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, discuss imagery, 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!
"Weed was my friend, weed kept me running from the truth. And the truth was my mother falling apart." (Pg. 163)
ReplyDeleteJames is addicted to drugs because he wants to escape reality of his life and the fact that his mother is depressed. James reminds me of Holden because Holden also wants to escape reality so he uses his red hunting hat, when James uses weed. The only reason I think people use drugs is to escape their difficult, sad lives. Think about it, most drugs make you happy or hallucinate, which shows you the oposite of reality. Therefore, James can't give up drugs because he doesn't want to see the reality of his mother and her painful reality.
I agree, James and holden are alike. They both try to run away from problems so they don't have to deal with them. James uses his weed to protect him from reality because he wants to get away from it and Holden used his red-hunting hat to protect him from reality so he doesn't have to deal with it.
DeleteI wrote my post about the same quote, look below.
DeleteI agree, but I also think James abuses drugs because it's the opposite of what his mother wants. His mother is abandoning him in his time of grief and need, and this is his way of rebelling and getting back at her. And James and Holden are alike; they both try to escape reality in their teenage years.
Delete" It was time for mommy to drive."I hate this" she said as we climbed in."You have to tell me what to do." (Pg.160)
ReplyDelete-This stood out to me because I think that she wanted some sort of direction and she was ready for it, so then she asked James for it. I also think she finally realized she needs change in her life, so she did something she never does which is driving in James' step-fathers' car.
But then, after "changing her life" by driving the car, she refuses to drive ever again and sells the car. What does that symbolize?
DeleteI also found this quote interesting. Ruth drives the family car on all sorts of complicated business, as a girl in the South. She forgets this knowledge as an adult in New York. This is indicative of how different her life has become, to the point where she develops the skills of two different people.
Delete"Weed was my friend, wed kept me running from the truth. And the truth was my mother was falling apart." Page 163
ReplyDeleteJames's mother has and always will be the glue that held there family together. As she began to fall apart, so did her family. James saw his mothers deterioration into near insanity and could not handle it. He relied on his mother and loved her, although he would never admit it. James and Ruth are extremely simular in that way. Ruth hated her life, but cared for and almost pitied her mother. Her desertion of the mother that cared for her and needed her stayed with her as an unignorable guilt.
I found this quote interesting too, because James really did have the power to fix his mother and to finally make her happy, yet he chose to avoid her and continue his drug use pretending that there was no problem.
DeleteI really like the parallel you drew between James and Ruth about deserting their mothers. I agree with you that James could not deal with his mother falling apart, since she was the one who was always strong and brought order to his and his siblings' lives. I think that James was afraid of what would happen next, and maybe that is why he avoided helping his mother.
DeleteI think that James was scared that he wouldn't be able to fix his mother's problems so he ran away from them. I also think that he didn't want to try to fix his problems because he wanted to make himself think that he had no problems. He doesn't want to realize how addicted he is when he himself already knows it on some level.
Delete"How she knew I knew how to drive she mercifully chose not to discuss, but by then I had begun to turn around." (Pg.161)
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting how Ruth's actions in this instance closely resemble her own mother's. When Ruth found out that she had become pregnant her mother, without discussion, sent her to New York and that problem was solved. When James is out
on the streets, driving and stealing cars his mother knows about it but there is no discussion. In fact his own circumstances, and realization of what has been happening to him ,leads him to begin turning his life around. James, like his mother , also begins to find solace in the worship of God and religion.
My questions are:
Delete!) Can a change in lifestyle become a change in personality as well?
2) Can a radical shift cause a person to forget skills that he/she has accumlated?
3) Do you think that Ruth's traumatic experiences caused her to associate driving with the pain in her past?
Great connection! That's actually really interesting, I didn't think about that. Both situations are pretty equally bad. The only thing I wonder about is, if Ruth had such a bad childhood, then why is she following in the steps if her mother?
Delete"I was still Jewish at heart"
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because of how far Ruth goes from Judaism once she gets to New York. Being Jewish is obviously a huge part of her family that her mother and father would not give up, even to see her graduate, yet Ruth never seems to be enthralled by it. I think the reason Ruth gets so emotional is because even though she doesn't have loving parental figures in her life, she still wants them as any child would. She craves respect and love from her parents and doesn't want to let them down even if they don't treat her well. Growing up without loving parental figures can do no good for a child and is shown multiple times through the book, (when James' grades plumet and he practically drops out of school after the death of his grandfather)but made Ruth who she is and she grew stronger by herself without the help of Parents.
my questions are:
DeleteDo Ruth's parents ever say sorry?
