A Separate Peace by John Knowles: Historical background, Author Background, Characters, Quotes, Themes and Old AP questions.

Historical background: -The Lost Generation movement was full in tact during the 1920s-1990s, this movement was started from chaos that erupted during the world wars, it made society lost in what their mind sets were. Lost, is meant to paint a mental image of the inability to decide what to do or where to go, to create freedom and abstract thought.  -The 1950s and 1960s dealt primarily with the aftermath of the wars and many countries suffered from destruction and instability. It is likely that John Knowles witnessed all these bad things happening and decided to write a book based on the simplicity of adolescence and what the idea of war is mean to create in the young minds of people.  -While the non-violent movement for civil rights started in the1950s, it was during the early sixties that non-violent techniques began to pay off. It could be that because of the civil right movement, Knowles felt inclined to shed rebellion with this book, by saying that the war is of unimportant when young livelihoods are being ruined.  -The significant change of the mid-1950s was the impact of American rock and roll, which provided a new model for performance and recording, based on a youth market. Initially this was dominated by American acts, or re-creations of American forms of music, but soon distinctly British forms began to appear, first in the uniquely British take on American folk music in the skiffle craze of the 1950s, then in the beginnings of a folk revival that came to place an emphasis on national traditions and then in early attempts to produce British rock and roll. This dealt with the book because just like music was used to rebel against the war bu adolescents, in the book, both characters are rebelling in the fact they want to be different and just likes there are different genres, the characters are contrasting as well.  -Great Britain suffered the most from the world wars during the 1950s-1960s because their factories were not destroyed, so they were unable to grasp the new and faster efficient mode of all the other countries during the Industrial Revolution. This could have made Knowles resentful of war and therefore created a book that illustrates war as the enemy of all.   Author background: John Knowles was born in 1926 in Fairmont, West Virginia; at age 15, he became a student at Phillips Exeter Academy. He graduated that boarding school is 1945, but did not precede to go to the university, he decided to enroll into the army, in specifically the U.S. Army Air Force's Aviation Cadet Program. Later on, after serving in the war, he attended Yale University, where he attained a bachelors degree in 1949.  After graduating form college, he traveled to Europe where he worked as a journalist in the 1950s. He returned from Europe in 1957, where his friend Thornton Wilder encouraged him to write a book. In the end, Knowles wrote A Separate Peace in 1959 and it was an instant success. In addition to A Separate Peace, John Knowles has published eight other books; in addition, he wrote a travel book, and also published a collection of his short stories. Knowles was honored with the position of writer-in-residence at both Princeton University and the University of North Carolinal. He was pretty well known for giving lectures at school as well and was very involved in school life. John Knowles died on Thursday at convalescent home in a suburb of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He was 75. Characters: Finny: Gene's best friend. Supposedly Finny was supposed to be one of the best known and most likable people at the school Devon School in New Hampshire. He is also the best athlete and seems perfect in literally every single way.  Although he frequently gets into trouble, he is very quick at  being able to dodge being punished or getting out of an awkward situation. The only flaw he has is that he thinks everyone is good and kind-hearted like him. Gene: He is the narrator and protagonist of this story. He is secretly jealous of how Finny is able to be the best at all these things and all he is known for is being his friend. He thinks that Finny only cares about himself, as opposed to the well being of him and his studies. Although he is the protagonist, he is the one that purposely shakes the tree branch which makes Finny fall and breaks his leg. Gene is uncertain half the time throughout the book about his emotions. Leper: Leper is a classmate of both Gene and Finny. He is a gentle and sweet hearted young man who is least likely to cause any sort of trouble around Devon. He wants to be friends with Gene and persistently shows his jealousy against Finny who already has taken the spot of best friend for Gene. He is strangely the first to enlist in the army, but cannot handle it and ends up escaping and deals with hallucinations and breakdown. Brinker: He tends to be compulsive when it comes to knowing the truth. He feels like he should know everything that is happening and why it happened. He believes in justice and order, he will go to great lengths to discover the truth when he feels that it is being hidden from him.His personality almost seems ruthless, because there is basically nothing he wont do to uncover the truth. Quotes: "I never killed anybody and I never developed an intense level of hatred for the enemy. Because my war ended before I ever put on a uniform; I was on active duty all my time at school; I killed my enemy there. Only Phineas never was afraid, only Phineas never hated anyone." This is Leper talking about his experience in the camp. He is trying to not reveal that the war has made him delusional and unable to think clearly. Leper has become confused as to what his life is and tries to use the war as a means of defining it. He says that Phineas was the only one who understood the meaning of war as opposed to him, who could never find purpose. This quote exemplifies the corruption of war. "Fear seized my stomach like a cramp. I didn’t care what I said to him now; it was myself I was worried about. For if Leper was psycho it was the army which had done it to him, and I and all of us were on the brink of the army." This is the moment where Gene realizes that he is