Literary Analysis of “Everything That Rises Must Converge”

Flannery O'Connor's tone in "Everything That Rises Must Converge" is uncovering to what individuals are prepared to do when they permit their psyches to just expend the conventions of everyone around them, and not settle on their own choices. All through the story, the characters are frank with their sentiments, which most come from, how they have grown up and the trails they have confronted amid their lifetime. The hardened mother, speaking to the Old South, is unequipped for tolerating integration while Julian, speaking to the New South, keeps on contradicting her about equity for African-Americans.

The conflict in this story is shown by the Julian's point of view on society, who as a young man doesn’t believe in racism and criticizes his mother's fanatic opinion on society, her dis??? behavior with neighborhood, and the passengers on the bus. He is not agree and dominated by his mother at all. His mother truly believed that she is a member of the upper class and quite unwaire of condition of social values and human equality.

In “Everything That Rises Must Converge” by Flannery O’Connor, is a story of racial domestic violence between Julian’s mother and an African American woman who is trying to keep her son away from her. The story is in a third person point of view which means none of the characters is the narrator, however, it does show Julian’s thoughts during the story. The third person narrator focuses on Julian, his mother, and their relationship which is a “parasitic relationship [that] establishes the prototype for parent and child figures” (Winn 192). Julian, despite being an adult, still lives with his mother and has a childlike attachment to her. His mother has a “deep connection of her identity with the intergenerational ties of family and history,

As Anne begins to mature she comes to the stark realization that the existing racial divide is not simply a difference based on economic disparity but a true statement of inferiority versus superiority. One experience that manifested this was a visit to a movie theater with some white friends. Moody was not allowed to sit with the group; she was forced to sit instead in the Jim Crowe section.

Society will never exist in perfect harmony even though people constantly yearn for peace. A piece crafted by Flannery O’Connor proved how different beliefs can exist within the world and, furthermore, even under one roof. Throughout the story, Julian’s mother is shown to be a racial bigot whereas Julian strives to be surrounded by those of color. The central part of the story involves the setting of Julian and his mother on a bus going to the Y. Julian possess an arrogant attitude filled with spite which he directs toward his mother who has prejudice actions towards the black race. Julian’s outlook in the story is noted through his negative comments, and O’Connor uses Julian to demonstrate the ironies and motifs she weaves throughout her story.

“Everything That Rises must converge”, by Flannery O’ Connor is sometimes considered a comical but also serious tale of a grown man named Julian, who lives with mother, who happens to be your typical southern woman. The era unfolds in a couple years after integration begins. Throughout the story, O’Connor impresses us with her derived message in which people often resist to growing away from bigotry towards self-awareness and love for all humankind, which is so necessary for life to converge in equality. O’Connor has a distinctive style of writing that expresses this message through characterization, conflict and literary devices.

In Maria Edgeworth’s Belinda, Mr. Vincent, a slave-owning Creole, is an example of the racialized otherness in the novel. Because he is Creole, it is assumed that he has “moral flaws,” and even the narrator says he is “totally deficient” of reasoning (218). Unintentionally reflecting the bias of her time in Belinda, Maria Edgeworth portrays Mr. Vincent to be a morally deficient character simply because he is Creole, which results in his ruin.

However, Julian, like many O 'Connor characters, experiences a sudden realization that stems from his flaws. Toward the end of the story, his mother attempts to give a coin to the child of a belligerent black women, who, not coincidentally, has the exact same absurd hat that his mother was wearing at the beginning of the story. He finds this hilarious, thinking, “The vision of the two hats, identical, broke upon him with the radiance of a brilliant sunrise. His face was suddenly lit with joy. He could not believe that Fate had thrust upon his mother such a lesson,” (11). David Leigh, who wrote an essay concerning O’Connor’s short fiction, comments on this particular relationship. He explains, “Only after he experiences the suffering of his mother, who has a stroke at the end of her conflict with a

In Flannery O’Connor’s “Everything That Rises Must Converge”, Julian Chestny, a young white man struggles to accept the ignorant beliefs and actions of his elderly mother in a post-civil rights era. The point of view plays an important role in this story and how readers interpret it. A point of view is the vantage point of which the story 's told. O’Connor uses point of view to help illustrate the central idea of the story.