James says that Ruth never told her children about her past even after his stepfather died, but when did she and how?
what happened prior to driving that made Ruth motivated to drive?
I completely agree with what you're saying here. You bring up a great point about Ruth wanting to have loving parental figures in her life. I also like what you said about how growing up without parental figures can affect who you become.
Delete"Rachel Deborah Shilsky could drive a car and pull a trailer behind it, but Ruth McBride Jordan had never touched a steering wheel before thta day in 1973, and you can make a book on it." pg. 168
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because it showed how much Ruth really changed her identity over the years. She changed into an entirely different person, and left her childhood self behind completely. This also made me think about how James was trying out different identities as a kid, because he had no idea who he really was. For example, he at first constantly tries to please his mother by going to school and getting good grades, but after his stepfather dies, he rebels against his mom by dropping out of school and becoming a young criminal. I think people try being different people because they're either really insecure about who they are, or they detest who they are. No one will ever truly be happy with themselves. This is the cause of most emotional distress today, I believe.
I agree that both Ruth and James had a difficult time understanding their identities. I feel like Ruth leaving her childhood self behind was her trying to move on. I think that James wanted to find his purpose in life which was why he was constantly trying different identities. He was so used to pleasing other people that he didn't know how to appreciate himself.
Delete"I walked home sobbing in my cap and gown and caught a Greyhound bus for New york the very next day." -page 158
ReplyDeleteRuth tried really hard in school, so I thought that the graduation would mean so much to her. Frances also means so much to her which kind of confuses me to why she left. I assume that she left because even though she started forming her own opinions and making new decisions, Judaism has been such a big part of her life. Ruth wasn't ready to let that go yet. This also makes me wonder though, if Judaism was significant to Ruth and leaving her graduation was such a hard decision then why did she go to New York? Why didn't she just stay with her family where everything was normal and familiar? Also, why did she leave her poor mother? She said she felt so bad that her dad didn't love or care for her, so why didn't she bring her mother with her to New York?
Maybe because she knew the consicuencess. Her father was a tyrant in their household, he was the worst to them. I don't think he ever loved her or his children. In the begginng of the book Ruth explains that he saw them as his ticket into the states, he threatened to send them back so I think that she was never one of her priorites to him.
DeleteI think that she needed to escape. She thought about the pros and cons, but her emotions were all over the place. I don't know if she was thinking straight, but she seemed to let these negative emotions drive all her choices, and that's why she left.
Deleteyeah me too, I think that Ruth needed to escape. I think she didn't bring her mother to New York because she wanted to get away from her past, she wanted to forget about everything in it. She just wanted to escape it all, and in order to do that she had to leave her mother behind. I don't think she left her mother out of selfishness, even though it was for her problems. she wanted out of her family.
DeleteWhy did Ruth not want to remember ever being able to drive a car?
ReplyDeleteIs James' sudden change in behavior contributing to Ruth's break down?
Will either James or Ruth be able to recover from their "mid-life crises?"
"She slammed the car into drive and pulled off in a cloud of burning rubber and smoke, swerving down the street, screaming hysterically—'Wooooooooo!'
'Slow down, Ma!' I said.
She ignored me. 'I don't hace a license!' she shrieked as the car veered form sided to side. 'If I get stopped I'm going to jail!' "
"The car sat there, the motor humming softly, while Mommy gasped for breath. 'That's it,' she said. 'I quit.' She drove home slowly, parked the car, and walked away from it like she had never seen it in her life."
These quotes were significant because it showed how someone's behavior or even personality when their lives are introduced to a mountain of problems. When Hunter Jordan Sr. died, James just gave up, he went to school less and less, became addicted to drugs and alcohol and his life hit rock bottom. This was very similar to his mother. Her only way of coping with her pain was playing piano and riding her bicycle. It got so bad that on this page she admitted to not caring whether or not she arrested. Even with 2+ kids at home and her being their only guardian! I was very relieved when she said "I quit." She realized that driving around recklessly was not the answer to getting over all of her pain and suffering. One of her best friends died before this event and that of course did not help at all. Hopefully both her and James will be able to realize that this can not go on and they need to face their problems and move on.
