1) Ask (3) questions from the chapter that you'd really like answered.
2) Write a response, choosing a line and explaining it's significance to you. Please remember: no plot re-cap! Share your analysis, make connections to the world, ask questions, and deepen your thinking.
3) Don't forget to respond to someone else's post!
3) Don't forget to respond to someone else's post!
"I never starved from food till i got married. But i was starving in another way. I was starving for love and affection. I didn't get none of that."
ReplyDeleteThis helps build up Ruth's character. She always mentions how much she craved love. I feel like maybe she left home at a young age because she didnt recieve affection. She may not be in bad conditions like certain people but she is missing something key to her which is love and attention. Many people seem to crave love and attention,or in general something they don't have. People are ususally not satisfied with what they have so they want more. One question I have is why did Ruth have so many children if she craved attention for so long? How did she meet her first husband? Lastly, overall how does she feel about her and what would she change?
I really like how you connected this with a bigger audience. I also was about to use this quote and I now see how you think about it.
Delete“I was a smart kid. I read a lot. I played music well. I went to church. I had what black folks call good hair, because it was curly as opposed to nappy. I was light-skinned or brown-skinned, and girls thought I was cute despite my shyness. Yet I myself had no idea who I was.” pg 91
ReplyDeleteThis stood out to me because it shows the bigger theme of the book of not knowing or being confused about who you are and you’re identity. We have already seen this through Ruth when she first runs away from home and wants her old self to be “dead.” This makes me think that bullies or just people in his class, used to make fun of James of being black because that’s what he looked like on the surface, but James didn’t know how to respond to this because his mother is white. Maybe he feels embarrassed that he doesn’t know who to be.
I agree he doesn't know what to say when people ask what he is. And also it seems as though James and Ruth have a connect because they are both lost and don't know how to identify themselves. Ruth was to be someone new and be able to be herself without having to be classified.
DeleteThree questions.
ReplyDeleteWhy did Ruth feel safe in the cementary with her friend Frances?
Why would Ruth go back to the Hasidic Jews for deals when she tries to stay away from them?
Why does Ruth try to hide her Yiddish and James' question?
“I belong to the world of one God, one people. But as a kid, I preferred the black side, and often wished that Mommy had sent me to black schools like my friends” (Chpt. 10, p. 104)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it shows how James thinks about race. I don’t think James is racist, and thinks that blacks are better than whites, or vice-versa. I think James felt he would have been more comfortable if he was in a school with people of the same race as him. This is similar to when James found a picture of God, and he was depicted as white. I also think to some extent James wishes his mom was also black. All James wanted was to fit in, but Ruth thought getting a better education was far more important than fitting in. People in general strive to fit in, and do things they feel most comfortable with. People do this because they like the familiarity and are scared of anything new. People also want to fit in because they are scared of being an outcast and too different. This makes me ask some questions like: Do James’ siblings feel like this too? Why didn’t the Mom send the kids to a black school? And what does James think about this topic when he grows up?
I agree with your comments. Your post kind of reminded me of Holden and the way he hated phonies but wanted to fit in at the same time. I guess James feels similarly to Holden because he is an outcast in many ways, he doesn't fit in a category. Also, I think James' siblings are pretty confused and have strong beliefs about race too, like Helen who ran away and Dennis who was an activist.
Delete"The merchant looked at her, then at me. Then back at her. Then at me again. The surprise written on his face changed to anger and disgust, and it took me completely by surprise. I thought the man would see Ma, think they had something in common, then give her the dough and we'd be off." pg. 102
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it illustrates a sad truth. For some reason, people always seem to see the differences between them, and not the commonalities. Of course it was terrible that the merchant would discriminate against anyone, but I think its even more significant that no matter how much humans have in common, they find a reason to hate. We are afraid of anything we don't have experience with, and lacking knowledge about mixed race families, the merchant's fear of the unknown became anger. I also have several questions about the book so far. Why didn't Ruth ever talk about race with her children? Why were Jews hated more than other immigrants when Ruth was growing up? What do/did James McBride and his siblings do in the world today?
I feel you really analyze the best trait about the quote. Although he thinks the man will be friendly due to the mom being Jewish he sees the brutal reality that even though the mom is Jewish he is black and not accepted due to that.
