The Color of Water

Throughout the book, we see James spending hours staring at himself in the mirror. He even gives his reflection a separate persona with a name: “The Boy in the Mirror.” Reflect upon each of these mirror scenes in the text. What do the mirror and “The Boy in the Mirror” come to symbolize for James? As you tease out the answer to this question, consider the following:

• How does James’s attitude toward his reflection change over time?
• What feelings does James experience as he stares in the mirror? Are they negative or positive? Perhaps a mixture of both?
• How is the Boy in the Mirror a comment on James’s overall identity?

Teaching Suggestion: You might want to have students reflect on the way in which James uses the mirror and the differences between his own identity and the one he attributes to The Boy in the Mirror. James uses the mirror to help make sense of his racial and cultural identity. As time goes on, James gives his mirror self a persona; the Boy in the Mirror, unlike James, never aches and has a Black mother. The Boy in the Mirror has a simple, straightforward identity, while James has a divided, complicated one. The Boy in the Mirror begins as a coping mechanism, but soon turns into a source of envy and self-hatred for James.