Essay Example on The Color of Water: Racism, Comfort, & Symbols

Introduction

The Color of Water is a book written by James Mcbride, who narrates the history of his life and pays tribute to his mother's life. James' mother is Ruth Mcbride, who was married to a black man, Andrew Dennis, who later died. The story revolves around the social and historical set up of the region in the early days. The author uses symbols such as Ruth's bicycle and black power to develop the themes of the book. Among the themes that come out clearly from the book are racism, the comfortable feeling of one's background, identity, and sense of self. Additionally, the McBride portrays the theme of self- motivation and the pain of secrets. The book's setting, language, and symbols effectively help the author to develop the idea of racism in The Color of Water.

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The Setting

The Color of Water depicts three places of setting. Virginia, which is the home town of Ruth, Delaware, a city into which the family of James moved to while he was a teen and New York City that was the childhood hometown of McBride. These places help the author to develop the theme of racism in various ways. In Virginia, for instance, the African Americans were despised. Therefore, when Ruth got married to Dennis, James' father, she was alienated from her family (Mcbride 17). This alienation portrays the Africans in Virginia, and America as a whole was discriminated against. As a result, the Americans prohibited their children from intermarrying with the African American.

In the city also, racism was evident in the school where Ruth studied. In the school, the white students disliked the Jews (McBride 53). This discrimination was apparent since Ruth and other Jewish students were considered low-class individuals. The author describes how white students would ridicule Ruth while at school. As a result, she changed her name from Ruckla to Ruth to fit in the context of the white students (McBride 53). Additionally, the white students would tease Ruth to an extent she developed a life of loneliness since she felts differently from all the others. Primarily, Ruth's discrimination in the school depicts the racism theme in the story.

Time, apart from the place, time is another setting used by the author to develop the theme of racism. The book depicts two periods of James' life and that of his mother. The part of James' life written in the book is 1960-1990, while that of Ruth is the 1920s all through to the 1950s (McBride 17). During these periods, the white Americans perceived the Africans as lesser human beings resulting in intense racial discrimination. For instance, in the 1920s, there was a white man, Van Vechten, who vehemently portrayed the blacks as zookeepers (Kendi 1). McBride uses this set up to describe the racial discrimination that Ruth went through in her childhood life. As a result, the author effectively brings out the theme of racism throughout the book.

The time of James' life discussed in the book also illustrates the racial discrimination that occurred in the USA from 1960 to 1990. In American history, this period marked the rise of the Black Power Movement that fought towards the civil rights of all individuals in the nation (Kendi 1). The movement was formed by young black individuals that have experiences of racial discrimination in society as well as in schools. McBride uses this period to describe the division between the whites and blacks that led to the rise of the movement (Kendi 27). Primarily, the author uses real occurrences during the periods to develop the theme of racism in the book.

The Symbols

The author not only uses the geographical and time settings, but he also applies some symbols to develop the racism theme in the book. Death is among the symbols that McBride uses to establish the idea of racism in the book. The symbol is used to show the extent at which the Jews hated the Whites and vice versa. Death, in this case, portrays the alienation that one goes through in Jewish culture in case of marrying a white person. For instance, when Ruth married Andrew, she was cut from her family, and she performed the Jewish ritual that depicts one has died due to the alienation (McBride 17). Through this symbol, the author portrays the intensity of racism among the Jews and the Whites.

Another symbol used by the author is the Bicycle. Ruth's bicycle represented the Whites culture that the Jews were against. In the culture of the white people, riding a bike was a recreational activity that individuals used to relieve stress. Ruth rode on her bicycle when she lost her husband to ease the stress and the discomfort of the demise (McBride 19). Riding the bike was among the actions that depicted the differences of Ruth from the Jews. Therefore, James developed a dislike for the activity since he perceived it as embarrassing among the people. This dislike depicts the hatred that the Jews had against the Whites. The bicycle, as a symbol, helps the author to develop the racism theme throughout the story.

The bicycle also helps to develop the theme of racism that occurred between the Whites and the Blacks in society. While Ruth rode her bicycle in the streets, the motorists of the black origin gawked at her since they disliked the white people (McBride 19). Ruth would ride the bike alone, thus making her conspicuous in the city. This aspect depicts the loneliness she experienced since she was the only white person around the neighborhood. Riding the bicycle after the death of the husbands also portrays that Ruth did not obtain any emotional support from the Blacks who were her neighbors. Ruth's loneliness vividly shows the effects of racism in society. The bicycle is effectively used as a symbol to show the extent of racism in the book.

Black power is another symbol that is used in the book to develop the theme of racism. The author uses the symbol to show the rise of movements that fought towards civil rights in society. The symbol is used to represent the Black Power Movement that occurred in the to speak for the civil rights of the blacks in America. The symbol shows how the author discovered the division that occurred between the blacks and the whites in that society (McBride 29). Therefore, he chose to lean on the side of African Americans since he was biracial. As a result, he led other African Americans into speaking for their rights.

The black power is used to describe the racism elements that occurred between the White Americans and African Americans. In the book, the author illustrates how the black people feared the whites that they thought they were gods (McBride 29). This fear, however, ended when the rise of the Black Power Movement occurred in the nation. The movement rose to fight against discrimination of the black people and to show their power that was not recognized in the society (Rojas 1). This symbol also depicts the actions that led to the rise of the Civil Rights Movement in American.

The song, Love of Birds, in the book, is another symbol that is used to develop the theme of racism in the book. The song is sung by Ruth's mother to portray her ability to move quickly and swiftly as a bird (McBride 112). Ruth's mother refers to herself as a caged bird that was meant to be killed and used a sacrifice. This symbol depicts how Ruth's mother was affected by racism effects. For instance, her children suffered racism in school Jewish schools. Moreover, the results were extensive and would lead to her death. In the song, she refereed herself as a bird that was handicapped since she was restricted from exercising her power in society as well as her children. Therefore, she was of not important, rather than being killed as a sacrifice. The theme effectively narrates the adverse effects of racism in a nation among the people in society.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, racism is among the primary theme that runs through the book The Color of Water. McBride, the author, uses the setting and several symbols to enhance the development of the theme in the narrative. In the book, the author portrays the racism that occurs in America in the time and the place of narration. The events in the story effectively relate to the real occurrences in the places during a particular period. Death, the bicycle, the love of birds song, and the black power are the symbols used to develop the theme of racism. The symbols represent the efforts of people in society to fight for civil rights. Primarily, the story's setting and symbols effectively help the author to develop the theme of racial discrimination in the narrative.

Works Cited

Kendi, Ibram. A History of Race and Racism in America, in 24 Chapters. The New York Times. 22 Feb 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/22/books/review/a-history-of-race-and-racism-in-america-in-24-chapters.html. Accessed 6 December 2019.

McBride, James. The color of water: A black man's tribute to his white mother. New York, Riverheads Books. 2006. http://euacsteacherrefuge.weebly.com/uploads/1/0/1/5/10156338/the_color_of_water_-_james_mcbride.pdf. Accessed 6 December 2019.

Rojas, Fabio. The Black Power Movement and American Social Work. Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews. 2015. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0094306115609925a?journalCode=csxa. Accessed 6 December 2019.