Family in the Color of Water

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Family in the Color of Water
Identity is the distinct personality of a person defined by several factors: race, religion, and family relationships. In the memoir, “The Color of Water,” the author James McBride attempts to define these perspectives through his life as a black gentleman raised by his white mother named Ruth of Jewish heritage through her reflection on her life history and family (McBride 17). Family is an important institution to have as it is the primary source of love, care, support, and comfort. Family is regarded as a significant institution whose members are interconnected in the different roles they play; in the “Color of Water,” the concept of family is demonstrated to be a source of true love, stability, unity, sacrifice, and compromise.
One of the significant depictions of the family is as a source of true love. Ruth describes her family fondly once she wedded her first husband, Andrew Dennis McBride. According to her, constructing a new family with him offered her the much-needed love and unwavering support that she needed all her life (McBride 104). Despite the poverty they experienced, her life with him and their seven mixed children gave her a new lease of life and purpose as her worth and love were validated. Ruth states that “Well, Dennis was a solid, clean Christian man. He seemed to understand me and see right through me. It wasn’t long before I fell in love with him, and a few months we started thinking of getting married (McBride 104).”
In James’ eyes, the family was defined by unity as he experienced it through his siblings, mother, and stepfather, Hunter Jordan. Despite experiencing the chaotic scenes of twelve children, his family was always filled with love, laughter, care, and support from each other and their parents. Ruth worked hard to nurture, discipline, guide, and love all her children, while Jordan provided and guided all the children (McBride 49-52). According to James, family meant “Mommy's children are extraordinary people, most of the leaders in their own right. All of them have toted more mental baggage and dealt with more hardship than they care to remember, yet they carry themselves with a giant measure of dignity, humility, and humor. Like any family, we have problems, but we have always been close (McBride 137-138).”
Family, according to James, is the source of stability. For James, his mother, siblings, and stepfather depicted the true constant in his life. Despite having different fathers, the twelve siblings loved each other and ensured no division (McBride 50). Having a similar mother cemented the bond that offered them guidance, support, a place to run to, and a constant worry that guided them down the right path. Additionally, his family was a source of direction amid his racial crisis (McBride 27). While they did not share a similar skin color, James’ siblings instilled the principles of being black. His mother’s Jewish heritage gave him a soul and purpose in life whereby he says, “As I walked home, holding Mommy’s hand while she fumed, I thought it would be easier if we were just one color, black or white. I didn’t want to be white...