Racial Segregations and Hope for More Equal Life in...

In showing the youth of his mother and her abusive father, McBride identifies the racism of the South in 1940s. With mentions of his past he highlights the racial segregations in order to portray a more equal way of life. The racial segregation begins as he questions his identity wondering why his mom is white and he is black. When James goes to the bus to take him to summer camp and the kid shakes his father’s hand in a â€Å"hip† way and then says his dad is a Black Panther James yells for his mother then punches the other kid in the face (p. 36) which emphasizes his fear for his white mother’s safety due to his exposure of the Black Panther group being violent against whites. At the store McBride buys a carton of milk, which turns out to be†¦show more content†¦In James’s professional life as a writer, he attempts to stay away from people because of the racial comments that get thrown around (p. 261). This exposes how in a professional environment people are judged by the color of their skin more than their ability. James’ attempts to show the racial tensions hints at why he believes that the world needs to change and tries to help and change it. Throughout the book James McBride is looked at as second rate because he is black and wants to change how people look at him and his race, since he knows there is a better way. An example of early equality is when Jordan Hunter, a black man, marries Ruth and helps her with money and provides a fatherly figure to her children (Chapter DADDY). He helps Ruth out in ways, only known to loving relationships even thought it goes society. While James is looking for his mother in Suffolk he goes in to a synagogue where he is pleasantly surprised by the kind nature of the people there. He writes, â€Å"I found it odd and amazing when white people treated me that way, as if there were no barriers between us. It said a lot about this religion,† While this highlights how little James had experienced, it emphasizes that there is good in the world that will take you in and help you no matter your color. Later James’s mom explains to him that God is not black or white, â€Å"God is t he color of water. Water doesn’t have a color. (Pg. 51)† This quote presents Ruth’s idea of a more perfect