Title Significance

                “God is the color of water. Water doesn’t have a color” (51): James McBride’s mother, Ruth McBride, told her son that God was the color of water when he asked her what color God was.

                 The literal meaning of the title is that the water changes situations because James McBride has to adapt to the world not knowing about his mothers past. The water is like a stream that continues on and one and symbolizes that life goes on in spite of everything that happens. Ruth had to deal with being Jewish and her association with black people and being Christian. James wants to move on from wishing his mother was black because now he knows the benefits of being bi- racial. His life went in, just like water, because it keeps on going despite of what goes on in life. James learned from his past and he knows that God is really the color of water because water has no dominant color.

                The figurative meaning of the title is that when she told him that, she wanted him to understand that water is millions of colors and so is God.  The color of water changed with seasons and locations. The color of water can be used to express the way a character changes because water has many colors. In the beginning of the book you could say the water was black, grey and any other dark shade because James did not appreciate his background. Later on in the book, the water could have been pink, yellow, sky blue and lots of other bright colors because James understood and appreciated his background. “Does he like black or white people better?” (51): James asked his mother this and she told him that he loves all people and he is a spirit. Water doesn’t discriminate against color and God doesn’t either. Basically, Ruth is trying to tell James that he shouldn’t go on through life worrying what color he is and what color his mother is because it doesn’t matter. James is worrying about what other people think and not fitting in.  “Am I black or white?” “You’re a human being,” she snapped. “Educate yourself or you’ll be a nobody!” “Will I be a black nobody or just a nobody?” “If you’re a nobody,” she said dryly, “it doesn’t matter what color you are” (92). There again, James is worrying about what he is and he isn’t focusing on his life. Water moves on, and eventually he was able to look past the color of skin but deeper to realize that he is the same as everyone else.