After discussing theme in class, provide the theme that your group developed through close analysis of the text and your plot map. Then, defend your theme. Why does this theme make sense for the novel? How does this theme relate to the contemporary American lifestyle?
I think the biggest theme isn’t just race itself but it’s racial identity (james). There’s a part of the book where James is having a conversation with his mother about his race and he asks, “Am I black or white?”(92). Ruth responds by saying that he’s just a human being, he needs to educate himself otherwise he will be a nobody, and if he’s a nobody then it doesn’t matter what color he is (92). James is having a hard time with understanding the fact that he is a different color than his mother is. This makes sense for the novel because race itself is talked about the a lot, the incident with the milk, the rude comments the mother gets, etc. It relates to American lifestyle because racism isn’t just something that happened in the 30’s and 60’s, it’s an ongoing issue and will continue to be for a really long while.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your theme, James is learning what his mom is teaching him and experiencing first hand the same things she has dealt with. He questions what color he is because he doesn’t like who he is but his mom’s motivation is to hide him from feeling that way. Being a black child with a white mother during this time caused a lot of commotion and hatred towards them especially Ruth because when white people see a white woman with black children it is very abnormal. Unfortunately, it was this way back then and Ruth dealt with the prejudice comments and hatred for her whole life.
DeleteObviously I agree with you considering I also found the same theme in the novel. As James grows older, we can start to see that he is noticing his differences but he doesn't necessarily know how to hand them. Also, we see the valuable lessons that Ruth,his mother is trying to get in his head so that he can be successful. One question I have for you is when you say "It's an ongoing issue and will continue to be for a really long while." is how do you think the degree to which racism occurs has changed over time?
DeleteI understand what Evan mentioned about Ruth and James childhood being very similar, and that’s something we talk a lot about in our book clubs. Ruth had to deal with racial differences first hand (ku klux klan) and James is experiencing racial problems as well in his childhood. To answer your question Paige, I believe that any problem in the world won’t just disappear after a little while. Racism and equal rights have definitely gotten better over the years, like there are no separate bathrooms for blacks and whites and blacks are no longer being abused just because they want to go to lunch. The reason I believe that it’s an ongoing problem is because honestly, blacks still aren’t being treating same as whites are, mostly by law enforcement. They still get harmed for dumb reasons, and there are still many harsh racial remarks.
DeleteWhen I think about a theme for this story it brings me the ongoing racism and its effects it has on James, Ruth and the rest of her children. I would say the theme so far is to focus on what matters in your life instead of what people think about your physical aspects. (102-103) when James and his mother had the dispute with the store clerk with the spoiled milk really stands out as an example to me because it shows the hatred most people had against colored/different raced people. Even with these events going on Ruth is too stubborn to let it get in her head and tries all that she can to make sure her children do the same. She had explained to James (92) that instead of focusing on being black or white he should be more concerned about who he is as a person within. To me that is a very strong point for a struggling mother to get across because it gives James the clarity that what others think about you isn’t important unless it’s positive.
ReplyDeleteI totally agreed with your statement however, how do you think this effects James out look on life? Also, something I want to know is how can you see this theme in today's society? Do you feel that people today are much too focused on themselves and not enough on others? How/why do you feel this way?
DeleteI agree with everything you said here, but do you think that this is how Ruth grew up or is she just trying to teach her kids what she wished she was taught when she was James age? If Ruth didn't grow up learning that, why do you think she's trying to teach her kids it doesn't matter what you look like on the outside?
DeleteI think the overarching theme that continues to reoccur in the book and is a large struggle for many people today is the idea of Racial Identity. Racial Identity has places restrictions on those in this novel by creating a feeling of no worth. On page 92, James and his mother Ruth are having a conversation and James asks “Am I black or white”? Ruth responds in a way that is very adequate for her character, as she has been hiding things from James the whole novel. She states “You’re a human being… Educate yourself or you’ll be a nobody”! Ruth replied to James question by telling him what he needs to do to be somebody someday, but she never actually answers his question. This relates to the American lifestyle, because in the middle 1900, it was believed that if you weren’t white, all you were was a slave. Once the civil rights act was passed, blacks had their rights, but that did not mean that white people had to be nice, meaning when they were mean to a black, there were no consequences and there was a lot of people questioning their race and what could possibly have made them any different. One question that I have about the Color of Water is do you think James is the one struggling with his race or do you think Ruth is the one struggling? Why?
ReplyDeleteI agree with your theme here, but to answer your question, I believe that James is the one struggling with his race because he is so bothered by the fact he doesn't look like his mom like the rest of the kids in school look like their parents.
DeleteWhen I think of the theme of the story, the first thing that comes to my head is race. Not just race itself, but what it means to be the race you are and what makes you different from the rest. James mother never looks at her kids like they are a different race. She doesn't care if they are black or white, she's accepting. But her kids have a different view on people and themselves. When they see white people, they feel downgraded or out of place. “We grew accustomed to being the only black, or Negro, in school and were standout students.” (89) This theme fits the novel because the whole purpose of this book so far is that James is trying to figure more about why he and his other siblings don't look like their mother like the rest of the kids in school.
ReplyDeleteI absolutely agree with your statement here. My question for you is, do you think Ruth is helping James be less confused with his race or is she just hurting him because she's not sharing information about her past? Personally, I think she is harming him because James wants answers, and her past will help him with his racial identity, so as a mother she should help in that way, what do you think though?
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