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'd lock myself in the bathroom and spend long hours playing with him." Page 90
ReplyDeleteJames always felt unhappy and out of place. Instead of looking for a role model to base his happiness on, he looked in the mirror. He saw a version of himself that was happy and free. James had an "ache" of envy for the "boy in the mirror". James wanted so badly to be like that boy in the mirror, even though that boy was him. James wanted to improve the person he was already, rather than change his life completely. No matter how upset he got, he would rather be himself with his life, than someone else. Jame's emotional strenght really shows through at such a young age.
You make an interesting with which i agree. James while showing his sensitivity is also very insecure. He claims to have all sorts of faults such as not being able to dance. However, in his own words, "I felt when i gazed at the boy in the mirror. I remembered him and how free he was, and i hated him even more." (Pg.105) In that sentence you can't escape his feelings of self-loathing.
Delete* You make an interesting *point* with which i agree.
DeleteI also used this topic for my post. I think that he wants to be himself, and sees this free, better version of himself in the mirror. But the boy in the mirror is sort of like a daydream, because he doesn't know who he is yet, so he knows where he wants to improve, but doesn't know how to.
Delete"But as we grew up and fanned out into the world as teenagers and college students, we brought the outside world home with us, and the world that Mommy had so painstakingly created began to fall apart." (Pg.95)
ReplyDeleteRuth/Rachel had prepared her children as best as she knew how. She attempted to send them to the best public schools she could find. However, she could not prepare them for the alienation they would come to feel. She was estranged from her Jewish roots, not a part of black culture, and was true outsider. When they were in their own home and shared values they could feel secure. The outside world offered no such comfort or shelter.
Yeah when they were all still kids she told them to not ask any questions because their minds would turn to stone. That was another way she wanted to shield them from the "outside world." Ruth knows that no matter what she can't shield them forever though.
Delete*a true outsider
ReplyDelete"I remembered him, and how free he was, and I hated him even more." (Page 105)
ReplyDeleteI think throughout the book, James McBride has these really good last lines at chapters. He's constantly questioning who he is, always wondering if he's black or white, if his mom is his real mom, and he can't really find his identity. That boy in the mirror could be his escape. It could be the way for him to see his real identity. The boy in the mirror is free because he knows who he is, while James doesn't. That's why James might get angry at him, because of his jealousy towards the mirror boy and confusion within himself.
My quote was on the same topic. I also think that the boy in the mirror is a way to get away from the problems James has to deal with. I think that it's his way of questioning the world and from this he shapes his personality.
DeleteI agree, I found the whole "boy in the mirror" interesting. James has many instances of "color confusion" as he puts it, and he often questions his identity. Maybe the boy in the mirror could represent his double identity, the fact that he belongs to both the white and black worlds, yet doesn't exactly fit in to either.
Delete"To further escape from painful reality, I created an imaginary world for myself. I believed my true self was a boy who lived in the mirror...The boy in the mirror didn't seem to have an ache. He was free. I hated him." Page 90-91.
ReplyDeleteI think that this section in the book is really important because it shows how James is confused with the world around him. Race and poverty are issues that James feels like he has no control over so he creates another world where he has a better understanding towards things like race and poverty. James wishes he could be that boy in the mirror because the boy has everything James wants. I think that this can be related to how people act because many people also imagine realities where they have anything they want. It's kind of like imagining winning the lottery, if you win the lottery you don't have to worry about anything because your rich. In a way it seems like James has created a lottery winner version of himself. James is jealous of the boy who lives in the mirror because the mirror version of James doesn't have to worry.
I agree, and I also think in this imaginary world James created for himself, with all of the questions that he had, he just wants to know who he is and what kind of person he should aspire to be. By imagining a happier version of himself he is shielding himself from his perplexed life.