DeleteI agree, when people meet others they automatically place judgement on the other person. It's wrong, but when you physically show your judgement on others it's rude. As for Ruth never talking about race with her children I think we will find out soon, but I think we will never get a answer we will just get hints and we will have to put the pieces together.
Delete"I imagined what my siblings would have done. They would have gone wild... But I was not them." (90)
ReplyDeleteJames is referred to as a derogatory term by a classmate and instead of him getting angry and hurting the person who said it he remains quiet. He talks about how his siblings would've gone crazy but he was not like them. I think this passage really brings to light James's independence. He knows his brothers and sisters would've handled it differently but he does what he thinks is right and remains quiet.
I forgot to ask the 3 questions:
Delete1. Are James's siblings more aware of the outside world than he is?
2. Does Ruth ever reveal all the secrets she's kept from her children?
3. What is ahead for James's future?
Matt Baldwin
DeleteI agree with your first paragraph, but your first question was answered on one of the first pages. All of the kids know the mom story by 14 years old
"I imagined what my siblings would have done. They would have gone wild... But I was not them."
ReplyDeleteI liked this quote because the family is judged as outsiders. But this quote shows the individuality of each member of the family. I kind of didn’t realize that they were individuals because of the big family impression that we get in the beginning of the book. It also kind of tells me that James feels different from his siblings. I think we will see more differences as the book progresses. This book is following the theme of identity of the main character like Frank in Angela’s Ashes and Holden in Catcher in the Rye.
Does James feel like an outsider in his family?
Would James change anything about his mother if we can?
Can James handle the pressure of racial difference?
Are they similarities between Catcher in the rye and Angela’s Ashes?
I agree with you! When people are with other people a lot, they tend to merge into the same person in our minds. For example, my cousin and his wife dated for a long time, but we never really had an opinion about her because she was always hanging around my cousin so she didn't have a personality we had noticed. Then my cousin went away for a lecture at his college in another state and we got to know his girlfriend really well and we soon realized she had her own individual personality and was not just part of my cousin to us.
Delete"I was starving for love and affection" pg 83
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me a lot. Ruth admits that her parents didn't really show her any love or affection. I was wondering if that's why maybe she is the way she now so closed up and working all day. But she is also trying to be different from her parents she worries a lot more than her parents did for her. It's sad o think that there are parents out there who have kids but act like they aren't there. I think that is why Ruth resents them and left, because who would want to live with people who are suppose to be you parents but never show any love. If I was in Ruth's shoes I would have left also, my parents support is very important to me and if try aren't supportive then what's the point of living with people who don't show you they love you.
I agree. I think that this really shows the dynamic of love and family versus money. Ruth starts out in a wealthy family, but she has no joy there. Now, she has the opposite, which is probably because she was "starving for love and affection," so she wanted to have a large and loving family.
DeleteThree Questions:
ReplyDeleteWhy is James so embarrassed of his mom?
Why did Ruth still care about her dad even thought he abused her?
Why did Ruth only tell James about her past?
“You know a Jew living in Suffolk when I was coming up could be lonely even if there was fifteen of them standing in the room, I don’t know why; it’s that feeling that nobody likes you; that’s how I felt living in the south. You were different from everyone and liked by very few.”
ReplyDelete“They would stare in shock as Mommy walked in, trailed by five or six of us.”
I find these two quotes very interesting, because in some ways, they prove that Ruth is being very hypocritical. In the first quote, she talks about how, when she grew up, nobody liked her. She felt alone, even with other people who were of her same faith. She felt very different then everybody else, like nobody liked her. However in the second quote, James describes growing up with Ruth as a mother. They lived in an African American community, yet she was white. In the quote, Ruth, who is white is walking around with her African American children. This makes her stand out. In this new life she chose for herself, she is completely different then almost everybody else, and James always describes people as thinking of her as different. In a way, in her new life, she chose to live as an outcast, even though she described hating it in her old life.
Three Questions:
What would Ruths reaction be if she won the lottery? What would she spend that money on?
Do you think that Ruth can relate to Helen running away?
Why does James care so much about his mother's past?
Like Holden I don't think Ruth really knows how to fit in. Ruth chose to be an outcast because being an outcast was the only life she knew. She chose the type of life she was used to and comfortable with. To add on to your idea of Ruth being a hypocrite, I think even though most people want to fit in Ruth has the need to stand out and be an outcast.
Delete“You know I’m spooked around dead folks. To this day you can’t get me near a graveyard” (82).