I agree and to answer your first question, I think driving to her "back then" just, again, brought up too many memories
Deletefrom her past that she simply could not address because of its painful emotions. And I think James' behavioral shift was due to the fact that Ruth went through this hell of a time, losing her mind over the death of so many loved ones and her disorganization, but managed to have a sudden energetic force to drive. Maybe this bold move helped push James to do better in his life and make some dramatic changes.
"How she knew I knew how to drive back then she mercifully chose not to discuss, but by then I had begun to turn around". -pg. 161
ReplyDeleteThis quote was very significant because this is the turning point where James was able to realize his mistakes and much like the car, grab the steering wheel and drive forward with his life. Just like Ruth realized that she had no life in Virginia because of the heartbreak and pain she had to leave for New York. However, as James said he didn't change right away because he said, "weed was my best friend, weed kept me running from the truth. And the truth was my mother was falling apart". (163) I felt like James couldn't deal with the constant silence and sadness that his mother took on, especially because he saw her as this confident and strong woman. This domino effect of death, tragedy, and sadness struck Ruth and James, but the only way that James was able to snap out of his depression was acknowledging his mistakes and fixing them.
Questions:
Why did James realize his mistakes now in his stepfather's old car?
Why wouldn't James just help Ruth get through her sadness?
Why didn't Ruth help her children when they were going through a rough time? Why didn't she teach them the same lessons she learned?
I feel like we keep on seeing this parallel between James and Ruth. They are so similar, but then again they are so different. I wonder if Ruth sees her self in her son. If she does, what does she think of it? I love your analogy of the steering wheel and his life. I find that to be very accurate and hope that he is able to move on and not just say it one day and then smoke the rest of the week. One day he is just gonna pick a path and follow it. I know he will... but the question is: when?
Delete“But she had left her past so far behind that she literally did not know how to drive. Rachel Deborah Shilsky could drive a car and pull a trailer behind it, but Ruth McBride Jordan had never touched a steering wheel before that day in 1973…...” Pg. 167-168
ReplyDeleteI think one of the main reasons why Ruth decided to leave her past behind was because she had a lost a lot of people close to her and it was too much pain to deal with. She probably couldn’t revisit her past because it brought back a lot of feelings of anger and disappointment. Changing her name and moving to New York was probably her way of restarting or redeeming herself. However, I think the consequence of this was that she was losing all the skills she had learned in the past. This quote made me wonder if it is better to forget your past entirely or have it in mind as you face the future.
Three Questions:
1) What happens to Ruth after graduates and goes to New York?
2) What other skills has Ruth forgotten?
3) How does Ruth fix her dysfunctional household?
I agree with you, I think Ruth doesn't face her past because she is scared of it, and it would cause her too much pain. However, I think part of is is also that she is scared of being rejected by it. He family disowned her when she left, and the onetime she tried to contact them, even the best of her family turned her down. Also, she has already lost so much, including her family once, I don't think she could face loosing it again, even with all the bad things they put her through.
Delete“The young Jewish girl who at one time could not allow herself to walk into a gentile church now couldn’t do with out it; her Orthodox- Jewish ways had long since translated themselves into full-blown Christianity.” (P. 165)
ReplyDeleteI think this quote really brings up a lot of important questions about Ruth and her religion. It makes me wonder how she was possibly able to put her faith in the same place that her father did. To believe the things he did, when he was so terrible to her. I think a possible answer to this question could be her mother. He mother believed in all the same things and she loved her very much. Ruth looked up to her mother and really admired her. Another possible answer could be that at the time, Ruth didn’t know anything else, and she just needed something, anything to believe in. I think this is a strong possibility because you see now, that she relies on Christianity and her beliefs in that keep her going. Ruth uses religion as a scapegoat from her life, and at the time Judaism was the only religion she knew. The only thing she could put her faith in.
Is Ruth able to go into a synagogue again after she starts practicing Christianity? Was her change in religion sudden, or did it take place over a period of time? Why does she put her religion before everything else?
"Looking back, it took about ten years for mommy to recover from my step father's death. It wasn't just that her husband was suddenly gone, it was the accumulation of a lifetime of silent suffering, some of which my siblings and I never knew about."
ReplyDelete-pg. 163
This line stood out to me because I thought it showed how long it has take Rue to recover from her husband's death but also her traumas of her childhood. I think that Ruth has recovered before but now that so many things has happened to her she relapses every time that something traumatic or really upsetting happens. I wonder why she puts all of her past problems together and deals with them again all together, maybe it has to do with her remembering her past when something bad happens?