Delete"It was a problem from the moment I started, because the white kids hated Jews in my school."-page 80
ReplyDeleteIt must've been really hard for Ruth growing up. I cannot imagine what Ruth went through because it is so different from my life today. This book was not written so long ago which is really shocking because it was such a short time ago and so much has changed for the better. Ruth being picked on as a child must've had a huge impact on her life and maybe the reason why she decided to marry a black man; they both could relate to each other. They both were discriminated for characteristics that they couldn't change. People around the world still go through discrimination today for things that they cannot change which can really scar people and affect them later on which I think relates to Ruth.
I agree, but I'm also thinking about how James was picked on as a child as well. He was able to deal with it because he had support from his family, but Ruth was completely alone. This probably made her pain more unbearable, and combined with the sexual abuse I cannot imagine how awful Ruth's childhood really was.
DeleteI agree, at the time it was hard for jews and blacks,and to think it was so long ago is crazy but i'm also glad it has changed for the better. Since both jews and blacks were treated the same they could relate to eachother with was the reason Ruth married a black man.
DeleteThree questions I had after reading chapters 9 and 10 was firstly, what did the merchant say to James' mother that upset her so much? She got incredibly angry and attempted to hurt him as well, which made me think about how much pent up anger his mom actually has, and how she sometimes resorts to violence. For example, she does beat her children, which made me think about how her sexual abuse causes her to be a violent person. Is she protecting herself in her own way? Another question I had was why do people always put down or ostracize a certain ethnic group? When Ruth was growing up, everyone always stayed away from her because she was Jewish, and everyone refused to go near James when he was in school because he was black. I think it's because being society teaches that if someone is different from you and all the people similar to you, that makes them inferior to you. It's a horrible philosophy, but it's drilled into the minds of so many. And a final question I had was, why do people need to have fantasies to escape reality? In The Catcher in the Rye, Angela's Ashes, and now The Color of Water, all of the main characters have fantasy worlds they escape to escape miserable reality. This, I believe, is simply of way of avoiding their problems so that they don't have to deal with them in actuality.
ReplyDelete" 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." (Pg.83)
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me because it was showing how she wasn't starved for food before she got married which probably means she married a man that was loving but didn't give her how much she needed. I also think living with her housband was far different then how she grew up.
Questions:
1. Why was their a seperate school for jews?
2.Ruth said " If it was upto my Tateh he wouldn't let me go to school all together." From Ruth being so strict to her kids about doing good in school I thought her parents did the same to her?
3. Why would Ruth say "Some of these Jews can't stand you." To her own kid?
We still have separate schools for jews, they're jewish schools where you learn Hebrew or Yiddish. And maybe she did never get enough affection in her life, even from her husband or children. She was always starving for affection, yet never asked for it.
DeleteI agree with you, Selma. As a child, she had plenty to eat and had what she needed. All she wanted though was affection and love which lacked until she married someone that she loved. Then it reversed and she had what she wanted but not not necessarily what she needed. Based on this, you can assume that Ruth is a pretty decent person. She favors love over riches and I think that it brought her to who she is today.
Delete"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...and chat." (Pg. 82)
ReplyDeleteThis quote really defines friendship and that's why I like it. You might never seem to notice it, but when you're with your friends, you never really care of notice where you are. You're always having fun with your friends that you could be put in the most scariest place on earth and you could forget about that in a few minutes. With Frances, Ruth felt easy spirited and that was what she needed to get away from the pressure in her family.
I completely agree, and can relate. When you are with a really good friend, you feel a lot safer and happier. This quote stood out to me as well. Sometimes being with someone you care about can be like an escape out of your problems. Ruth is not upset when she is with Frances, she finds a way to run away from her family and the society she feels so unhappy with.
DeleteI liked this quote too and I could connect with it. You're right, Ruth did feel easy spirited . And when you're with your friends all the stress seem to not exist anymore. I guess Frances is Ruth's ticket to get away from her sad life
DeleteI love this quote as well it's so true. It's really easy to be yourself around your friends than anyone else. When you're with your friends it's kind of like the time where you can relax and put everything behind you. Ruth feels free around Frances.
