Early Childhood Experiences In The Color Of Water By James Mcbride

872 Words4 Pages
The Color of Water Early childhood experiences are what influence a person to be who they are when they grow up and become an adult. If someone was neglected in their childhood maybe they would grow up adopting a child, or if someone grew up being poor they would give money to charity. Ruchel Dwajra Zylska is faced with a similar predicament in the novel, The Color of Water, by James McBride. Rachael was brought up in an abusive and cruel relationship with her father, Fishel Shilsky, which ultimately affected her future experiences with men. A child and a parent’s relationship influences greatly on choosing a spouse in the future. If a child was neglected and abused during their childhood then they would obviously want a husband who is opposite of those parents. They wouldn’t want to end up the same way. As a child Ruth was sexually abused by her father…show more content…
She felt inferior to everyone, especially white men, and didn’t want to end up having a husband like her father. “I had a very low self-esteem as a child… I don’t want to be around anyone who is domineering or pushing me around because it makes me nervous” (McBride 43). This shows that Ruth didn’t like being bossed around and felt that a black man wouldn’t do that to her. Basically she wanted someone opposite of her father and his abuse did all the damage to her character and who she was as an adult. Ruth even denounced her religion of Judaism due to her father and embraced Christianity. “Your father changed my life. He taught me about a god who lifted me up and forgave me and made me new” (McBride 43). Ruth’s father always put the fear of god into her and told her she’s a sinner. When she ran away from home, and met her future husband, Ruth wanted to start new and Christianity was a breath of fresh air. This is how Ruth’s Relationship with her father affected her future experiences with

More about Early Childhood Experiences In The Color Of Water By James Mcbride

Open Document