The Color Of Water Ruth Values

It is said that the success of a parent is through the success of his/her children. When children are successful, it is easy to assume that their parents must have taught them well. People learn through observation so a child learns a lot from watching their parents. Ruth in The Color of Water has three core values that she lives by. Ruth values religion, loving others, and education. Ruth’s children see those values in their mother and copy them. All of Ruth’s children thrive because of the values they learned growing up. Ruth is a great mother because of the strong values she believes in.
To begin, religion is very important to Ruth because she grew up with it in her life. She becomes Christian when she hears about the magnificence

of God from her first husband. She sees his amazing personality and is inspired by him. Once she becomes a Christian, she sees that she no longer has to worry about her crazy life because God is always in control (McBride 235-236). This faith is why religion is so important to her because her life was changed when she turned her cares to God. Her children grow up with their religious mother and sees how much she depends on God. This is then why religion becomes so important to them. Since the children respected their mother, they respected what she respected. God was also who Ruth turned to when the family was struggling, and the kids saw that. For example James turns to God during a time of stress because he saw his mother do that when she was stressed (McBride 161). Ruth often had nothing in her life except her children and her relationship with Christ. Ruth says that “God makes me happy” and often happiness is all one needs in life (McBride 50). Relying on God allowed for the kids to turn their worries to God so they would have less stress and learn to depend on God. True happiness and joy comes through a relationship with God and the kids saw that relationship through their mother.
Along with valuing a relationship with Christ, Ruth valued relationships with other people as well.

Ruth’s life is transformed when she gets her first boyfriend. Ruth says that her life changed when she fell in love with Peter (McBride 112). Ruth never sees love as a child. Her family cared for her but they did not love her the way Peter did. Ruth begins to learn to love from Peter and sees its value. Because she values love, she then later loves her children. Ruth’s two husbands also bring out her value for love. Ruth comes to rely on her two husbands. Her first husband Dennis brought her so much happiness and joy. Dennis provided for his family and loved Ruth so much. Ruth’s world changed, and she became a better person because of Dennis (McBride 234). Ruth learned the importance of relationships since her relationship with Dennis changed her so much. She was able to learn the traits that Dennis had and show them to her kids. Hunter Jordan, Ruth’s second husband, loved Ruth also. Hunter tells Ruth that he’ll help Ruth for the rest of his life (McBride 247). Hunter supports and loves Ruth and her family so Ruth values that relationship. Through Ruth’s boyfriend and two husbands, she learns to rely and value on love from other men. Ruth then gave her love back to her children to support them like her men supported her. Ruth’s unconditional love helps shape the children into the wonderful adults they

become.
Finally, education is important to Ruth.

Ruth pushes her children to go to school the whole book. James said that his mother “forced us to go to white schools to get the best education,” (McBride 29). Even though Ruth has no money and does not like or trust white people, she sends her kids to the white and more expensive schools so they can get the best education possible. Ruth raises her family like an all black family in an all black community and still sends her kids to a white school. She tells her children to “forget everything else” and remember school (McBride 29). Ruth saw the value of education and knew that her children could get somewhere if they were smart and had an education. Raising an all black family was not easy for Ruth because she saw how her children could and did get beaten down because of their race. Ruth, though, believed that her kids could show the world that they could make it if they had a good education. It was never about the money for Ruth though. She believed that if her children had a brain full of knowledge then money meant nothing (McBride 33). Ruth even goes back to college at age 65 (McBride). Ruth and her children show the world that anyone who works hard can get an education. With this education, one can become successful and whatever he/she wants to be. Since Ruth valued school she made sure all of her children received a good education so they could become

successful.
In the end, Ruth McBride had twelve, successful children. She raised each one of them with love for God, relationships and love toward others, and a strong education. Ruth valued these core items in her life and that showed through to her children. Ruth learned different values through her life that made her the mother she became. Since each one of Ruth’s children became so successful, it is obvious that she was an excellent mother. It takes a strong parents to first of all raise twelve children, secondly raise twelve black children during a major civil rights time, and finally do it all as a small white woman. Ruth not only got her kids through the struggles, but she got her kids through the struggles sturdily. Each McBride/Jordan went to college, got married, and obtained a successful career (McBride 275-276). There is no other person to take credit for this successful besides the mother of them all, Ruth.