Delete"I had an ache inside, a longing, but I didn't know where it came from or why I had it. The boy in the mirror, he didn't seem to have an ache. He was free." (Pg. 91)
ReplyDeleteJames begins to talk to the boy in the mirror at around the same time as his conflict with race begins to dawn on him. He is starting to realize that at his
mainly white school, he is different. James is not like his mother, who is able to just ignore any snide remarks or criticism about her lifestyle. On the contrary, just like any adolescent, James is beginning to feel embarrassed of his mother. The boy in the mirror is James' way of taking out his anger, confusion, and frustration about his identity. He is curious about who he is, and since neither his mother nor his siblings offer him any insight, he turns to the boy in the mirror.
I completely agree with you Coco. James talking to his mirror image does allow him to vent out on the things that he normally wouldn't say or would be ignored for saying. I also like the way you compared James conversations with his mother and others, and his conversation with himself(image reflection) It also allows us to get to know his character better and his feelings toward certain situations.
Delete"Mind your own business, she said. Never ask questions or your mind will end up like a rock."\
ReplyDeleteRuth really wants to keep her kids ignorant from the outside world. She doesn't want them to see the harsh reality of life. Racism, segregation, and alienation are some of the things that Ruth is shielding her kids from. In the quote I think that Ruth means that if you ask questions, you will learn more and if you learn more about the "real world" your mind will change and become cold and hard, just like a rock. I remember in Angela's Ashes franks Father told him the same thing and whenever Frank asked a question he would get mad and give a very simple answer. No matter what Ruth can'y sheild her kids from the outside world because they have to leave fro college sometimes. Thats exactly what happened too.
I agree. Ruth tried her best to shield her children from these things that are truly inevitable.
DeleteExactly, and as they grow older they'll learn on their own anyway. The way that Ruth describes the real world as a rock and if that symbolizes "cold and hard", it makes me wonder why Ruth thinks of the world so negatively. I understand that she's been through a lot of life scarring events, but will she ever get over them?
Delete"The turtle would still be alive, kicking and trying to get away while the man was standing in the store, poring over the vegetables... I wanted the turtle to throw the hot water back on the man, but I wouldn't say that..."-pg. 83
ReplyDeleteI think Ruth was subconsciously referring to herself because she probably has the feeling of "kicking and trying to get away from the man standing in the store" to her father and wanting to take a stand against him, but had such a low self-esteem, she couldn't do it. She also states that "I was starving for love and affection... and got none of that"(83) I think through her emotional toll of not being accepted in school, made Ruth want to stay private and protect her family from that kind of degradation. I feel like Ruth's intentions are solely pure for her children based on her experiences, but, in the end, she still suffered from nonacceptance of African Americans.
I agree with you, but i think that Ruth wouldn't stand up to her father because she had a low self esteem but because she was scared. We know from earlier in the boat that her father didn't exatcly care for her or love her for that matter. He would willingly send her daughter to a war ravaged europe
DeleteI agree with both you and owen. Ruth was very insecure and didnt really know how to do for herself. Her father wasnt the person she would go to first but i do think she was very emotional.
DeletePamela Yiadom
ReplyDelete"Nobody liked me. That's how I felt as a child"pg.80.
Some how I wondered if her father had something to do with this. This line stood out to me because it helped me know even more about Ruth's childhood. I felt so sad when reading this. Ruth's childhood was horrible ; being bullied because she was a Jew. I'm shocked now that as a mother and an adult and she doesn't care what people say about her now. Well I guess she had that same attitude as a kid facing the hatred towards Jews. In this world there are strong people like Ruth who doesn't care what people say, and doesn't let what people say bother them until they cross the line.
Questions:
Delete1.why didn't she fight back?
2. Does she have a low self esteem ?
3.did this affect her when she becomes a mother?
