since youre white youre better than a so-called colored. In 1924, Ruth's younger sister Gladys, nicknamed Dee-Dee, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. As I stepped on the bus she squeezed a bunch of bills and change into my hand. Well, I didnt feel number one with nobody but him, and I didnt give a hoot that he was black. We were all clearly black, of various shades of brown, some light brown, some medium brown, some very light-skinned, and all of us had curly hair. Id shout at him, abuse him verbally. Save over 50% with a SparkNotes PLUS Annual Plan! Whats a spirit? I went through this entire ordeal and here he was getting busy with somebody else. Theyd say forget it. Get on out! but hed never leave. Ruth's parents had forced Judaism on her, causing her to resent religion. Owens tries to tell James and his siblings that that Jesus is all colors, which confuses Jamess little brother, who has noticed that Jesus is always painted as white. That was a big thing in the South. Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. After her separation from her family, Ruth needed some source of relief from the guilt she felt, and she found that relief in Christianity's emphasis on the power of forgiveness. Purchasing TO CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND AVOID BEING CHARGED, YOU MUST CANCEL BEFORE THE END OF THE FREE TRIAL PERIOD. An Incredible Outcome In the book The Color of Water by James McBride son shares the troubles he had to go through while he was growing up as he also, shares his shares his mother's obstacles and triumphs. (including. Quotes By James McBride. The free trial period is the first 7 days of your subscription. on 2-49 accounts, Save 30% I didnt want to be white. By entering your email address you agree to receive emails from SparkNotes and verify that you are over the age of 13. Ruth McBride Jordan was born in Poland to an Orthodox Jewish family that immigrated to the United States when she was two. Your people will be my people and your God my God. If Im here and youre me, how can you be there at the same time? Id ask. Read more to know some of the unforgettable The Color of Water quotes. You got enough for a baseball team, he said. Instead, they are the color of water, which is colorless. Teacher Editions with classroom activities for all 1725 titles we cover. You'll also receive an email with the link. Her father's repeated attempts and failures to make a living as a rabbi meant her family had to relocate constantly. It was in my blood, you might say, and however the notion got there, it bothered me greatly. One morning a couple of years later when I was at Oberlin College, I went to my mailbox and found a letter from her telling me that her husband had died suddenly of cancer. My best friend Billy Smiths mother was as light as Mommy was and had red hair to boot, but there was no question in my mind that Billys mother was black and my mother was not. Ruth found Judaism to have too many rules to follow, too many forbiddens and you cants and you mustnts, without enough love. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. He has thought of this place as home, but he finds he is no longer here even in spirit. He was free. Youre making a mistake. That stopped me cold, because I didnt know how he learned it. She disliked people with money yet was in constant need of it. ., But as a kid, I preferred the black side, and often wished that Mommy had sent me to black schools like my friends. Does he like black or white people better? You werent accepted to be with a black man and that was that. That's why you have to say all your "sorrys" and "I love yous" while a person is living, because tomorrow isn't promised., See, a marriege needs love. Theyre all rich. To James, this symbolizes two things. Oh boyGods not black. Mommy stepped past them and walked through a haze of reefer smoke and took the elevator to the eighth floor. She worked at draining, poorly paid jobs. -Graham S. Below you will find the important quotes in, Would not have made it through AP Literature without the printable PDFs. Almost every scene in The Color of Water takes place against a backdrop of anti-Black racism in America. Rachel Shilsky is dead as far as Im concerned. Ruth McBride-Jordan Quotes in The Color of Water The The Color of Water quotes below are all either spoken by Ruth McBride-Jordan or refer to Ruth McBride-Jordan . I felt like a Tinkertoy kid building my own self out of one of those toy building sets; for as she laid her life before me, I reassembled the tableau of her words like a picture puzzle, and as I did, so my own life was rebuilt. Yet conflict was a part of our lives, written into our very faces, hands, and arms, and to see how contradiction lived and survived in its essence, we had to look no farther than our own mother. Please check back weekly to see what we have added. Continue to start your free trial. Hes a spirit. (including. A deep sigh. 138, with white classmates who were convinced I could dance like James Brown. Thats how I felt as a child. Given my black face and upbringing it was easy for me to flee into the anonymity of blackness, yet I felt frustrated to live in a world that considers the color of your face an immediate political statement whether you like it or not. My own humanity was awakened, rising up to greet me with a handshake as I watched the first glimmers of sunlight peek over the horizon. You'll also get updates on new titles we publish and the ability to save highlights and notes. Next to that, all the rules and religions in the world are secondary; mere words and beliefs that people choose to believe and kill and hate by. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. I wasnt worried about getting caught, but I did notice that Peters friends were terrified of me; they stayed clear anytime I came near them. The New Brown Memorial Church then also allows James and his siblings to connect to each other, to God, to their mother, and to their deceased father. While other people continue to suffer, Ruth finds solace in God. $24.99 Find related themes, quotes, symbols, characters, and more. She wipes her memory instantly and with purpose; its a way of preserving herself (Chpt. I found it odd and amazing when white people treated me that way, as if there were no barriers between us. Yet Mommy refused to acknowledge her whiteness. Theyd walk away from me if they saw me walking down the road coming toward them, and if they came into the store, they wouldnt even look at me. Need analysis for a quote we don't cover? No way. Now, as a grown man, I feel privileged to have come from two worlds. Mommys contradictions crashed and slammed against one another like bumper cars at Coney Island. SparkNotes PLUS I was always grateful to Aunt Betts for that. You'll be able to access your notes and highlights, make requests, and get updates on new titles. Different opinions between generations always exist. Want 100 or more? May 1, 2023, SNPLUSROCKS20 Theyd say for White Anglo-Saxon Protestants only. That was the law there and they meant it. Get books for your students and raise funds for your classroom. She found love and forgiveness in her husbands church and helped him to found a Baptist church. Sometimes it can end up there. Her photos are horrible, heads cut off, pictures of nothing, a table, a hand, a chair. My view of the world is not merely that of a black man but that of a black man with something of a Jewish soul. Her children became doctors, professors, chemists, teachers---yet none of us even knew her maiden name until we were grown. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. I belong to the world of one God, one people., Like most of the Jews in Suffolk they treated me very kindly, truly warm and welcoming, as if I were one of them which in an odd way I suppose I was. It was always so hot, and everyone was so polite, and everything was all surface but underneath it was like a bomb waiting to go off., Mommys contradictions crashed and slammed against one another like bumper cars at Coney Island. I believed my true self was a boy who lived in the mirror. Ruth and her black husband were often afraid for their lives and taught their children not to mix with outsiders. From the creators of SparkNotes, something better. When I asked if she was white, she'd say, "I'm light-skinned," and change the subject. As I walked along the wharf and looked over the Nansemond River, which was colored an odd purple by the light of the moon, I said to myself, What am I doing here? A poignant line in the book, and the most referenced. Hes a spirit. Does he like black or white people better?He loves all people. Instant downloads of all 1725 LitChart PDFs Sometimes you just need to believe in yourself. Although white fear of black people is the most dangerous type of racial policing in the book, many people, both black and white, strictly monitor the boundaries of their race and see interracial relationships as threatening. He may walk along old familiar streets and roads, but he is a stranger in a strange land. Ruth's younger sister. To the very end, Mommy is a flying compilation of competing interests and conflicts, a black woman in white skin, with black children and a white womans physical problem. I would have preferred that Mommy were black. There was music playing on a stereo inside, and the voice of someone on the phone. Ruth's chaotic household also reflects this need for motion. There was something inside me, an ache I had, like a constant itch that got bigger and bigger as I grew, that told me. , I was ashamed of my mother, but see, love didn't come natural to me until I became a Christian.