Which character in your novel do you identify with the closest, or which character do you have the hardest time identifying with? How does this influence your reading? What characterization led you to this conclusion?
I feel as if I identify the closest with James’ mother. She sort of hides the truth about her life, and I’m thinking that it’s to protect her kids. James asks her why she cried at church and the mom simply said “I’m crying ‘cause I’m happy. Anything wrong with that?”(50). Religion is an important thing and it makes me curious why she wouldn’t share that kind of information with her children. I, personally, hide many details about my life and one of them is religion so I can relate to her. The character I have the hardest time identifying with is probably James himself. His thoughts are sort of all over the place, thinking about why his mom hides things, why his mom acts the way she does, why she doesn’t look like the other moms, I can’t really relate to that. It influences my reading because when she is the one talking I feel more engaged and interested in what the text is saying.
I see myself hiding the truth about my religion as well. Its not information I feel the need to share with others. I can also totally agree with you that I feel more engaged in the book when she is speaking and I believe that is because of how I see myself in her. One question I would have for you is just because you cannot relate to James as much, do you still see the concern that he has? How he wonders why his mom is not the same as him?
I agree with you on why its hard for you to connect to James the most because no one knows why he is acting this way and why he thinks the things he does. But I cant really relate to hiding things about your religion because I myself am pretty open about it and I feel like no one should be scared to share your beliefs.
I kind of agree to what you're saying about Ruth hiding her feelings to protect her kids but I'd say that she acts the way she does because she knows what she doesn't want for them. She lived through the racism that used to be even worse so she got used to avoiding the hatrid and carried it into her life as a mother to make sure they don't feel hated. James is having a very hard time figuring her out and, you're right, it is affecting his character because it doesn't seem like he can get over it.
The character in my book that I have a hard time figuring out is James because he doesn't make the best of choices when it comes to what he does with his free time. “I virtually dropped out of high school after he died, failing every class.” (6) I don't know if he is acting out because he doesn't have a steady male figure in his life after his biological father died before he was born and then also his stepfather from a stroke. But then James is also interested in what his mother is hiding and wants to know why he looks different. I have a hard time identifying him because I don't know if he actually is a bad kid because from his actions, it looks like he is, but when he talks to his mother and wonders about her past, he could just be doing it to try to get her attention. I can relate to doing something to get someone's attention, but I don't know if that is his true motive.
I do not think he is a bad kid, I think he just makes bad decisions based on past events in his life and the fact that he does not really have a strong parental figure due to his mom working until late. Also, I am wondering if some of the choices he has made is to gain attention from his mother and siblings?
I think Paige disagrees with everything haha. I think it could be both ways for James' actions. He was born without a father figure and then once he got a step dad it was the closest thing he had to it but then he died so James is at the thoughts in life where hes not too worried what happens to him. If he's dropping out of school and doing drugs but also acknowledging his actions then it proves that he isn't worried about what happens next.
I feel as if I identify closet to Ruth Mcbride (James Mother), because she hides her emotions and lies to protect others which is something I see myself doing often. In a conversation between James and his mother, James is questioning the color of God. After back and forth conversation on why he is not white nor black, Ruth finally says “God is the color of water”. (51) By doing this, she was protecting the way James feels about God. Also, she is indirectly informing him that God is the color of water because water has no color, just like love has no color and God loves all. By giving the response she did, she was not only looking out for James, but she was lying to protect his beliefs because she cannot actually be sure that God has no color. Sometimes I see myself lying to others in order to protect their feelings, beliefs, relationships, etc. Like when I was younger and my sister was struggling to maintain friendships I told her it was not her fault even though it was. I did it to protect her. If there is one thing I am wondering about Ruth, it would be is she lying to protect James or herself? I can predict that later in the novel, Ruth will accidentally say something that will make James react in an uncontrollable manner and will virtually end his and Ruth’s relationship.
This also influences my reading because it gives me a closer bond with a character making it easier for me to follow the reading and making me want to read more.
I definitely believe with everything you just said. But I’m questioning the part where you asked if she’s lying to protect james or herself. I believe very strongly that she will provide for her children and do anything to protect them. So when you say later in the book that she’ll say something that make James react uncomfortably and ruin their relationship, I understand what you’re saying but I don’t necessarily agree. They are developing a strong relationship with each other, so I believe that if/when she says something (details about her life, about James, etc.) it would only make them closer because James finally gets answers from his mother that he has been asking for for so long.
