With the passing of each generation comes the creation or new moral and ethical values that change and shape the world with each second’s passing. With each tick comes new opinion which in turn creates even more new belief to change in a never-ending cycle. It is in this way that many individuals find themselves struggling with identity crisis and other concerns as they attempt to age and mature with the times. Politics, technology, media, and overall culture in general all serve as factors that lead to one’s identity making him or her a mix of their own beliefs and those of their generation. This is the struggle facing both James McBride and his mother in McBride’s novel, The Color of Water. Both individuals grew up in very different times, yet faced very similar challenges. The concerns of their respective generations never ceased to effect them, making each very aware of how outlandish they may have appeared for pursuing their own goals which were not always the norm.
The issues facing Ruth McBride (though her true name was Ruchel Dwajra Zylska, but was later changed in hopes of escaping her heritage) are many when it comes to her upbringing. Growing up in the 1930’s and 40’s, Ruth’s challenges came from almost every facet of her southern community and Jewish culture. As an Orthodox Jew, Ruth’s family imposed harsh morals and beliefs, engraining in her a deep sense to be productive and efficient while remaining realistic. McBride demonstrates this clearly in “There weren’t jobs out there like you know them today. Living. That was your job. Surviving. Reading the Old Testament and hoping it brought you something to eat, that’s what you did” (37). Ruth’s family life was similarly strict making her somewhat reserved and instantly perceived as a rebel for not fostering the harsh environment herself. As she matured, she soon discovered that the intense hatred against the African-Americans in her community were not shared by her, rather they were hated by her....