ReplyDeleteAt first I was surprised about Ruth being scared of dead people because she doesn’t tend to be scared of much. Then I thought about how Ruth’s family sees her as dead and they always have. I think that made Ruth compare herself to a dead person which means Ruth is scared of herself. She is scared about her life and her identity. She is scared of herself because she doesn’t know what she is actually like.
Three questions:
1.James says "only later did the anger come bursting out of me" (90). When and why does the anger come out of James?
2. Most of James' siblings deal with racism in some way, how will James deal with it?
3. Why does Ruth struggle with the concept of identity?
" 'If you're a nobody,' she said dryly, 'it doesn't matter what color you are.' " (pg.92)
ReplyDeleteI found this quote important because Ruth is giving an important life lesson. If you grow up to be unsuccessful and ignored, no one will care whether you are black or white. If you are a nobody, the only things people will care about when it comes to you is the fact that you are unsuccessful and a nobody.
3 questions:
1.)Why does Ruth not allow her children to have many friends?
2.) Why, despite the fact that Ruth was terrified and ill-treated by her father, do some of her parenting tactics share strong similarities to his?
3.)Why do you think Frances and Ruth became friends while everyone else mocked Ruth? What does this show about Frances' character?
I agree fully with you. I found this quote to be a very essential one as well. I think that she wrote this because she was speaking from her own personal experience and was explaining her perspective based on her life. Because she was the rabbi's daughter, all eyes, in a way, were on her. After marrying a black man, she only recieved criticism and judgment. Thus, shes concluding that if you're a nobody, the color of your skin won't matter to the public.
Delete"I thought Jews were something that was in the bible. I'd heard about them in Sunday school, through Jesus and such. I told Ma I didn't know that they were still around."
ReplyDeleteThis quote really stands out to me because it shows, how little he knew or how little he was taught about his mother's history, and the history of his mothers people. The quote highlights how secretive his mother was to all of her children including James. It also gives the story a sense of mysteriousness to some of the characters, and it also gives some of the children a purpose, like when they were little and would trade secrets and or rumors with each other about their mother. It also keeps the reader on their toes, hoping that in every chapter we might learn something new about this large character.
1. Why does Frances respect Ruth? Is she the only one?
2. After James presented his dance to the class, afterwards did they still respect him?
3. Is there a deeper meaning into why she was removed from the family? Other than getting married to someone of African-American descent?
I agree with your opinion. I mean I believe that's Ruth's whole purpose is not to let race define her children's identity, which is why she so secretive about her heritage. I think Frances respects Ruth because she doesn't see a difference between them. She accepts her for who she is, and also because as a child you're not so judgmental towards people.
Delete"I never starved from food till i got married. But i was starving in another way. I was starving for love and affection. I didn't get none of that." (pg. 83)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it gave me a big idea of why Ruth may have made certain life choices that pretty much seperated her from her family and other Jews like them. The fact that she was involved in such a strict life style and strict religion and wasn't even shown affection in her marriage because of that, may be the reason behind her actions. Ruth may have also craved love and could have left home at such an early age because she didnt receive it. Certain people can deal with showing no affection because that's how they were raised, but Ruth couldn't and I believe that she felt that the life she was living was not for her.
I agree with you. Ruth left her strict life behind to move onto one better for her, that she would enjoy more. But this leads me to question whether or not Ruth is giving her children the life she wants them to have. She is very strict about education, she beats her children if they don't do their homework, and the "little kids" have to listen to orders, they're not allowed to voice their opinion. So, is she creating the environment she really wants for her kids?
DeleteI think she is creating a family with order becuase she doesnt want her kids to mix uo with the other black kids. She left that home becuase of the rules and not having love. I doubt she would do that to her kids it just may be hard for her since she never learned as a child how to give that so called thing as love.
Delete"I never starved for food till I got married. But I was starving in another way. I was starving for love and affection. I didn't get none of that." (page 83)
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me for several reasons. In my opinion this quote reveals that Ruth in reality sort of despises money. She would rather be poor than wealthy because she believes money doesn't always bring one happiness. In her case her father did provide her with the best like food and an education, but she didn't get that affection, love, and comfort a child needs from neither one of her parents. It seems she would trade all the money in the world to have a bond between her parents. Where they would actually sit down and spend time with her and enjoy the moments they have with her as a child. Rather then her father being so blunt and compassionate with her.