"Rachel Deborah Shilsky could drive a car and pull a trailer behind it, but Ruth McBride Jordan had never touched a steering wheel before that day in 1973, and you can make a book on it" (page 168).
ReplyDeleteIs Ruth just acting like she can't drive or does she actually not remember?
Does she/should she feel guilty about leaving her family?
Why does she hang on to Hunter's car for so long?
This quote stood out to me because it reminded me of the beginning of the book, when Ruth says that Rachel Deborah Shilsky is dead. I think that it's amazing how she completely changed her identity and abandoned her previous life. This quote showed how much she really blocked her old life out of her memory as much as she could and created a new identity for herself. This is yet another parallel that we can draw between Ruth and James. When James acted out, he also was experimenting with different identities; though he did not choose to completely change his. I think that in some way, everyone wonders about and experiments with identity. Some may say that they would like to become a different person, but few people are like Ruth and manage to actually change themselves completely.
I agree with you that the wording of Rachel Deborah Shilsky is dead/never touched a steering wheel is interesting and captures your attention because she shows the harsh line Ruth created
Deletefor herself from "then", and "now". The difference between James and Ruth, which you called a parallel, is that they both make up ideas of who they want to be, and how to achieve it. Ruth was
successful in killing her Jewish self, while James is still experimenting.
"I was still Jewish at heart"
ReplyDeleteWhy is James trying to separate himself from something that he is accustomed to?
What is James obsession with self-identity leading him to? Are his siblings such a big influence on him that he just wants that closeur with finding who he really is in this world?
When James was younger he was so close to his mother, so why wouldn't he want to be like "her kind" persay, and not fight that?
This quote stood out to me because it shows me how much a person who tries so hard to run away from who he is physically but mentally and internally they are still who they don't want to be. James is tired of trying to find himself in this half black/half white world that he is in. I think that James' obsession with trying to find himself has either a white person or a black person has made him feel lost in the world. Although James has tried to act out of his normal behavior and tried to separate himself from his norm, he is still, like a he said a Jew at heart,and that is something that he simply cannot break from. I think that this quote relates to the real world because in everyday life when people try to find their identity they end up losing themselves and not able to regain control of themselves and their ability to at least try and find themselves as they were or were trying to be.
I agree with you. James is so caught up in finding himself and how he fits in with the world, he's getting lost. He's doing things that he probably never really wanted to do. He just didn't care anymore so he does things. Good analysis.
Delete:Rachel Deborah Shilsky could drive a car and pull a trailer behind it, but Ruth McBride Jordan had never touched a steering wheel before thta day in 1973..."
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because she really forgot all about her past. It's kind of like there is a wall that's blocking her past. It shows how bad her life was that's she's done literally everything to get away from it. Also its kind of like her not talking to her kids about her past. She doesn't talk about it because she wants to get rid of it. She doesn't want her kids hearing about it either. This happens still today by people with bad pasts. People with bad pasts hate talking about their childhood because they don't want to reminisce and sometimes some people begin to forget certain thinks. In this case Ruth forgot how to drive.
1) How did Ruth's father react when she came back home?
2) What was the reunion between Ruth and James like?
3) Will James go back to "the corner"?
“Weed kept me running from the truth, and the truth was my mother was falling apart.” P.163
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because we now know what James is afraid of. Ruth, as one of the bravest person James knows, is falling into pieces and James doesn't know what to do about it. Ruth was fearless in James' eye. When she found out the milk she bought was expired, she went right back to argue with the salesman. James' looks up to her in a way and now that she is giving up on her problems, James does not know what to do. He does not want to accept that his mother is falling apart, due to the death of friend and husband.
I agree. I think one of the reasons why it scares James so much is because now he has no one to keep him safe. He used to be able to hide behind his mom or go to her for help, but since she needed help so badly herself, he had no one else to turn to. That probably scared him a lot so instead of facing his fears, he turned to drugs.
Delete"Rachel Deborah Shilsky could drive a car and pull a trailer behind it, but Ruth McBride Jordan had never touched a steering wheel before that day in 1973, and you can make book on it." (Pg 168)
ReplyDeleteI thought this was such a great line. Her entire story is about reinventing herself. Even James notices it, how she was a Jew who know relies of Christianity to continue with her life. Her story is about traveling across the country, trying to escape her past, changing everything about herself. She even was pushed out of her family, completely sealing her off from her past life. And this quote sums up her whole story in a sentence.