" 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." (Pg.83)
ReplyDeleteThis line stood out to me for two reasons. When Ruth says this she means two things. One, is that even through she was abused as a child and her parents did not show her love she still wanted love and people to show her love. Her father was strictly business and her mother was ill, she had no one to really take care of her and love her. In the beginning of this quote she says " I never starved for food till I got married," and then talks about starving in her childhood. When she says starving the first time I think she really means starving for food and this time not love and affection. People think that when someone says that they are starving that it automatically means for food, but that's not the case all the time.
Questions:
Does she wish she was the turtle? (She wants the turtle to throw hot water at the man. In her case it would be throwing hot water at her father) Did she ever tell her husband/children's stepfather about her past and her father abusing her? Did she ever tell anybody about her father abusing her?
Your question about the turtle was something I really didn't think about. The turtle to me was a way of talking about the need for food and showing how poor people really were, fishing for turtles themselves and having turtle soup and stew almost every day. Maybe it was purposefully added to the book to show the need for freedom and how much her father holds on to her and how powerless she was under his grasp.
DeleteJames is embarrassed by his white mother but is he embarrassed by his 12 kid family?
ReplyDeleteWhats Hellen's story and how did she get from running away to a nursing degree?
How did James' mother feel about him dancing in front of the class?
"I'm black... but you may be a negro"
This quote really stood out to me because identity is something people usually feel very passionate about. I was surprised because James talks constantly about how much of an activist family he has, and I was surprised his brother didn't tell him what to believe. He really let him choose his own identity which I was really happy with. This book is really a coming age memoir, showing James' growth and challenge to accept his identity, but also talking a look at his quirky and unusual past as well as his mother's amazing story.
I agree with all that you said and think that your questions are very good ones... Unfortunately I do not have the answers for them because I was wondering the same things, however I hope that James will be able to overcome the challenge of finding himself in this life of many journeys. He has so much ahead of him and his family has so much history. Will he ever find a connection between his family and his emotional perspective? His innocence and curiosity really demonstrates his want to learn and I'm sure he became very successful as his mother wanted judging by the fact that we are reading one of his published books that was a two year best seller. I wish I knew if his mother was aware of his success and hard work throughout his and her life.
Delete"I took piano and clarinet lessons in school, often squirreling myself away in some corner with my clarinet to practice, wandering away in Tchaikovsky or John Philip Sousa, trying to improvise like jazz saxophonist James Moody, only to blink back into reality an hour or two later. To further escape from painful reality, I created an imaginary world for myself." P. 90
ReplyDeleteIn this part of the book, James discovered jazz and he used it as an escape from reality. It was a little weird that James liked to make an imaginary world for himself where he was with himself, but with all of the racial tensions going on in that time period, I wouldn't blame him. His reflection wouldn't judge him as his family did, and the reflection was also also there for him. James didn't feel too comfortable with his siblings, so talking to himself was an alternative in the bathroom. I think James will use jazz (or music in general) and the imagination of the mirror to help him escape from the corrupt time he lived in.
"I never starved for food till I got married...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 Ruth's hunger for love and affection, even from the background that she came from, shows me that although Ruth puts up a brave front, deep down she is like any other human being. Also her admitting to these needs shows me how mature she is because usually people would deny their need for anything and act as if nothing affects them, but Ruth showing her true feelings shows a sense of maturity, that many people don't have. This quote mainly stood out to me because of the connection that it draws to real life. Many people who come from Ruth's background are closed people that don't show any of their feelings, but Ruth is different from them because although she does put up a brave front, she still shows that she is human and has needs and feelings. I like how this one line, for me opened up Ruth's character. Although a question that still lingers in my head is why would Ruth want love and affection from another person after the pain that's he endured form her father as a child when he gave her "affection"?