I'm not so sure what type of relationship Ruth actually had with her mother, but she does seem to love her a lot from what I've read. Maybe her relationship with her mother wasn't as great as she wanted it to be due to her mother's fear of Tateh because it does seem like Tateh has control over her. In general people can relate because cycles always repeat. Humans carry bad traits from their parents whether they realize it or not. Sometimes one doesn't know how to love because they have never been loved before, so maybe this all goes back to how Ruth's parents were raised as well.
A question that keeps lingering is why does Ruth have so many children? How is she able to have that love and affection towards each one of her kids? When she barely has time to keep the household together.
un-compassionate*
DeleteMatthew Baldwin
ReplyDelete"I was starving for love and affection. I didn't get none of that."
I thinks this quote means that after Ruth left her family to marry a black man, she never got any love from them again. But this quote also shows that she didn't feel loved by her husband also. I think this quote at the end to chapter 9, means that she might of rethought leaving her family and regretted it. I think if she stayed with her family she would have had a nicer life. After she left them she lost their supply of money. In chapter 10, she and James complain about not having enough of it.
Questions:
Why tell two stories at once?
Why does he care so much about his moms past?
why won't the mom tell James?
I disagree that she would've been happier with money, because money can by you objects to survive, but it can't buy emotions and love and happiness. True you can be happy having nice clothes and what not, but then you come back to the coldness of who you must spend the rest of your life left.
DeleteKatya
"The boy in the mirror, he didn't seem to have an ache. He was free. He was never hungry, he had his own bed probably, and his mother wasn't white." (pg. 91)
ReplyDeleteThis just showed how James summed up all his problems by using a mirror to show the alternate universe were everything was perfect. In a way, he was telling the world what he wanted without actually saying it, only using another thing / being to express how he really felt. I don't think he told anybody this, even if he did, his mother could probably care less. Just how people say they want what they don't have and have what they don't want, I think that is how James feels. He's experienced living in a impoverished family and community, being different from his only parent, and kind of like Catcher in the Rye, was just free from all his aches and pains. Like his mother though, I was surprised he didn't mention wanting to have money, I think his mother drilled that money wasn't important. I would have thought that any less fortunate kid would think that money was the base of their problems, including James'. Maybe that is what makes his family so different.
Hey Sophia, I agree! Basically because James feels that he doesn't have someone he can talk to, he tries to talk to himself and figure out who he really is.
DeleteKatya Bakal-Schlomann
ReplyDelete"I remember him, and how free he was, and I hated him even more." (p.105)
This quotes refers to the boy in the mirror. It stands out to me because James is feeling exactly how his mother did when she was growing up: he wants to be free. It makes me wonder if it is Ruth's parenting, the fact that James is discriminated, or both that causes a strong desire for freedom. Ruth tries very hard to keep her family perfectly together, but sometimes if you try to hard it backfires. This reminds me of a utopia, because in a utopia, people try to keep their society perfect, which is impossible because people are different and will have different views on perfections, so utopias ultimately fail. I also wonder if part of James' hatred for the boy in the mirror comes from the fact that he feels he has to be too outgoing, and that he has to stand out even more to fit in. James felt accepted when his classmates applauded after he did his dance. This must've also confused him because he is used to trying to fit in, and thinking that he is an outcast because he is different, so to do something strange and get rewarded must be difficult for him to understand. James is dealing with the conflicts of fitting in in society, which is an issue everybody faces. With James realizing the difficulties of fitting into society, it makes me wonder how he will attempt to. Will he try to keep on dancing? I don't think James really like dancing, but maybe he'd rather fit in society than be his true self. Or maybe his journey to fitting in will reveal who he is and where he belongs. I think that is how most people find themselves, who they should be with, and where they belong.
"I was almost grown before i could eat meat. the sight of my father plunging his knife into that cow was enough to make me avoid it for years. i was terrified of my father. he put the fear of god in me."-page 80
ReplyDeleteThis here really shows the strained relationship between he and his father. His father appears to have an intimidating nature that prevents him from communicating with others and more specifically, his family. His outlook and atitude has a tendency to be forced upon others and it genuinely frightens people to know how cynical and fearful one can be. The father seems completely ruthless and that type of lifestyle can have a profound effect on all who are subject to it. In life, to have a fundamental darkness is quite the undesirable trait to posess mostly because others will have a lot of trouble relating to you and trying to be friendly and social towards you. Clearly, the father should drop his cynicism from his inner personality.
