The Color of Water: Character Prompts

The characters in the book The Color of Water can be related to other characters I have seen through books and movies. For example, James reminds me of Ariel in the movie Footloose. I feel like they dealt with death in the same way. When Ariel's brother dies in a car crash dancing is banned in the small town she lives in. After the loss of her loved one, Ariel goes down a bad path and begins to make bad choices with out her parents knowing. James in The Color of Water  seems to go down the same path. James' step father passes away when he is a teenager, just like Ariel. His step father was like a father to him so it was a very tough period in his life. James also starts to make unwise choices because he thought it was helping him forget about the loss. I think Ariel thinking the same thing as James. His mother would sometimes find out about what he was doing but she didn't know everything. I believe both characters made the wrong choice; and I believe James now realizes that just like Ariel did later in the movie.

I can compare Ruth to people I know in real life. Unlike James, Ruth takes a better path by doing things that reminded her of her husband after he passed away. She rides a bicycle he gave her as a gift and she goes to church since they would go together. This was her way of mourning and it seems like a healthy way to go. I have friends that lost a family member at a young age and I believe they do similar things to Ruth. Their loved one reminds them of nature and they used to all go on fun nature trips as a family. To this day, the family still goes camping and they pray about her and bring her sprit with them. She also loved smiling and believed it could help solve problems. Currently, I hear this family always talking about always wearing your smile and how it will always be your best feature. You can also notice how that family always smiles even though they have lost an amazing person in their life. So, just like Ruth, this family does things that remind them of their loved one as a way of mourning and remembering their loved one.


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