afraid of not only the idea of war, but knowing that he could be next. Just like his friend Leper who was one of the nicest and gentlest people, with a minimum sentence and war, he is completely changed and literally psychotic. Genes' realization that even Leper who was the sweetest and innocent person ever could be altered in this unrecognizable person, so imagine what would happen to him if he enlisted into the war.In the minds of Gene and the rest of the boys, Leper’s madness transforms the war from a distant threat into an immediate reality. "What was I doing up here anyway? Why did I let Finny talk me into stupid things like this? Was he getting some kind of hold over me?" Gene knows that the importance of a friendship is to make sure no one is being inferior or superior and just like Finny can jump, he wants to prove that his is just as capable as doing any of the things Finny can do as well, so without hesitation he jumps. The jump is supposed to signify the idea of the big influence that one's in group has a on a person. Gene could have never just, had it not been for Finny, why the need to prove him, it is obvious that Gene feels inferior and the only way he'll make himself feel better is by complying. "I threw my hip against his, catching him by surprise, and he was instantly down, definitely pleased. This was why he liked me so much. When I jumped on top of him, my knees on his chest, he couldn't ask for anything better. We struggled in some equality for a while, and then when we were sure we were too late for dinner, we broke off." In this quote the friendship of Gene and Finny is illustrated. Wresting together is a reflection of the sense of competition that arouse from their friendship  It is strange to Gene later one when he realizes that unlike him, Finny never saw the wrestling as a competition, rather as just to mess around.This quote just further illustrates the closeness of a friendship and how in one person everything could be reliant on and nobody ever question what was being done, because you two were best friends and everyone assumed that are happy or simply just playing around. “Listen, pal, if I can’t play sports, you’re going to play them for me,” and I lost part of myself to him then, and a soaring sense of freedom revealed that this must have been my purpose from the first: to become a part of Phineas." This is where the reader realizes that Finny is the best of guys because he never meant to seem like a shining diamond only ensuring his success, he also wants the best for Gene. He tries to remark to Gene that he is capable of anything as long as he tries hard enough.Finny’s need to live out his dreams of athletic glory and Gene’s desire to escape his identity. Thus, each boy, by becoming “part” of the other, protects himself from reality—Finny from his sudden but permanent physical shortcomings and Gene from his moral shortcomings. This is where the reason behind the books' name is found, they are not only just best friend, but are joined together by one reason and feeling, they are a togetherness of men. Finny doesn't care what Gene did, as long as he made it up to him by simply proving himself, Finny would forgive. Theme: The creation of inner enemies: Gene displayed this throughout the entire novel by making up instances in where he tried to make it seem like Finny was playing around and didn't care about his friendship, not because he was manipulated to think so, but there was an internal conflict with what is to be of Finny and Genes' friendship. The novel implicitly associates this realization of the necessity of a personal war with adulthood and the loss of childhood innocence. Gene himself was the antagonist because having to deal with his emotions was hard, especially considering he felt not nearly as great as his best friend Finny. Gene himself, though, states that he fought his own war while at Devon and killed his enemy there. The obvious implication is that Finny, as the embodiment of a spirit greater than Gene’s own, was his enemy, casting an unwavering shadow over Gene’s life AP Questions: 2008. In a literary work, a minor character, often known as a foil, possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast or comparison, the distinctive characteristics and qualities of the main character. For example, the ideas or behavior of the minor character might be used to highlight the weaknesses or strengths of the main character. Choose a novel or play in which a minor character serves as a foil to a main character. Then write an essay in which you analyze how the relation between the minor character and the major character illuminates the meaning of the work. A minor character would be Leper because eye was minor but drastically changed Gene. 1980. A recurring theme in literature is the classic war between a passion and responsibility. For instance, a personal cause, a love, a desire for revenge, a determination to redress a wrong, or some other emotion or drive may conflict with moral duty. Choose a literary work in which a character confronts the demands of a private passion that conflicts with his or her responsibilities. In a well-written essay show clearly the nature of the conflict, its effects upon the character, and its significance to the work. Choose this because a lot of students at Devon were fully committed to being a soldier and it corrupted them. 1988. Choose a distinguished novel or play in which some of the most significant events are mental or psychological; for example, awakenings, discoveries, changes in consciousness. In a well-organized essay, describe how the author manages to give these internal events the sense of excitement, suspense, and climax usually associated with external action. Do not merely summarize the plot. Relates by how Gene tends to psych himself out and is unaware of his emotions. Works Cited "1950s Timeline." About.com 20th Century History. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2013. "Biography of John Knowles (1926-2001)." Biography of John Knowles. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2013. "Open-ended Questions for AP Literature." Open-ended Questions for AP Literature. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 May 2013. "A Separate Peace." SparkNotes. SparkNotes, n.d. Web. 17 May 2013.