In Flannery O’Connor’s short story, “Everything That Rises Must Converge”, O’Connor uses the symbolism of the violet hat and the shiny new penny along with all of the things Julian’s mother has done for him throughout his life, to place the broader societal conflict of race relations within the context of the unstable relationship Julian has with his mother, showing how poor southern whites used blacks to elevate themselves. Julian’s clashes with his mother over morals, race, and appearances mimic the greater conflict of racial relations in society.

I believe the story still exists today because it shows a notion that some people like Julian’s mother feel they are superior and always have a contemptuous attitude to other people. Julian’s mother believes that the race need to stay segregated and has a condescending way of treating blacks because of the political and social influence were held by her previous generations of the family.  Otherwise, Julian thinks "True culture is in the mind, the mind" (p278) and he consents the progressive ideologies of racial equality that he learned in college. He wants to make friends with black people because he wants to make his mother angry, and tries not to act like his mother because he knows his mother is condescending and clearly racist . To me,

Flannery O’Connor’s short story “Everything That Rises Must Converge” emphasizes the hostility and racial discrimination that white southerners exhibited towards African Americans as a result of integration during the 1960’s. This short story focuses not only on the white American’s living in poverty, but also accentuates the ways in which two people born in different generations react to racial integration. Having descended from a formerly wealthy slave owning family, Julian’s mother, who remains unnamed, struggles to support both herself and her son after slavery is abolished. The family’s poverty becomes evident after the mother regrets purchasing a hat, claiming that if she returned it she could pay the gas bills instead (O’Connor, par. 10). As a struggling writer and typewriter salesman, presumably in his early 20’s, Julian claims to have “lost his faith” in a struggle to reason with his racist mother (O’Connor, par. 10). Describing himself to be “saturated in depression”, it becomes unmistakable that Julian feels resentful towards his mother for his upbringing and current position in life (O’Connor, par. 10). His mother, who takes pride in the way she raised him, reasons, “…if you know who you are, you can go anywhere”, prompting a quick disagreement from her son, where he argues, “[that’s] good for one generation only” (O’Connor, par. 16). Through observing

The character of Julian in Flannery O’Connor’s “Everything That Rises Must Converge” is one that evokes conflicting emotions in readers. On an immediate judgment, it would be easy to view Julian as someone who is pretentious and narcissistic. Throughout the course of the piece, he is presented as being constantly bored and disgusted with those around him, because he believes he is more highly educated. Based on his presentation in the text, it is easy to think that Julian is using his advanced education as an excuse to act as though he is above everyone else, and although this is not one hundred percent untrue, it is evident that this character truly is more intelligent than his counterparts.

While the effect of racism and discrimination is hotly debated, the world is not what it was yesterday. The changing society can ultimately result in battles between young and old generations causing individuals to rely on human instincts to resolve issues. In Flannery O’ Connor’s short story “Everything That Rises Must Converge,” two characters clash in a generational conflict. On the surface, the story shows an issue of racism and discrimination, however, it shows a deeper understanding of humanity’s maturity. Characters include Julian, and his nameless mother who has high “blood pressure” (O’ Connor 405). Although Julian criticizes his mom’s behaviour towards people of colour, he fails to realize the downfall of his own demeanor.

Throughout the story Julian’s mother repeatedly claimed “I know who I am”, and that this is why she knew her place in this world. Yet, she did not really understand who she was at all. It was obvious from the beginning that her bringing up had caused her to see racial segregation as necessary, and that the whites truly were a higher class. She was a very closed minded person that saw herself as a gracious being when she was nice to the African-american community. It should feel good to be nice to people, but it will never make you a superior being to do something that is expected of you. Being sensitive and having understanding of how your actions may make people feel shows your compassion for others, and Julian's mother severely lacked any type of