The Color Of Water: When Tragedy Strikes

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”(80). Ruth’s attempt at acceptance is in vein, however; it never stops the children from teasing her.
When Ruth leaves Suffolk and moves in with her black, soon- to- be husband Dennis, intolerance follows her like a hungry dog following the scent of a steak. Dennis and she live in a predominantly black neighborhood in which Ruth is less than welcome. Many black people dislike her simply because she is white. Once, when Ruth is in the hallway of her apartment building, a black woman punches her so hard that she falls to the floor. When Dennis confronts the woman about it, she tells him that Ruth doesn’t belong there because she is white. Ruth is aware of the revulsion that some blacks have for her, but has no choice but to tolerate it, proclaiming, “I stayed on the black side because that was the only place I could stay” (232). Unfortunately, the problems she has with blacks are nothing when compared to the grief bestowed on her by whites.
Between her two husbands, Ruth ...

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