The Glass Castle: Symbols, Quotes Explained, Characters, Themes, Author Information

OLD AP QUESTION:

In some works of literature, childhood and adolescence are portrayed as times graced by innocence and a sense of wonder; in other works, they are depicted as times of tribulation and terror. Focusing on a single novel or play, explain how its representation of childhood or adolescence shapes the meaning of the work as a whole.

Historical background:
Was written in 2005. She got her inspiration from her childhood, this story was fiction.

Symbols:

Fire:

Jeanette's first encounter with fire was when she was burned whilecooking hot dogs at the age of three. Though she suffers extreme injuries, firebecomes a fixation for Jeannette, who cannot keep herself from playing with itand watching it. It is the inability to let go of this obsession with fire thathelps and hurts Jeanette. All of her problems begin with fire, butare solved with fire as well. It is as though fire is barrier, it lets Jeanettegain things, but takes away things. At the ed of the novel you realize theimportance of fire throughout the entire novel. 

Mountain Goat:

Mountain Goat is what Jeanette's father nicknamed her,due to her endurance in the face of trouble. No matter how hard the struggleis, Jeanette always overcomes it exceptional. Jeanette is the favorite child ofRex and because of it, the reader is able to distinguished a closeknit relationship with her father for Jeanette. No other child was able to havesuch a trust and love for each other like they did. Due to Jeanette' strongcharacter, she is the sibling willing to fight for her other siblingslivelihood. Although it breaks the heart of the parentsto watch their children leave, they know it must be doneand under the wing of Jeanette they expect great things. The nicknamemountain does not only help describe Jeanette as what she is on the outside,but personality wise as well. She is rough and stubborn like a mountaingoat which is why she is able to achieve so much and fightfor what she believes to be true.

Characters:

Jeanette Walls She is the narrator and maincharacter of the story. She is the one who explains the dailytroubles and happening of her life. Although her parents arequite neglectful, they have always given Jeanettethe love she deserves andso Jeanette feels obligation to mouth them as wonderfulparents. Jeanette feels no guilt , rather she feels sympathy andguilt, because she left them out there with nothing, when she couldhave helped. Jeanette is the rebel child in the family, even Lori who is theoldest respects what Jeanette has to say or follow her wishes. 

