Although James and Ruth go through hard times, nevertheless, they learn a lot about the world because the people who love and care about them take care of them and turn the experiences into education.
             The Color of Water is about a young boy's experience in 2 different worlds. James McBride learns a lot through his formal and informal education and his experience on the streets. James learns many things, such as his identity, the issue of racism, and family. The color of Water is also about Ruth, the white mother of James, who learns about faith and family. The learning is shown in different ways all around in the story.
             The Color of Water shows a process of learning by describing the experiences of good things and bad of Ruth and James. One of the best ways to learn is by experience, in which James does a lot. James learns not do drugs and to believe in God from his bad experiences at The Corner. (150) Chicken Man revealed the truth to James, telling him that if "you want to drop out of school and shoot people and hang on this corner all you life, go ahead, It your life!" They learn about intangible ideas such as racism.
             Racism is common is the time periods that James and Ruth lived in. James encounters racism in school, where everyone thought that he could dance. They all laughed at James when he made fun of himself, (104-105) Another encounter of racism is when James was sent to buy milk from a white man. The man gave to him spoiled milk. When James was sent to return it, the man refused. (101) Also, another incident is school is when James was called a "nigger" and everyone in the classroom laughed. (89) James was not the only one who suffered from racism. Ruth was often called a "nigger lover" in the streets when she is seen leading her many kids around to museums and art shows. (31) However, James does not only suffer from the effects of racism, he has racism in him also. When he was wor...