I think Ruth realizes that she is never going to get over what her father did to her until she learns that not all people are like that. However, I disagree with you. Ruth has not been open with her feelings until she does this interview. In fact she hides them from everyone even her children at their expense.
DeleteI agree with you both. Its going to be hard for Ruth to ever get over that or even forget it/ convince HERSELF that that never happened. She had affection but in the wrong way, so she wants her kids not to experience this type of affection or even do that to anyone else. She tries to create a different lifestyle for them rather than what she had a kid growing up.
Delete“The question of race was like the power of the moon in my house. It’s 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.” (p. 94)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it was just so unbelievably ironic. James’ is saying that race controlled everything in house no matter what, and was always there, and always in the way. However, it had to be ignored. In this quote I think he is showing his mother’s hate for the subject of race. No matter how much it controlled everyone, she always made sure that it wasn’t an issue. That her children had so much to think about that they couldn’t possibly have time to focus on that. Although we already know that race was absolutely an issue in her house, meaning that now matter her best efforts it came up. A force as strong as James is describing cannot be ignored and is proven in this book that because it was ignored came back with an even greater power than before. Why is Ruth so against educating her children on where they come from? Was her father like that or her mother? What about James’ dad or stepdad? Did anyone of these characters ever have any background of where they came from? How did this affect their lives?
"The boy in the mirror didn't seem to have an ache. He was free. I hated him"
ReplyDeleteI found this quote ,and James' whole fantasy of the boy in the mirror very interesting.The boy in the mirror is what James' wished and hoped his life would be like. James hated the boy in the mirror because the boy in the mirror knew who he was and where he came from, and James did not. This boy knows who he is and where he is going, and james' doesn't. The fact that he doesn't scares him. James' unknown past is the source of his fear and worry.
Questions:
Does james eventually find himself, and his identity? if so, how is he able to do so? Does james ever meet, or go looking for his Jewish family?
"we thrived on thought, books, music, and art, which she fed to us instead of food" (94)
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it made me think a lot of how much they valued education and having a social life. How much they wanted to be different but still fit in with the crowd. It made a lot of questions come to mind such as how much do they want education? or do they do it because they want to or being forced to or a little of both? I think its both in a way.
I agree. I think Ruth tried to make up for the things she couldn't provide her children by educating them because she knew it would help them in the future.
DeleteI agree. I think that because they couldn't really afford food, Ruth felt abit guilty. So she made up for it by trying to get them the best education possible. I think that the children are aware of this guilt so they don't really complain about not having food.
Delete"I was terrified of my father. He put the fear of god in me"
ReplyDelete-pg.80
This line stood out to me because I noticed that this is yet another time when Ruth is expressing her fear of her father and her religon for that matter. We all already know tha her father was a real religous man, and he was a bit of a hard ass. But i thinka fear of god is a little odd, because he/she is soupposed to be a thing of...salvation,of forgiving and kindness. Not something that you live in fear of, you look to god to get help with things that you fear...I think
"Later as an adult when I heard folks talk of the love/hate relationship between blacks and Jews I understood it to the bone not because of any outside sociological study, but because of my own experience with Jewish teachers and classmates—some who were truly kind, genuine, and sensitive, people I'd met during my own contacts with the Jewish world, which Mommy tacitly arranged by forcing every one of us to go to predominantly Jewish public schools." Page 87
ReplyDeleteThis quote seemed to have great significance because it really discussed his life battle between his two parts, black and Jew. I find it to be ironic that James' mother would send all of her children to mostly Jewish schools when she resented the religion. Maybe I am understanding her relationship with her first religion wrong, however, from what I can see she did not like being a Jew because she did not feel it was out of faith but out of the thought in her head "dad says i have to." I pity her a little because it seems like she is lost. She hated her father and his forcing of her to follow every rule, she didn't like worshiping a God that she did not love. And because of these two things she married a black, Christian man even though her father hated black people. It caused her to get disowned from her family, they resented her for her decisions and she had to live with it. Although she felt all of these things, she still sends her children to mostly Jewish schools and gets there clothes in Hasidic Jewish stores? Why does she do this? Could it have been her want to be closer to her mother and grandparents. Does she secretly want to be a Jew without the limits of her father? She would run for hours on end as a child for the sake of freedom! Would she chose the Jewish life over the Christian one if she had the freedom for her children and herself that she so desired?