Rex Walls He is Jeannette’s alcoholicfather who manipulates and uses his wife and his children for his own needs andyet never stops loving them and hoping they love him. he is the reason why theWall's family is unable to stay in one place. His inability to keep a jobforces bis family to flee alongside with him in search of another job. Whatis interesting is that even though he is the one to make the mostmistakes, the rest of the family all follow.

Rose Mary Walls She is the selfish mother ofthe family who brings her own needs first before anyone else and is aburden to have while traveling  She may love her family, but heraction exemplify otherwise. Rose May feels the best way to run a  householdis to be able to maned around everything the way she wantsor plans it to go out. She is the type of person that thins must bedone her way or no way at all. She has a firm character, but is neglectfuland even influences her children to steal. 

Lori Walls She is the oldest child ofthe family, but isn't the one who dominates. She is smart and loving,but without Jeannette, hasn't the courage to escape the life shehates. Lori is the one who should be willing to maketough decisions for the betterment of the family, however, Jeanetteis the one who is willing to stick up for what she believes in, so she is able to give a little bit of calm mentality to ensure no angersessions and concealment of emotions at all times. 

Brian Walls He is the boy of the Wallssiblings and learns very young how to protect his sisters. He grows up to be aprotector as well when he becomes a police officer. Even though Brian is one ofthe younger siblings  he is the one that matures the fastest, due tohis experiences as a child. Witnessing the atrocities of a unstable home cancause someone to react. In the end Brian ends up beinga successful police officer and is able to fulfill hisneed to protect people.

Maureen Walls She is the most fragile ofthe children and spends all her life looking for someone to take care of her.Maureen is the siblings who is unable to succeed in life and becauseof it has to stay with her mother and father, but goes insane becauseof it and ends up in a mental hospital. She was institutionalized afterhaving stabbed her mother several times. Maureen seemed to be the child mostaffected by her childhood experiences. 

Themes:

"Boundary Between Turbulence and Order:"

Rex describes this pyshics idea to his children that there is noboundaries between turbulance and order, or if there is, no one understandthem, so they have not need to accept them. Rex explains this to them afterthey were playing with toxic waste and almost died in a fire caused by thattoxic waste. He gives them this limit to where there is no limit to what theycan do. After Rex continues to drink, this"boundary" disappears  However, at the end of the novelit reappears  fire acts a the boundary between turbulance anddisorder, a flame is able to cause destruction  but alsoable to keep order depending on where it is placed.   So in the end of thenovel, the reader realizes that fire is the control and chaos of the novel.When bad things happens, it is due to the fire, but when good thingshappen, like a fire of succession, we also give credit to fire. It is an oddidea to think of fire as a good thing. 

theimportance of individualism:

Although the parents of the Wall's siblings suffered from anunstable childhood, their parents always supported their every decision. Theparents always encourage originality and rebellion  They believedthat being different is how someone got to achieve great thingsand so became upset when their son joined the Air Force,because they believed he did not display individuality. The parentsof the Wall's could be considered all sorts of bad things, but they did havesome positive effects int he lives of Maureen  Lori, Brianand Jeanette, they wanted to ensure that their children would never end uplike they had. Individualism helps create a sense of self identity, inorder to describe yourself, you must first know who you are andindividualism helps answer this.Without individualism  everyone would think the same and bethe same which would mean no advancements in anything. Individualismis what separates those willingto achieve it all to those who do nothing in life. 

Quotes:

“I lived ina world that at any moment could erupt into fire. It was the sort of knowledgethat kept you on your toes.” (Walls 145)

The chaotic lifestyle of Jeanette caused her to find theunexpected normal. Her life was continuous chaos, so to consider somethingnew and unbearable in her life would be abnormal. She uses sarcasm to expressthat knowing that at any moment anything could happen would keep moston their toes, but not her because she was so accustomed to it in herlife. It would have to be something extremely intense for her to evenhave a second thought about what to do or how to react. The never endingfeeling of destruction was embedded into the life of Jeanette.  

