People are sprinkled with experiences that have a major impact in their lives. Past encounters can have either positive or negative connotations because of the surroundings themselves and details such as color; colors like black and red often depict the evil nature of an object or someone in literature. A Yellow Raft in Blue Water provides better understanding and insight in the lives of the characters through various colors and characteristics.
Rayona’s perspective is centered on her relationship with her mother and her innate desire to be independent. Abandoned by Christine, Rayona fixates her gaze on creating a productive and memorable summer for herself. Rayona attends the first “God Squad” meeting with Father Tom who she immediately…show more content… She is an outgoing child who ready to defeat any challenge and obstacle in her way. In the 7th grade, she attempts to cross a yellow brick bridge but receives Lee’s help to come down. She associates the color yellow with failure, unable to cross the bridge herself. After her defeat, she uses Lee as a catharsis to live out the rest of her teenage years and adult life in a gradual downfall. During her broken marriage with Elgin, Lee is killed in the Vietnam War; Christine is overcome with overwhelming guilt since she convinced her brother to enlist for her personal social gain. Years later, after leaving Rayona at Ida’s and being reunited with her weeks later, Christine’s body is engulfed with the full extent of the disease caused by reckless drinking and poor choices. At a meal together, Christine offers Rayona a precious item: Christine’s turtle ring. It symbolizes an end to her emotionally chaotic life and a new chapter in Rayona’s. As they prepare for the ride home from the diner, Christine wears yellow-tinted sunglasses and “the world turned yellow as a photograph.” The image of the world seeming comfortable and inviting as an “old photograph” causes Christine to finally accept the pain she inflicts on others and the effect it has on her relationships. At the end of her narrative, she is able to feel at comfort and ease with the color