1. Does Ruth ever go off the edge?
2. How much better does James end up doing in school?
3. Is he still addicted, when he goes back to school, or does he push down the addiction?
"I'd rather die frist, which I did do in a way, because I lost my mother and sister when I left home." p. 155
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me and it also makes me ask some questions. I really want to know more about Ruth's relationship with her mother and her sister because she barely talks about them. We know that her mother trusted her and she did know a lot of secrets, at least that's how it seemed to me. Also, she barely ever talks about her sister. Their relationship didn't seem that strong or important but when she says that she died in a way after leaving them, it makes me wonder if maybe it did in a way that she just didn't tell to James. Ruth was also probably guilty for leaving her little sister and disabled mother with her horrible father I think that is the main reason part of her died. I think that she still carries that guilt with her and it's one of the reasons why she gets so upset when her children run off.
***first
Delete"Looking back, I see it took about ten years for Mommy to recover from my stepfather's death... it was the accumulation of a lifetime of silent suffering, some of which my siblings and I never knew about." (163)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it shows how Ruth's kids never really realized how much their mother was hiding and what she had gone through. Her mom hid her whole life from 12 children and probably even from her two husbands. No one knew the real Ruth. But as they got older, they ended up finding out. I wonder why she hid it for so long, even from her own kids. I understand it might be a traumatizing thing, but was their a specific reason why she hid it?
I think that Ruth hid her past from her new family because she wanted to get away from it herself. It brought too many stressful memories that she didn't want to have to deal with. I feel like she was trying to push her past out of her life instead of hiding it.
DeleteI think that Ruth hid her past from her children because she didn't want them to follow in her footsteps. She rebebled against her parents and the law. She ran away from home and got pregnate and then an abortion. If she didn't tell her children about her past then she thinks that they will not make the same mistakes/steps that she took.
Delete"Respect your mother and me,' he said. "'Don't break the law of the bible. Don't go in that gentile church,' he said." Page 157.
ReplyDeleteThis quote stands out to me because it made me see how religious Ruth's family was, especially her father. Tateh can't stand non-jewish people (gentiles), he hates them and by having this view and gentiles he holds the family back. Back in the 1930s when Ruth lived in America many immigrants were coming to America and bringing there culture with them because that was the only thing they could hold onto. Ruth's family came to America and brought their religion something that could give them faith but instead of giving them faith it seems like it's holding her family back. This quote shows how her fathers religious view can be a bad thing. It has made him so that he has trouble excepting people and things and I feel like it's turned him into a worse person than he used to be.
Questions: Why does Ruth still have respect her father? How did Ruth turn Christian after having a whole childhood based on Jewish religion? Did converting make her feel like she was betraying the Jewish religion? Or was she ready to get away from Judaism?
Why was Ruth so conflicted going into the
ReplyDeletechurch, when later, she marries a black man and defies her parents just the same?
What drove James to turn to drugs and alcohol?
Did James take any thing to heart from what he heard/saw on the corner?
"Looking back, I see it took about ten years for
Mommy to recover from my stepfather's death. It wasn't just her husband suddenly gone, it was the accumulation of a lifetime of silent suffering.."
These lines were significant to me because it
clearly shows the hurt and depression and
sorrow Ruth had when her husband died. She
was never the same, and with her history, it tore her apart. James and Ruth both have different ways of reacting to depression, and for Ruth, it acted as the last time. The burden of taking care of so many children without her partner anymore hit both James and Ruth. When Hunter Jordan said to take care of everyone, including his mother, James completely did the opposite and forgot about everyone. Seeing Ruth so weak was a reality check for James in a negative way; so he acted out because he has no real parental figure anymore.
Pamela Yiadom
ReplyDelete"Like my own mother did in times of stress, I turned to God". Pg.161
1)is James following his mother's foot steps?
2)how is James going to change?
3)why is James turning to God now?
This line stood out to me because I thought it was important. Even though James was messed up, he came back to himself, who he really is not what he wanted to be. It seems he similar to his mother. When James was messed up, I think he's still had the love for god in him. So he does what his mother did, turn to god. And also this proves another point of mine, that he get influenced by his mother, in a good way.
"The fact that he was black and that the girl he was marrying was black-well that hurt me even more" (P. 154)
ReplyDeleteIs this the reason why Ruth decided to spend time with black men and a black community? She says that Peter was the first person to really show her kindness so maybe that she associated that with black people in her mind. Even though she had a bad experience with Peter at the end she still said that she loved him. I think that maybe this love stuck with her throughout her life and she always kept this good view of black people with her. Even though she acts like she doesn't care about race I think deep down she trusts black people more because of the experience she had with this black man so early on in her life when no one else showed her that much kindness.