“Life's too short to care about what otherpeople think. Besides, they should accept us for who we are” (Walls 95)

This quote is universal, the author intended it not to apply to her own life,but all her readers. The norms that society call "cool" or"beautiful" are completely biased opinions on what others judge in.Life is not perfect and neither are people, so imagining perfection onlycreates a need to be as teenagers call it now a days "fake" ornot yourself. The author wants to connect with her readers by adding aquote by which all people can relate too. The reason why some many peoplesuffer from psychological problems are due to the fact they aren't evensure who they are, because they never let themselves be true totheir person which in time creates an internal problem.

“Why spend the afternoon making a meal that willbe gone in an hour," she'd ask us, "when in the same amount of time,I can do a painting that will last forever?” (Walls 45)

The importance of time is displayed in this quote. Why spend valuabletime doing something that is gone in a few minutes when you could do somethingor make something meaningful worth a lifetime? The mother wants tomake life a little easier on the kids by helping them understand that food isnot the most important thing in life if they have love. The mother realizes howbad the situation is but uses this quote to lighten the mood, she could doanything else for her children that they would remembered forever, soshe felt that was more important. To spend time on useful things could helpgain success in the future. 

"Things usually work out in the end."

"What if they don't?"

" That just means you haven't come to the end yet"(Walls 259). 

This quotesillustrates hope. The ability to imagine there is no end in anythingyou set your mind to. If someone is willing to dream, they arewilling to succeed, there is no such thing as failure. Jeanette Wallsused this quote to help create a emotional connection to her audience. Ifreaders feel good about themselves when reading the book, it will helpthem throughout their lives. I believe Jeanette did not write thisquote to explain her life story, but to help explain that of many teachersconfused about the possibilities of life. Why stop a dream that is worthfighting for? o have a book relate with you not in a specific state of mindset, but a universal mindset where everyone stresses outabout the future, helps connect with the audience in a more personalmanner which helps create a close knit relationship with the book, which gainsthe attention of most readers and therefore more profit. 

 "You know, it's really not that hard to put food on thetable if that's what you decide to do" (Walls 288).

Brian uses this quote to specific antagonize his parents. He is all grown upnow and does not understand why his parents did not provide for him as wellas they should have. He believes if you really care about something, youare willing to make sure to put your entire effort into making sureit turns out perfect, but apparently his parents had other things as prioritiesover their children which deeply upsets him. Brian can't seem to graspwhy is it that to his parents theirchildren were not important  when he cannot help but neverwant to disappoint his own children. He wishes to be explained withan answer.

Author Information:

JeanetteWalls was born in Phoenix, Arizona on January 1,1960. She wasone of four siblings and during her childhood, shemoved constantly from place to place due tot he lack ofstability her father had to keep up with a  job ,considering he had adrinking problem. She moved from Nevada,San Francisco, Phoenix,   West Virginia and New York City. She never had astable home growing up and usually moved very year or so, which madeit difficult for her to maintain friendships or a closerelationship with her parents. Her dream was to move to NewYork City with her sister Lori after she graduated high school. Hesister was the first to leave and she followed, along with them, Walls broughther younger brother and sister. She attended Barnard College andgraduated with honors, which is affiliated with Columbia University and then she decided to pursue a career in English; writer and journalist.She grew up separated from her family after the age of 17 and made manymistakes in her life that include leaving her past behind. As she got older sherealized she had to accept her roots and started over her life from the trueways of her life. He best seller is The Glass Castle and in 2005, wasmade into a film by Paramount. She currently lives in Virginia and ismarried to a man by the name of John Taylor. 