I can see where you are coming from when you say you feel closest with Ruth, but I also am confused on why Ruth would lie to protect her children because I believe that you should never lie to your children because it would only hurt them more in the end.
The character that I have the hardest time identifying with is James’s mother (Ruth Mcbride) because she is always hiding her feelings and emotions and is “twisting the truth” for the benefit of others to protect them. For example on page (34) James asked her after her purse got stolen “Why didn’t you scream?” I asked, when I finally got my tongue back. “It’s just a purse,” she said. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just get home.”” In this situation she is protecting her children from the harsh and cruel society that they live in, and not worrying about the purse that has all of her personal information in it. If I was her, I probably would have been freaking out and then go talk to an official about getting that purse back that was rightfully mine (in this case hers.) This influences my reading because I never can understand why she is always being deceptive toward others, no other than her own children. The reason why I got led to this conclusion is because she always lies about her true emotions and feelings, never telling anybody how she really feels, when people really want to try and help her out of these difficult struggles that she is facing.
I agree with what you are saying, but help you out a bit, right after the purse incident happens, he writes about how, to sum it up, she is a very strong woman, and all though she appears beautiful and weak, she is actually very strong. James explains that she won’t act back to strangers rude remarks because they want a reaction from her, that’s why they do it, but she will only react when it comes to her children. If a stranger is insulting her child, or making any rude remarks to her children, she will snap and fight. So although I said the opposite, that I actually relate most to his mother and you said you don’t, I still agree with everything you’ve said.
I think my biggest problem with any of the characters is Helen. I think this because after all that Ruth tries doing to make her 12 children's’ lives the best that it can be given the circumstances of how they live and what the have, Helen decided that at the age of 15 she was ready to leave home and never return. This is very heartless of her and gives her mom a very hard time when in reality Ruth was only trying to make things better. WIth Helen’s behavior, skipping out of class and not taking her education seriously day in and day out, Ruth did what she could but to Helen it wasn’t enough. Ruth deserves to be treated way better in my opinion.
two quotes from the reasoning behind this is, "Helen cried after the beating and promised to change after the talks then shrugged and kept missing school" (72-73) and "I found her. She's living with some crazy woman." ... "Mommy got the address and went to the place herself." (77-78)
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ReplyDeleteI feel as if I identify the closest with James’ mother. She sort of hides the truth about her life, and I’m thinking that it’s to protect her kids. James asks her why she cried at church and the mom simply said “I’m crying ‘cause I’m happy. Anything wrong with that?”(50). Religion is an important thing and it makes me curious why she wouldn’t share that kind of information with her children. I, personally, hide many details about my life and one of them is religion so I can relate to her. The character I have the hardest time identifying with is probably James himself. His thoughts are sort of all over the place, thinking about why his mom hides things, why his mom acts the way she does, why she doesn’t look like the other moms, I can’t really relate to that. It influences my reading because when she is the one talking I feel more engaged and interested in what the text is saying.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI see myself hiding the truth about my religion as well. Its not information I feel the need to share with others. I can also totally agree with you that I feel more engaged in the book when she is speaking and I believe that is because of how I see myself in her. One question I would have for you is just because you cannot relate to James as much, do you still see the concern that he has? How he wonders why his mom is not the same as him?
DeleteI agree with you on why its hard for you to connect to James the most because no one knows why he is acting this way and why he thinks the things he does. But I cant really relate to hiding things about your religion because I myself am pretty open about it and I feel like no one should be scared to share your beliefs.
DeleteI kind of agree to what you're saying about Ruth hiding her feelings to protect her kids but I'd say that she acts the way she does because she knows what she doesn't want for them. She lived through the racism that used to be even worse so she got used to avoiding the hatrid and carried it into her life as a mother to make sure they don't feel hated. James is having a very hard time figuring her out and, you're right, it is affecting his character because it doesn't seem like he can get over it.
DeleteThe character in my book that I have a hard time figuring out is James because he doesn't make the best of choices when it comes to what he does with his free time. “I virtually dropped out of high school after he died, failing every class.” (6) I don't know if he is acting out because he doesn't have a steady male figure in his life after his biological father died before he was born and then also his stepfather from a stroke. But then James is also interested in what his mother is hiding and wants to know why he looks different. I have a hard time identifying him because I don't know if he actually is a bad kid because from his actions, it looks like he is, but when he talks to his mother and wonders about her past, he could just be doing it to try to get her attention. I can relate to doing something to get someone's attention, but I don't know if that is his true motive.