This is such a good analyzation of the quote and you bring up a lot of good questions. I think that maybe his mom wants him to see and be the best parts of both groups. She wants him to get the strong Jewish education because she treasures education but she also wants him to get the strong black religious beliefs which is why I think she puts so much emphasis on religion. Since her children are mixed racially I think she only wants them to have the best of both worlds in a sense.
Delete“By age ten, I was coming into my own feelings about myself and my own impending manhood, and going out with Mommy, which had been a privilege and an honor at age five, had become a dreaded event. I reached a point where I was ashamed of her and didn’t want the world to see my white mother.” Pg. 100
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me because it shows how James’s mother went from being a respectable figure in his eyes to someone he was ashamed to stand next to. I think this is why he took advantage of his independence when he got older because he wasn’t able to ignore other people when they were criticizing him. I wonder if James was more scared of people finding out that his mother was white or if he was more scared that his mother would get into another argument in public. I also wonder if the embarrassment James felt from being around his mother had an effect on him as he was growing up/entering manhood. I think it was hard enough for James growing up, so having to deal with racial discrimination must have made it more of a struggle, especially since he was a shy kid.
Three Questions:
1)What influence did James’s stepfather have on his life?
2)Does James become rebellious like some of his other siblings?
3)What is Helen’s story?
"It was a problem from the moment I started, because the white kids hated Jews in my school."
ReplyDeleteI liked this quote because it seems like Ruth could never really escape from the prejudice. As a girl she was picked on because she was jewish. It's so strange to hear that now because it's so common. As her life went on she married a black man which was a huge deal back then. That was frowned upon to almost everyone in the U.S. Every choice she made it seemed like someone was going to have a comment about it. Also Ruth lives in an area where it's mostly blacks. That's also strange in that time period. I think in that community she felt accepted but to the people maybe living in the neighborhood over they would think that that's wrong and that she should be living with her own 'color'. If Ruth lived in 2012 her life would be 100x easier. No one would ever look at her differently and look down upon her. She would be just like everyone else.
I completely agree with you about Ruth's tendency to put herself in situations where she would be judged. This is her way of rebelling against these prejudices that she think are so dumb. Ruth was very ahead of her time in this sense. But it is odd how she does not seem to particularly support the Civil Rights Movements that was going on during that important time period.
Delete"Even though my siblings called me "Big Head" because i had a big head and a skinny body, to the outer world i was probably on the "most likely to succeed" list." page 91.
ReplyDeleteThis quote stood out to me not only because it says alot but because its the exact opposite of Holden. He has alot of confidence in himself and he believes in everything he says. I think him and his siblings really dont know how to cope with what they are going through. It was hard for James growing up and hes a really shy kid so its very different of him to think of himself as a very important person. He constantly says that he doesnt know who he is. I wonder if James mother has an affect on how he acts or how he see's the real world.
Three Questions:
ReplyDelete1) Would Jame's family be better of with more money, or would they not be as close and successful as they all turn out to be?
2) Why cant Ruth understand her children's desire to rebel or run away, if that is how she felt as a child?
3) Why does Ruth still feel some sort of connection to the Jewish community and why does she send her children to Jewish schools, even after her horrible experiences with Judaism as a child?
"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," (p. 83).
This quote in particular stood out to me because it illustrated how Ruth felt about her childhood, and how that influenced her to create the family that Jame's McBride grew up in. Ruth's family was poor, but certainly not as poor as she grew up to be, starving for even the most basic human essentials, such as food, and clothing. As a child, her family, especially her father, was not at all loving or caring of her. So when Ruth grew up and got married, she chose to create a very large, but tightly knit family, where most everyone did well in school, but they were very poor. This leaves one wondering if having money would be better of for the McBride's or would they not be as close a family as they are?