The Color of Water: Character List, Quotes Explained, Summary, Historical Information, Message

Character List:

Ruth McBride Jordan:  
She is the mother of James. She is characterized by having a very strong and big hearted personality, which helped her overcome her hardships in life. She tries to impose only three things into the life of James, the importance of: work, school and God. She especially tends to overlook the aspect of racism at any point her children try to bring it up. She believes there is no color, that God made us all equally.

James McBride:
 As a young child, James struggled with identity and fell into the use of drugs, which briefly obscured his path to success. However, his time spent in New York helped him realize he wished to lead a fulfilling life by spending his time doing something he loved. Although he struggled to gain his dignity back and move forward in life, he succeeded. He attended college and became a writer, composer, and musician.

Tateh (Fishel Shilsky): 
 Father of Rachel Shilsky, also known as Ruth McBride. He physical, mentally and sexually abused Ruth at a young age. He was a very stern and stubborn man, who never cared about his family. He lived to make money and that was the end of it.

Mameh (Hudis Shilsky):
 Ruth's mother, was forced to marry Fishel Shilsky to ensure his moving to America. She had a stroke at a young age and because of it half of her body stayed paralyzed. The only way Mameh was able to live in America was by Ruth always taking care of her and translating. Mameh was the only one that Ruth felt she did a great injustice to when she left home.

Dee Dee:
 The younger daughter of Fishel and Hudis Shilsky. Unlike Ruth, Dee Dee was never treated unkindly. Tateh always gave her what she wanted and everyone liked her because, Ruth stated, she was sweet , soft spoken and not an immigrant. Dee Dee and Ruth spoke 50 years after her departure from home.

Andrew Dennis McBride: 
 Father of James. He met Ruth while he worked in her shop. He was the only one who provided Ruth with love and care, they had eight children in the time span of their marriage. Andrew died at the age of thirty from cancer.

Hunter Jordan:
 Second husband of Ruth. He was the male role model of James and the rest of Ruth's children. Like Ruth he believed in God and the old conservative ways of life. He became ill and died of a stroke, his death caused Ruth a decade long of depression.

 Frances:
 The only friend of Ruth's childhood. France's friendship truly help bring life into the heart of Ruth; she was one of the few people to show Ruth she was important. Frances was accepting of Ruth's background even though others criticized her for having a Jewish friend.

Peter:
Ruth's first boyfriend. Peter was black which helped foreshadow the connection Ruth would later have with colored people. She was impregnated by him, but aborted her child. Peter ended up having to marry another girl and Ruth ran away from home because of it.  

Chicken Man: 
The man James befriended in New York. He was the reason James completely turned his life around. Chicken Man was the person who spoke out honestly and told James he was not a man who belonged in the streets, he belonged in school. After having been lectured by Chicken Man, James changed his mischievous ways and transformed into a gentle and hardworking man. 

Historical Information:
The post-civil war Amendments ensured that blacks would be freed and would have equal rights. However, this idea was pushed back by the majority vote of citizens in the United States, which began to create a sense of racism throughout multiple cultures. Although blacks were free, they did not share any of the same rights that white people did. They were separated in every aspect, take into consideration the Jim Crow Laws. African Americans during such laws were forbidden from entry white only places and were subjected constant unfair treatment. During this time, there was a group established named, Ku Klux Klan. The KKK, ensured that blacks were fearful at all times; they murder thousands of African Americans throughout fifty years of institutionalized racial segregation. Finally, beginning  the late 1930s there became hope of equal rights for blacks, through the Civil Rights Movement. People began to speak up and fight for equality. The government became involved in trying to change the unfair way of life colored people were subjected to. However, it is important to note that it was not until the 1950s that the government completely stopped allowing racial injustice; the government went so far as to take down any statues of governmental actions that proposed any sign of racism.

