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Finding True Identity

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In The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride, exemplifies the struggles and obstacles he encountered in life while eager to find his true identity and purpose in life. In his journey of finding his true identity, James McBride faced erratic extent of preconception. Growing up, he had a rough childhood which resulted to the immoral decisions he made as a juvenile. A few of his decisions included skipping school, using drugs and getting incarcerated for larceny. Even through all these hardships, James McBride could of simply gave up on his life and become another statistic but instead he fought for his life and revealed that he still had little fortitude left in him. James McBride realized that a goal cannot be achieved in life no matter what race or class you belong to, without facing roadblocks. In The Color of Water, success is a significant theme that is portrayed at the end of the novel. However, it was not possible without it shares of trials and obstacles.

As a teenager, James McBride did not make the smartest decisions when it came to education. After his step father died, he began acting impetuous and doing poorly in school to the point he stopped attending at all. His obsession with drugs, especially marijuana was his way of recovering from his step father’s death. All he wanted to do was to dispel all his problems even though they were ineluctable. However, the problem was that his mother was falling apart physically and emotionally from the death of her second husband. His mother later discovered what James was up to and decided to ship him off to his aunt’s house in Kentucky, Louisville as part of his punishment. But as it turned out, his relocation to Louisville was more like a va...

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...t his readers know that failure was not an option no matter what the factors are. He also attests that anyone rich or poor, black or white and healthy or feeble is not any less vulnerable to obstacles. In other words, everyone faces obstacle in life. The key lesson portrayed in The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride is that success can be accomplished by anyone willing to be successful, but not without its shares of trials and errors that we all must find ways to cope with in order to fulfill what we want to accomplish in life.

Works Cited

McBride, James. The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. New York: Riverhead, 1996. Print.

Eminem. "Till I Collapse." Rec. 2002. The Eminem Show. Eminem, 2002. CD.

Eminem. "Lose Yourself." Rec. Sept. 2002. Lose Yourself. Eminem & Jeff Bass, 2002. CD.
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