"But I was starving in another way. I was starving for love and affection. I didn't get none of that." Page 83
ReplyDeleteI found that quote from the book very important because it talks about how Ruth was starving for love because she didn't have any. So she was a very lonely and needy person due to her family members not giving her the attention that she seeks and needs. So, she found almost of that piece of attention in her friend Frances, but later on you will see that Ruth needs more attention and love than a friendship type of attention and love.
So here comes the questions...Why would Ruth move out from her parents house and look for another job and live by herself? Why don't she tell her mother what's going on? why doesn't she ask her friend Frances for help?
I agree with you when you say, "so she was a very lonely and needy person due to her family members not giving her the attention that she seeks and needs." This also reflects how her children feel. Her children are desperate for attention from their mother because there are so many of them. I think everyone is a little needy for attention and love. We all want to be cared by others, whether its a family member, a friend, or a lover.
Delete"You know I'm spooked around dead folks. To this day you can't get me near a graveyard. But when I was with Frances, it didn't bother me a bit. It seemed like the easiest, most natural thing in the world, to sit on somebody's headstone under the cool shade of a tree and chat." (page 82)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it made me think about Ruth's exposure to death. As a kid, she experienced her grandfather dying, and at the time she didn't quite understand what death was. Then in chapter nine, she explains how she experienced her father killing cows. This is significant because at this time in her life, she wasn't afraid of graveyards. But, once she became a grown adult, she was. This made me wonder if she won't go around graveyards because both of her husbands died. She claims James' father changed her life completely, and so he could have also completely changed her view on death. Could this be the reason Ruth doesn't want to be around dead people?
I completely agree with you. I also think that this whole theme of death relates to the innocence theme in Catcher in the Rye; maybe only adults can understand death.
Delete"Nobody liked me. That's how I felt as a child. I know what it feels like when people laugh at you walking down the street..." (p.80)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it tells us a lot about Ruth, her childhood, and why she is the way she is. It shows another aspect of Ruth's sad, and painful childhood. These incidents makes her relatable to the African Americans that experience segregation in their life, because she was also ridiculed for being different. This may be a contributing factor as to why she tends to be around African Americans more than lighter-skinned people, like the neighborhoods she has lived in, and continues to live in. This quote connects to the world because people frequently have the same feeling, that nobody likes them. This line is so relatable because it could be said by anyone in the world. It is a horrible feeling when you are mocked, no one likes you, and it is all simply because you are different.
Some questions I have are: Why do people in the world care about what others think of them? What exactly does Ruth mean when she says it was a "better poor" back then? Why didn't Ruth discuss much of her personal life, like her father, with Francis, did Ruth trust her?
I agree with you. As a young child, Ruth not only went through a tough time with family rules and pressure but she also faced the judgment for being different from the outsiders. I also think that maybe she sees the connection between herself and African Americans. If we have guessed correctly, it would explain a lot about Ruth's aspect of the world. People expect you to be different yet the same at the same time.
DeleteI agree with you a lot, I like how you questioned the "better poor" part of Ruth's life. Why does she keep her childhood pain brief? I think she's afraid of something big that'll all shock us at the end of this book.
Delete"I was starving for love and affection. i didnt get none of that." (pg83)
ReplyDeleteI pick this quote because this explains why she doesnt seem to show a lot of emotions. She was never tought to show and was never given the love she need as a child. She always had food to eat but she didnt want that. As a child she was abused form her father and was never given the oppertunity to be loved. So when she met the black man which later became the father of her kids she felt something she had never felt. She left her family becuase this made her feel special and important which her family never gave her. She didnt run away from her family she went out looking for a family that she nevr had.
"In this pre-busing era, my siblings and I were unlike most other kids in our neighorhood, traveling miles and miles to largely white, Jewish communities to attend school while our friends walked to the neighborhood school."-page 89
ReplyDeleteQuestions: Why would Ruth make her kids travel so far for school when they face the same criticism as she did when she went to school? Why is she focusing them to live a much harder life rather than going to the neighborhood school? Ruth's dad made sure that she went to a good school and recieved the best education even that mean he had to pay for it, does Ruth have the same opinion on this topic?