Quotes explained:

"Rachel Shilsky is dead as far as I'm concerned. She had to die in order for me, the rest of me, to live." (McBride 2)

In order to forget her hard past, Rachel must give up completely on her identity, which meant even changing her name. As her family had completely forgotten about her in their lives, she hoped to do the same to them and forget them ever being part of her life. The only way she felt she was able to move forward in her life was by abolishing any memory of her family with the hopes of never having to feel pain from her decision of leaving them. She was stricken between pains of the decisions so her only way to escape this was for her to completely dissolved her once identity and receive a new one. The moment she became Ruth McBride, she never starved from loved, she had what she felt her person deserved. Ruth was the new her and Ruth was whom she would stay as.

“Mommy staggered about in an emotional stupor for nearly a year. But while she weebled and wobbled and leaned, she did not fall” (Chpt. 16, p. 163). 

Ruth McBride was a strong woman, who although had rough patches in life, kept her head up high and strived despite an immense amount of obstacles that always seemed to be in her way. James sought comfort in his mother, because she was such a strong willed woman. However, when her second husband died, Ruth struggled and in doing so, James struggled as well. The important thing to note however is despite the fact that Ruth could struggle with her emotions she never completely fell into those emotions which is why her family remained stable; she was the glue that kept the family together. This quote helps depict a sense of structure in the McBride family, the mother acted as the pillars that hold up a household. 

“She wipes her memory instantly and with purpose; it’s a way of preserving herself” (Chpt. 25, p. 271). 

Ruth believes that erasing her past is what helps her live a better present. By not talking about her past, it helped her not to be reminded of the struggle she faced growing up. The only way she could be strong was to cover up what made her weak. She never spoke about her feelings with her children, because she had to be tough for her household. She knew that being weak was never an option which is why she forcefully chose to stay continuously moving forward instead of looking back; the moment she looked back was the moment she would ruin herself.

"'Look at them laughing', he'd say in Yididish. 'They don't have a dime in their pocker and they're always laughing.' But he had plenty of money and we were all miserable." (McBride 61)

Money does not buy happiness. The quotes helps understand that family is important, because even if the family does not have everything good in life, if they are loving and affection, they are happier. Unlike Rachel's family, that had more than plenty of money to go around, but she never had a happy memory in the her life with them. It was until she did not have money and struggled to pay her bills that she was content, because her husband gave her love, which is what a human being needs, to feel wanted and needed. 

We'd gather around the cans, open them, and spoon up the peanut butter like soup, giggling as our mouths stuck closed with gooey stuff. (McBride 66)

James had to grow up with eleven brothers and sisters, he never took any moment for granted because of it. His favorite memory as a child was when his mother would come home and have peanut butter in her purse. James and his siblings fought for a spoonful of peanut butter, to enjoy the simplicity and fun in a little rowdiness. Enjoying the little things in life helped James as an adult realize that memories are something intangibly priceless.

"They were all trying hard to be American, you know, not knowing what to keep and what to leave behind. But you know what happens when you do that. If you throw water on the floor it will always find a hole, believe me." (McBride 135)
  
Leaving your custom way of life and trying to adjust to a new way, is difficult, because you need to release who you are as a person and transition change into a new one. People who immigrate to new lands are prone to throwing away their traditions because they want to fit into that society, but then people will never get to know the real you. No matter how hard you try to change, somehow or someway you will always find yourself trying to become yourself again. You can not cover an entire life of accustoms in just a few set of years, better to be yourself and be happy, then be someone else you cannot be. 

"Her oddness, her complete non awareness of what the world thought of her, a nonchalance in the face of what I perceived to be imminent danger from blacks and whites who disliked her for being a white person in a black world. She saw none of it." Chap. 2, The Bicycle, p. 5

Liking, believing and wanting to be who you are, no matter what the cost, helps you live an easier life. Ruth did not care what others thought of her or her lifestyle, she would rather be happy even if it meant risking her life. Her motto consisted of believing that life was worth living the way she wanted instead of living sad but what others expected. She never saw the injustices of others for her odd ways, because she didn't need to see it, or want to see it, because she was content with who she was a person and that is the only thing that mattered to her-self approval.