ReplyDeleteI do not think he is a bad kid, I think he just makes bad decisions based on past events in his life and the fact that he does not really have a strong parental figure due to his mom working until late. Also, I am wondering if some of the choices he has made is to gain attention from his mother and siblings?
DeleteI think Paige disagrees with everything haha. I think it could be both ways for James' actions. He was born without a father figure and then once he got a step dad it was the closest thing he had to it but then he died so James is at the thoughts in life where hes not too worried what happens to him. If he's dropping out of school and doing drugs but also acknowledging his actions then it proves that he isn't worried about what happens next.
DeleteI feel as if I identify closet to Ruth Mcbride (James Mother), because she hides her emotions and lies to protect others which is something I see myself doing often. In a conversation between James and his mother, James is questioning the color of God. After back and forth conversation on why he is not white nor black, Ruth finally says “God is the color of water”. (51) By doing this, she was protecting the way James feels about God. Also, she is indirectly informing him that God is the color of water because water has no color, just like love has no color and God loves all. By giving the response she did, she was not only looking out for James, but she was lying to protect his beliefs because she cannot actually be sure that God has no color. Sometimes I see myself lying to others in order to protect their feelings, beliefs, relationships, etc. Like when I was younger and my sister was struggling to maintain friendships I told her it was not her fault even though it was. I did it to protect her. If there is one thing I am wondering about Ruth, it would be is she lying to protect James or herself? I can predict that later in the novel, Ruth will accidentally say something that will make James react in an uncontrollable manner and will virtually end his and Ruth’s relationship.
ReplyDeleteThis also influences my reading because it gives me a closer bond with a character making it easier for me to follow the reading and making me want to read more.
DeleteI definitely believe with everything you just said. But I’m questioning the part where you asked if she’s lying to protect james or herself. I believe very strongly that she will provide for her children and do anything to protect them. So when you say later in the book that she’ll say something that make James react uncomfortably and ruin their relationship, I understand what you’re saying but I don’t necessarily agree. They are developing a strong relationship with each other, so I believe that if/when she says something (details about her life, about James, etc.) it would only make them closer because James finally gets answers from his mother that he has been asking for for so long.
DeleteI can see where you are coming from when you say you feel closest with Ruth, but I also am confused on why Ruth would lie to protect her children because I believe that you should never lie to your children because it would only hurt them more in the end.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe character that I have the hardest time identifying with is James’s mother (Ruth Mcbride) because she is always hiding her feelings and emotions and is “twisting the truth” for the benefit of others to protect them. For example on page (34) James asked her after her purse got stolen “Why didn’t you scream?” I asked, when I finally got my tongue back. “It’s just a purse,” she said. “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just get home.”” In this situation she is protecting her children from the harsh and cruel society that they live in, and not worrying about the purse that has all of her personal information in it. If I was her, I probably would have been freaking out and then go talk to an official about getting that purse back that was rightfully mine (in this case hers.) This influences my reading because I never can understand why she is always being deceptive toward others, no other than her own children. The reason why I got led to this conclusion is because she always lies about her true emotions and feelings, never telling anybody how she really feels, when people really want to try and help her out of these difficult struggles that she is facing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you are saying, but help you out a bit, right after the purse incident happens, he writes about how, to sum it up, she is a very strong woman, and all though she appears beautiful and weak, she is actually very strong. James explains that she won’t act back to strangers rude remarks because they want a reaction from her, that’s why they do it, but she will only react when it comes to her children. If a stranger is insulting her child, or making any rude remarks to her children, she will snap and fight. So although I said the opposite, that I actually relate most to his mother and you said you don’t, I still agree with everything you’ve said.
DeleteI think my biggest problem with any of the characters is Helen. I think this because after all that Ruth tries doing to make her 12 children's’ lives the best that it can be given the circumstances of how they live and what the have, Helen decided that at the age of 15 she was ready to leave home and never return. This is very heartless of her and gives her mom a very hard time when in reality Ruth was only trying to make things better. WIth Helen’s behavior, skipping out of class and not taking her education seriously day in and day out, Ruth did what she could but to Helen it wasn’t enough. Ruth deserves to be treated way better in my opinion.
ReplyDeletetwo quotes from the reasoning behind this is, "Helen cried after the beating and promised to change after the talks then shrugged and kept missing school" (72-73) and "I found her. She's living with some crazy woman." ... "Mommy got the address and went to the place herself." (77-78)
Delete