The Influence of Childhood in The Color of Water Essay

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 parents 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 wouldnt want to end up the same way. As a child Ruth was sexually abused by her father and as a result she was terrified of him. This made her feel inferior to everyone else. I was afraid of Tateh and had no love for him at all But it affected me in a lot of ways I had very low self-esteem as a child (McBride 42). This low self-esteem due to her fathers actions led Ruth to choose a black spouse. A white spouse would constantly remind Ruth of her father. Tateh had no patience, and hed often stop you in the middle of your verse to scold you or slap you if you showed dis-interest in the bible (McBride 62). She would most definitely have given into abuse from her husband as well. Thus the influence of a parents relationship is very critical in ones choosing a spouse.

Fishel Shilsky was an Orthodox rabbi who escaped from the Russian army and snuck over the Polish border. He got into an arranged marriage with a woman named Hudis. He is characterized as a selfish, cruel and abusive human being to his wife, children and everyone else. Ruths relationship with her father was not a healthy one. The worst part is that he sexually abused her at times. My father did things to me when I was a young girl... such as getting in bed with me at night and doing things to me sexually... (McBride 42). Other then this he made Ruth and her siblings work at their store like dogs. We had no family life. That store was our life. We worked in there from morning till night, except for school, and Tateh had us timed for that (McBride 41). He viewed Ruth as an object that could be used and showed no love for his daughter. These experiences led Ruth to hate her father over time and eventually lead her to run away from home. This is the relationship between Ruth and her father.

Ruths future experiences with men were solely due to her relationship with her father. She felt inferior to everyone, especially white men, and didnt want to end up having a husband like her father. I had a very low self-esteem as a child I dont want to be around anyone who is domineering or pushing me around because it makes me nervous (McBride 43). This shows that Ruth didnt like being bossed around and felt that a black man wouldnt 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). Ruths father always put the fear of god into her and told her shes 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 Ruths Relationship with her father affected her future experiences with men.

There are many reasons why Ruth was attracted to black men and black people in general. First, Ruth believed that blacks didnt criticize her. Thats the first thing I liked about him, in fact thats what I liked about black fold all my life: They never judged me (McBride 109). Ruths childhood was filled with mistreatment and being gawked at by kids in school due to her background. She felt as though she could relate to black men and felt comfortable with them. Another reason why Ruth was attracted to black men was because her father disliked them. Their families were together and although they were poor, they seemed happy. Tateh hated black people (McBride 61). She loathed her father and although she never expressed her feelings, she didnt always agree with his decisions. This is why Ruth is attracted to black men.

Clearly, Ruths childhood shaped who she was when she grew up and the type of men she was interested in. Her father, Fishel Shilsky, played a major role in influencing her life.