MESSAGE:

Although James McBride's novel "The Color of Water," is an autobiographical biography he does illustrate messages throughout the novel.

The importance of family:

Throughout "The Color of Water," McBride continuously described his and his mother's family in exclusive detail. He very frequently stated that even though his family was rowdy and a hassle, considering he had 11 brothers and sisters, they were all each others best friends. As a tradition of their household, when you became the eldest in the household after one had left to college, the next eldest took their place, which helped create a system of respect and organization in the McBride family. In Ruth's family, although she lived a very horrid childhood, she always found a way to love her family. Ruth eventually ran away from home, buy never forgave herself for leaving her family behind, especially her Mameh and her sister Dee Dee. Ruth always lived with the guilt of having not being fair with her absence in the family, especially considering she was her mother's guardian and her sister's rock. In the end of the novel, Ruth learns to live with her past and cherish the good memories she had with her family, and makes a family her own which helps her understand that although her childhood was bad, she could make a family of her own that would be filled with love and comfort, which helps her understand that family is important.

A mother's love is a most powerful thing:

Ruth McBride endured obstacles by having twelve children with black men, especially considering she was white. However, the rude remarks, maltreatment, or negative ways people did to her, ever changed her love for her family. She believed there was no such thing as different colors in a human race, we are all just God's creation and because of that, everyone is equal. She was willingly to do anything to ensure her children's success, no matter at what cost. She was a mother who would stand up for her children, no matter what the problem was and considering the time frame she was in, was a very heroic thing to do, she fought for what she believed in.

Identity is a key role in growing up:

 James struggled growing up, because he was confused as to who he was and where he came from. His mother refused to tell him where she was from and why she was different from him. James questioned everything and how everything in his family was. As a child he was scared for his mom, because she was different, she was light-skinned, something nobody in his neighborhood was. He had no idea where to turn or where to be comforted from. During his adolescence stage, he fell into the wrong crowd, because he was confused and tried to find himself. He met a friend in New York that helped put his mind straight and he completely changed his ways. In the process of changing, his mother finally told him her childhood which gave James a new outlook on life, he was not just one race but two and he was unique. He embraced his background because he understood his identity.

SUMMARY:

The book begins by introducing the life of James McBride and his struggle to grow up, due to his identity. However, the book transitions from his life, to his mother's life, every other chapter.

James McBride was always question why it was his mother was light skinned and he was not. He felt ashamed that he did not look like his mother, he endured years of confusion. His mom was never one to share where she was from or who she was. James was a good child, until his step father died. His mama had always been a rock, but when her second husband died, she kept to herself and mourned for over ten years. James became rebellious during this time because he had no one to guide him through his adolescent phase of life. He began drinking, smoking and hanging out with the wrong kind of people. Finally, just before finishing his high school career he altered his way of being and became focused on school and music. In the search for a stable job, he became more interested in his mother's childhood, which led him to become interested in writing an autobiography on his and her life. It took him ten years to convince his mom to let him write a book about their lives.

Ruth McBride (mother of James)

Actual name was Rachel Shilsky. She grew up in Poland and was Jewish. Tateh, her father physically and sexually abused her as a child. Mameh, her mother was handicapped for life after having a stroke. Rachel endured excessive amounts of pain when growing up. It is important to note that she was maltreated by everyone at her school for being Jewish, which, during that time frame, was almost as "bad" as being colored. Rachel felt more accepted into the black community than any other and because of this she was only able to find colored men attractive. This can be supported by the fact that both her husbands and boyfriends were colored. The fact that she married, a colored man, Dennis McBride, she became shunned from her family. She had 8 children with him, remarried and had four more children. She led a very hard life, having to deal with society's rude remarks on her lifestyle, especially being criticized for her choice in men. Even after the extensive criticism of her lifestyle, she never regretted a single choice, she strove to make her children's life better and she succeeded; all her children grew up to become succesful people and leaders in their own ways.