1)When does his mom regain control again?
2) What makes James quit smoking weed eventually?
3)How will religion continue to impact James' life?
I agree with what your saying, how race seems to matter to Ruth throughout her childhood and how it shapes her identity as an adult. But I find it odd that she would ignore her children's curiosity about their race, and deem it not important if it was important to her as a child. Ruth seems to have gone through a lot of the same experiences as a child as her many children are going through, but she never seems to relate to them.
DeleteThree Questions:
ReplyDelete1. Why is Ruth so afraid of driving?
2. What eventually is going to make Jame's quite smoking weed?
3. Is Jame's following the path of his mother?
"Like my own mother did in times of stress, I turned to God,"(pg. 161).
This quote stood out to me because it showed how Jame's experiences as a child were so similar to his mothers. Ruth ran away from home to New York, just as Jame's did to Louisville. Jame's is failing out of school school and rebelling, but then just like Ruth, he throws himself into religion and god to turn his life around. The only difference is Jame's really does turn his life around to become a success, because unlike his mother, he has his family and some peers to support him.
Oscar Belkin-Sessler
ReplyDelete12/6/12
The Color Of Water
Blog #7
"Looking back, it took about ten years for mommy to recover from my step father's death. It wasn't just that her husband was suddenly gone, it was the accumulation of a lifetime of silent suffering, some of which my siblings and I never knew about." (PG 163)
I chose this quote because I realized that Ruth experienced death a couple of times and each time she was thrown into depression. When James’ stepfather died he was very sad, but nowhere near as sad as Ruth. For once in the McBride household there was someone to take charge and be a father figure, this was basically ripped from her hands twice. Ruth has great courage for not abandoning her family and staying strong, she keeps on fighting to keep them in school and keep them healthy. I think her children, especially James don’t appreciate that enough. James’ needed to learn from people with experience (Chicken Man) why he should go back and help his mother. Ruth suffered from an array of different things in her life. I think now after this big hit it seems that everything comes out in one big piece of depression/suffering, It is the perfect time for James to step up and take control, but unfortunately he fails to do so.
"It was ragged and cruel and I didn't want to end up that way...
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because I was really surprised that James realized what he was doing was bad. It was very mature of him. I thought he was so far deep that he would never come out of it. Im also surprised because not many people are able to stop all the drugs alcohol and become a good teenager again. I know that James doesn't completely stop the drugs, but at least hes spending more time with his mother and he is applying himself back in school.
"The fact that he was black and the girl he was marrying was black well, that hurt me even more." page: 154
ReplyDeleteThis part stood out to me because it's one of the first times that we see Ruth actually hurt and jealous because of her race. When she was with Peter she didn't care that he was black and she was white, they loved each other. They both knew that they were taking a risk going out. Black and white people were not allowed to go out or even think of getting married. Even though she knew they could never get together she gets jealous and mad because they only reason why is because she is white. I think that's what hurts her even more, the fact that the other girl is black and he's black so they are allowed to be together.
Questions:
Does Ruth relize her and James simlilarites? Is Chicken man the real reason that James goes back to school or is it because of something else? How do the younger siblings see James, as their role model of someone they want to be or someone they don't?
" I wanted to give up weed, but I couldn't. Weed was my friend, weed kept me from running from the truth. And the truth was i was falling apart."- P.163
ReplyDelete"She could not grasp exactly what to do next, but she kept moving as if her life depended on it,which some ways he did. She ran, as she had done most of her life, but this time she was running for her own sanity.
These quotes stood out to me because the fact that these quotes both express how they react to their problems. James' "hook" on weed is relatable to most teenagers because they drink and do drugs mainly because that's their way fo get away from their problems. James addiction to weed is his way of dealing with his mother's state and in a way affected how he's feeling because he loves his mom and he can't bear to see her that way.
"Weed was my friend, weed kept me running from the truth. And the truth was my mother falling apart." (Pg. 163)
ReplyDeleteI chose this quote because James is so honest about everything. I think that James felt alone and never really had anyone just like Ruth. Instead James used weed as a coping mechanism to not feel alone and depressed. He also used Weed to run away from his problems. He felt so bad seeing his mother so depressed and alone that he didn't know what to do. He was selfish in a way because he didn't think about the affect of him being addicted to drugs would have on his family.