[discussion topic goes here] by Sherry Roland-Washington

slroland — 2024-07-30 22:09:56 UTC

How has James' mother affected his life by hiding her past from him?

2024-07-30 22:14:51 UTC

I feel that it has affected him tremendously. This is because he didn't have a great childhood and was very sheltered. To where it led him to rebel like his mother did when she was her age.

2024-07-30 22:15:40 UTC

Hiding her past has led him to search for his identity in a world that does not fully respect his value as a human being causing a distorted sense of self. In chapter 10, there is a moment where he begins to steal and even take a woman's purse, even then he has the mental image of his mother. This shows the internal conflict he has developed due to his lack of self-identity.

2024-07-30 22:16:08 UTC

Is this is what we were supposed to see?

2024-07-30 22:17:15 UTC

this is where I type

2024-07-30 22:18:46 UTC

James's mother hiding her past from him caused him to become naive and vulnerable to the real world. On page 204, James says " Racism is a problem that should end just about the time we graduate". This shows that he was sheltered from the harsh racism the world possesses. If he had known his mother's family, her father would have shown him how cruel racism can be. My other example is the positive effect Rachel hiding her past would have had on his life. By keeping James away from her father, she allowed him to avoid having a bad outlook on white people, based on her horrible father.

2024-07-30 22:20:26 UTC

I feel James's not knowing his mother's past made him have identity issues. James's not knowing where he comes from or who his family is has made him rebellious. James started not going to school, smoking, drinking, and robbing people. In all reality, James was just like Ruth. Ruth was also rebellious when she was his age, Ruth also started to hang out with the wrong crowd, like James. That's why, to me, it's a little confusing why Ruth will not tell James anything about her past, seeing how he's acting, she should see that he needs to know.

2024-07-30 22:21:26 UTC

Gotta be frank...in those times of the setting of the story, respect, kindness and decency was nowhere in actual existence back then. The way of way was basically...do as I say and do as you are told. Don't be asking no questions. You need to be quiet...this was deliberately directed to Blacks not the whites. Whites regardless of their races and where they came from was pretty much in control. So, ignorance was clear and in full effect.

2024-07-30 22:28:25 UTC

Hiding her past and root affected his life in many ways like, where his mother come from what is his Identity? he was so curious about his mothers root to find himself. He was lost in the identity. he was trying to find his own kind of box where he want to put himself.

2024-07-30 22:31:02 UTC

Living back then had to be nothing but pure hell in the most uncomfortable manner. James' quest to find out about his roots where Ruth did not and would not disclose was to me, an embarrassment, too many bad memories, so much pain inflicted upon her and the fact she had all these black kids to take care of in a whole another state away from Sufflok, Virginia. It is a form of ignorance on so many fronts.