- Ruth McBride, The man was the finest preacher. Ruth Mcbride Challenges. She catches all of her important moments with a camera, waddling down Brooklyns Atlantic Avenue from the A train to Long Island College Hospital to take pictures of my daughter Azures first days of life; standing my toddler son, Jordan, up against a tree in her yard so she can snap a quick picture of him in his Easter outfit. . Thats how I felt as a child. A penetrating loneliness covered me, lay on me so heavily I had to sit down and cover my face. Through marriage, adoptions, love-ins, and shack-ups, the original dozen has expanded into dozens and dozens morewives, husbands, children, grandchildren, cousins, nieces, nephewsranging from dark-skinned to light-skinned; from black kinky hair to blonde hair and blue eyes. creating and saving your own notes as you read. It sounded like Helen. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. In fact, she didnt look like Richie, or Davidor any of her children for that matter. Welcome back. A nigger and you? Members will be prompted to log in or create an account to redeem their group membership. She opened the door for me but closed it for herself long ago, and for her to crack it open and peek inside was like eating fire. She and my father brought a curious blend of Jewish-European and African-American distrust and paranoia into our house (Chpt. Whatevers wrong well fix. Finding religion is frequently a metaphor for discovering a deeper personal truth; as James becomes more religious in his adulthood, he is suddenly granted insights into his mothers faith and her motivations. I told him I didnt want to see him anymore and walked back through the black neighborhood, into the store, and went upstairs and cried my heart out, because I still loved him. Its not about black or white., I myself had no idea who I was. He loves all people. Rachel, or Ruth as she calls herself, fled her Jewish family when she was eighteen to marry a black man, Andrew McBride. Weeks passed, months, and Helen didnt return. James' house is messy, a "combination three-ring circus and zoo," with pets rotating in and out. Water doesnt have a color.. 1550 Words7 Pages. As an adult, James learns that because his mother was Jewish, he is technically Jewish too. We talk about other times, other places, other persons, and lose our living hold on the present. 25, p. 271). Instant PDF downloads. This is no place for you to be. You can view our. The way the content is organized, LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in, Compare and contrast themes from other texts to this theme, The ThemeTracker below shows where, and to what degree, the theme of Religion appears in each chapter of. Please Log In or add your name and email to post the comment. Later, their local preacher Rev. Thats what counts., since I was a little boy, she had always wanted me to go. Read more to know some of the unforgettable The Color of Water quotes. You'll also receive an email with the link. The image of her riding that bicycle typified her whole existence to me. Validate reading with our Dynamic Quiz System. "Oh boyGod's not black. You know, the thing was, I was supposed to be white and number one, too. | Ruth associates Judaism with her unhappy upbringing, and the discrimination she faced as a child in her small Southern town. And God. Ruth tells James that his father Andrew McBride, a reverend, was a man with "vision". . Free trial is available to new customers only. Did you know you can highlight text to take a note? Later that day I was standing on the street with a group of black students and one of them said, Forget these whiteys. Those leaders are no better than their Jewish counterparts who spin statistics in marvelous ways to make African-Americans look like savages, criminals, drags on society, and animals (a word quite popular when used to describe blacks these days). I know youre gonna marry a shvartse. She disliked people with money yet was in constant need of it. If Im here and youre me, how can you be there at the same time? Id ask. . Please come home, Helen. This quote, from near the end of the book, comes from James's description of the gap between how he imagined it would be to write this memoir, and how it actually felt to write the memoir. Thanks for checking out our website. Ill never learn to drive, she said. Although he is guilty of nothing but walking down the street at the wrong time, Richie must go to court. All men are equal and focus on your own improvement. They were trying hard to be American, you know, not knowing what to keep and what to leave behind. I would have preferred that Mommy were black. She could back the trailer up with the goods in it, unload it at the store, back the car into the yard, unhook the trailer, and park the car in the garage, backing in. I stayed on the black side because that was the only place I could stay. 25, p. 277). They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!, This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. Discount, Discount Code It took me fourteen years to unearth her remarkable story---the daughter of an Orthodox Jewish rabbi, she married a black man in 1942---and she revealed it more as a favor to me than out of any desire to revisit her past.
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ruth mcbride quotes