James and his siblings could simply going to the neighborhood school but their mom went through all the trouble for them to go to a better school. She didn't ask for their opinion but rather making them and I keep wondering if this contributed to the pressure they recieved and the reason why Helen ran away. Ruth herself was forced to go to school with the white and she knows how that feel but she still doing it to her kids. Why? I feel like maybe she didn't get the chance to do something much more bigger with her education that she wanted her kids to do it for her. Maybe they could be what she once wanted.
"I was starvimg for love and affection." -Page 83
ReplyDeleteThis line is essential to the entire novel because I think it helps the reader better understand Ruth in the present. By making such a statement, Ruth was admitting that her parents never loved her enough like a child would've wished. I think this, in a way, has affected how she treats her children, and how she shows an adequate amount of affection for them, but still is bery closed-off and atrict in a way. Her rough childhood certainly was the backdrop for how she would raise her children.
I agree with you and I like how you related the quote to how she raises her children. Also, I think she learned what NOT to do from her parents and probably use it as an example of what she's going to do. I don't think she wants her kids to experience what she did.
Delete"I never starved for for food till I got married." Page 83
ReplyDeleteI chose this quote because it raised many questions for me and said a lot about her decision. It means that Ruth was never starved like other people, but when she left her family, she did. How was she able to cope with a life she wasn't used to? She was willing to leave a life where she had food and a shelter to live in because she starved for love and affection. Although she was getting enough food she lacked love that was needed for her to go on. Why didn't she marry a rich man? She decided to marry a black guy and no one approved of it. She was happy though and it showed me how she doesn't care. How did Ruth find the strength to against her family? Ruth was able to find strength since she longed for affection and care. Her family was never there for her and didn' treat her as parents would. That caused Ruth to make her decisions.
“I was a smart kid. I read a lot. I played music well. I went to church. I had what black folks call good hair, because it was curly as opposed to nappy. I was light-skinned or brown-skinned, and girls thought I was cute despite my shyness. Yet I myself had no idea who I was.” (pg. 91)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it displays a theme of self search and identity. The fact that many of these people thought good things about him such as girls thinking he's cute and people saying he has "good hair" and yet he still doesn't know who he truly is shows that for whatever reason he doesn't feel like thats his true self, and he has to find who he really is, similar to what Holden often went through in The Catcher in the Rye. Self search and identity are big topics in reality also and I think it may continue to be a theme in the book.
I really liked the quote that you chose, and the way that you describe it. This is really good!!
Delete"To this day you cant get me near a graveyard. But when I was with Frances, it didn't bother me a bit." pg 82.
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it showed how confident one friend could make Ruth. I wondered why frances gave her the ability to go through a graveyard. How did Frances make her fears go away? I think it had to do with the fact that Ruth trusted Frances to the extent where she wasn't afraid anymore. Additionally I wondered why Frances wasn't influenced to think that being Jewish wasn't acceptable. Was it the way her parents raised her or was it her personal reference? Lastly I wondered what gave Frances the courage to go up to Ruth in the first place. I wondered if Frances felt bad which is very likely but than eventually she grew to actually want to be her friend.
"That's how she was. She'd do little things to let you know she was on your side. It didn't bother her one bit that I was Jewish, and if she was around, no one in school would tease me."
ReplyDeleteI liked this line a lot. It displays the only real friendship Ruth had, and how important is was to her. Ruth went through a lot as a little girl, bullying in school, following the Jewish religion she barely agreed with, and having to be so shy and closed up. Frances changed all of that for her. She was so nice and open to her, making her comfortable and friendly. This friendship is exactly what Ruth needed. Why didn't she try to return the favor? Was Frances considered better than her, not needing help with anything? Why didn't anyone mess with Frances?
I was starving for love and affection."
ReplyDeletePage 83
This quote stood right out to me. Ruth explains that she wanted love from her parents, yet they never seemed to give it to her. Ruth had a tough life growing up, but if she were to be loved, she would have never gone against her parents. She was hungry for attention from her weak mom, and her scary father. I believe that is the reason why she ran away and did everything that they were against, because she wanted their attention.
"Back in the 1960s, when she had money, which was hardly ever,"
ReplyDelete- It speaks for itself, but it's undeniably powerful. It's interesting that James chose to add the "hardly ever" part of that line. He could've kept it as "when she had money" but created a bigger emotional impact with that little extra. He shows how special it was when she had money, that she could take them places and give them things. And since they have so little, just a little bit of money can make a big difference. That's how it is in life, and this line defines that beautifully.