Everything That Rises Must Converge Analysis

Rising from Bigotry to Converge in Equality

“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.

From the first page, Flannery O’Connor does a great job describing the significant differences between Julian and his mother. Her characterization skills are fulfilled to the max. Julian’s mother comes off as a strong and hard-headed woman who has the mindset that Negros are inferior to whites. “’They were better off when they were [slaves],’ she said…. They should rise but on their own side of the fence.’” Julian’s mother is double-minded and shallow unlike her son Julian. These were thoughts like these that brought among conflict between the two. Julian “…in spite of all her foolish views…was free of prejudice and unafraid to face facts. He was not dominated by his mother. Julian who grew up in a changing society was influenced differently.

Julian is a young, very intelligent, college graduate who plans to be a writer someday. His actions let us know that he does not enjoy being around his mother. “Julian walked with his hands in his pockets, his head down and thrust forward and his eyes glazed with the determination to make himself completely numb during the time he would be sacrificed to her pleasure.” Julian is in constant disagreement with his mother and because he can’t stand her bigotry and ideas, he ignores her physical presence when he’s with her. “Behind the newspaper Julian was withdrawing into the inner compartment of his mind where he spent most of his time. This was a kind of mental bubble in which he established himself when he could not bear to be a part of what was going on around him…It was the only place where he felt free of the general idiocy of his fellows.” He is currently selling typewriters for a living but seems to doubt his goals. “’Someday I’ll start making money,’ Julian said gloomily-he knew he never would…” These are the internal conflicts Julian faces in the story and in his life.

O’ Connor sets up the scene on the bus ride to the Y, to unfurl the sequence to rise from bigotry. Julian’s mother’s prejudice, in society, is what brings about more conflict. “She would not ride the buses by herself at night since they had been integrated…” She truly felt that society was wrong. “�The world is in a mess everywhere,’ his mother said. �I don’t know how we’ve let it get in this fix.’” At the same time, the interaction between the characters on the bus bring conflict in-between characters and their personality comes out . A black man gets on the bus. “It gave him a certain satisfaction to see injustice in daily operation.” Julian tries to make conversation with the man in order to bother his mother. “He felt his tension suddenly lift as if he had openly declared war on her.” It is not until a big black woman with a four-year-old son steps on the bus that Julian gets a “shot” in at his mother. The black woman is wearing the same hat as his mother! When Julian’s mother bought the hat, the storeowner told her that she would not find herself “coming and going”-meaning she would not see anyone else with that particular hat. The irony in all this is that not only was there someone else with the hat, but it was a black woman. O’ Connor not only brings the conflict in this but also introduces humor into the story. Julian laughed at the sight of the hats. “He could not believe that fate had