"I created an imaginary worl for myself. I believed my true self was a boy who lived in the mirror" ... "I'd stare at him. Kiss him. MAke faces at him and order him around." ... "He would listen to me"
ReplyDeleteThis really illuminates the stress that James has as a child. In a house of many children where he is the farthest from the most powerful he is creating a coping mechanism for himself because he needs someone to relate to and talk to his problems about. He is using the boy in the mirror to do this. The boy also creates conflict as well because the boy has no conflict in his life. I think that this can show the inner conflict that he has with himself. He is arguing with the boy because he can be anything while he himself is restricted to so many limitations he thinks. Because of his social class and the color of his skin. The boy is someone to talk to for him but I think it is also someone who he strives to be, someone without problems.
Oscar Belkin-Sessler
ReplyDelete12/3/12
The Color Of Water
Blog #4
“I never starved for food till I got married. But I was starving I another way. I was starving for love and affection. I didn’t get none of that.” (PG. 83)
This quote comes from Ruth at the end of chapter 9. This quote is significant in a couple of ways. When Ruth was young she saw starvation all around her, she food fro grant, and now she and her family has almost no food. In modern day America, many people take the fact that they have homes, clothes, and food for grant. In this quote we also see Ruth did not get very much love and affection from her first marriage. I think one of the reasons she had so many kids is so that at least on of them would love her. As a child, she wasn’t very fond of her parents, and then as an adult she wasn’t very fond of her husband so instead of waiting for her family to love her she created a new family.
"'Mind your own business,' she said. 'Never ask questions or your mind will end up like a rock. Some of these Jews can't stand you.'" p. 86
ReplyDeleteI thought that this quote was really interesting because James never really thought or had suspicions that his mother was Jewish. What made him always just assume that she was black only because she told him she was? I know that they all questioned race, but for example, when they went to Jewish shops and his mother burst out in Yiddish, why wouldn't he question it more? James says that he never felt a relationship or connection to Jewish people, and I think that this is because his mother tries so hard to forget that she was a Jew. I think they often remind her of people like her father, who made her so miserable and unhappy. I also wonder, if she tries so hard to get everything from her past out of her life, why does she continue to occasionally shop in Jewish stores and speak Yiddish?
I agree this quote made me wonder why James never thought of his mother as Jewish. Yes, it could have been her inability to express sincere fondness for Jewish people, but then again why would she put up with all that trouble of hiding it? She could have told her children that she was Jewish before, but she choose not to.
Delete"I never starved for food until 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 quote really stood out to me. It highlighted Ruth's childhood and explained why she craved for love and affection and she wished it upon her children as well. Ruth grew up in a family were money wasn't tight and they were never hungry. However, Ruth always saw that as a bad thing. She always saw these people who didn't have as much money as they did, but they weren't judgmental and they had a loving family environment. For instance, she always felt accepted and loved in her friend Frances's home. Would Ruth choose love and affection over money? Yes, she would. It's like that saying money can't buy you happiness and in Ruth's case it is true. She would rather live the life she is living in now struggling for money, but with her children beside her then the life she used to have.
"I remembered him, and how free he was, and I hated him even more." (Page 105)
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite quote in the whole book. I love how he creates an imaginary version of himself. He creates this character because he wasn't able to express himself and he was free. This imaginary version of James was what James always wanted to be. What ever James wasn't able to do or express his reflection could. He hated him because he was free and James wasn't. This also shows how James and his mom are so similar. They both feel trapped and want to be free. However, Ruth runs to feel free and James writes and creates imaginary versions of himself. I also think that this quote shows such a childish view of James even though his imaginary friend is much more.