Everything That Rises Must Converge Literary Devices

Everything That Rises Must Converge Literary Devices
This story "Everything That Rises Must Converge" it is about love, hate, and death. One of the most
important things in the story is race because the son learned that everybody is the same inside and
out. Flannery O'Connor wrote this story to teach us about how hard for America to give black
American equal rights. In the story "Everything That Rises Must Converge" one of the themes is
race. O'Connor uses the following narrative/ literary devices to develop it: setting, character, and
symbol. This story is taking place in the 1950's in a neighborhood and also downtown. "Wednesday
nights Julian had to take her downtown on the bus for a reducing class at the Y. The reducing class
was designed for working girls over fifty, who weighed from 165
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Family, By Flannery O ' Connor
In every home, there is a different definition of family and how family should treat each other. Two
short stories were read by an author named Flannery O'Connor. "A Good Man is Hard to Find". It
was about a dysfunctional family who encounters a criminal named "The Misfit". The grandmother
which is the main character is very judgmental towards others and sometimes her own family at
times. This story starts off with a disagreement on where to go for a family trip, but they decide on
going to Florida for the family trip after a while of arguing. On this trip, it showed what type of
family they are. They talk about everything with one another as well as bicker and fight but at the
end of the day, they are still family and love each other. They come together the most in panicking
situations such as the accident and waiting for a car to help them. The point of this paper is the
theme of family. Specifically, family is a theme in this short story because it depicts a dysfunctional
family; the family you see on a crazy television show and can't get enough of because they're funny
but also they have serious moments. There 's the two troublesome and annoying kids, the hot–
headed dad who tries to maintain control of a situation and fails, the wife busy attending to the baby,
and the grandmother, who 's a case all to herself (and also the main character). Though the story
starts out seeming like a comedy, it takes a serious turn when the family encounters a criminal, who
kills them

Symbolism In Everything That Rises Must Converge By OConnor
In "Everything that Rises Must Converge", it appears to be what is a simple story. It seems that
O'Connor has written this story which we can easily read and understand without having any
struggle with abstract religion symbolism. Mrs. Chestny holds a different opinion about it she thinks
that all blacks should rise, "but on their own side of the fence." Because she offers a penny to a
small black child, in the point of view of her son she is. With all the humiliation that Julian gets by a
child's mother. Julian says that the black women that hits Mrs. Chestny with her purse represents
"the whole colored race which no longer take your condescending pennies." Julian also recognizes
that "the old manners are obsolete" and also that his mother's "graciousness is not worth a damn." As
well he who begins to realize, that as we watch his mother die from the blow that the world is not
that simple as we thought he was. As they say it is not a world in which everything is either black or
white. That is when we realize that "Everything that Rises Must Converge" is not in its entirely a
simple story. In the characters we Julian who is a recent college graduate and he lives with his
mother. As his dream of becoming a writer he works selling typewriters to make some money. Then
we have Julian's mother she is a middle–aged woman. She has sacrificed so much for her son Julian
so that he could not only have educational sacrifices but also for personal opportunities. She always
talks about

Everything That Rises Must Converge By Flannery O Connor
"The coolest monkey in the jungle" Sounds like a harmless phrase you'd see or hear with anything
aimed towards young children, right? What may just seem like a playful expression, can be seen in a
completely different way with just one change. Skin tone. This simple adjustment can cause your
situation to go awry in a matter of seconds if you aim it at the wrong person. When used towards an
african–american person, it quickly turns into a highly offensive racial slur. H&M is a very popular
retail clothing company, they realized the mistake they had made a little too late and it hurt them in a
big way. The ad went viral, and not in a good way, it resulted in one of their best associates "The
Weeknd" to completely cut ties with the company. This ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
O'Connor even shows the severity of the possible outcomes resulting from people who choose to be
racist and treat others differently by having the mother be killed when she gave the small black boy
a penny. At that point in time everything she had done had caught up to her, the way Julian put it
spoke the best, "That was the whole colored race which will no longer take your condescending
pennies". Julian disliked his mothers views and you can 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

O Connor's Everything That Rises Must Converge
Left with the Need to Converge In "Everything that Rises Must Converge", a mother who was
brought up with different morals that do not apply to the way the world is in their present, dies due
to various causes. O'Connor meant the mother's death to act as a lesson for Julian who as close
minded as his mother was, must learn to converge or end up like his mother who was killed due to
the physical engagement with the black lady as well as their unhealthy relationship. Julian's mother
as a little girl was taught that blacks were only meant for one thing, which was to work and live as
slaves. The setting of the story was approximately in the 1950s, the time the black Americans were
treated as second–class citizens and finally raised their voice demanding equal rights under the law.
Incidentally, Julian's mother had a different upbringing. She grew up visiting her grandfather in an
old mansion where they owned slaves. As a result of this, Mrs.Chestny was taught and raised as her
grandfather was, believing in the thought that whites were superior to blacks. She stated that blacks
should be given the right to rise, but on their "own side of the fence"(2). Consequently, Julian's
mother was not able to converge in their time and she had to go. ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Mrs.Chestny was ordered by the doctor to take reducing classes at the "Y" to "lose twenty pounds
on account of her blood pressure"(1). Leading to the fact that Julian's mother was already in poor
health, any little thing that accelerates her heart may proceed to a stroke. Seeing that her health was
not at a good state, after she insulted the black lady on the bus which provoked her to strike the
mother with the purse, she then receives a stroke and perishes in front of her

Essay on Flannery OConnor
Flannery OConnor In her short story "Everything That Rises Must Converge," Flannery O'Connor
allows the story to be told from the perspective of Julian, a recent college graduate who appears to
be waiting for a job, while living at home with his mother. His relationship with his mother is rocky
at times, to say the least. It is constantly mired with conflicts about the "Old South" and the "New
South". Julian must come to terms with himself, either he is an over protective son or just a pain in
her ass. Even though Julian seems to dislike his mother's viewpoints, he continues to depends on her
for "stability". When the final confrentation between Julian's mother and the large black women
results in her having a heart attack, to which ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Julian does not like his mother. To him she is an embarassment, a burden and backwards to his new
way of thinking. He himself, has learned to recognize racism, and argues against it. However, when
his mother is the instigator, the issue becomes more personal, and he defends her. Some how like
picking on my baby brother it is alright, but when someone else does it offends me. Julian does take
into account that he is educated and presumes himself to be opposite of his mother, but he finds that
it is not true, and he remains a racist. Instead of confronting this as a problem, he seeks to belittle his
mother. When the Negro women enters the bus, he wishes she would sit beside his mother in order
to disturb her. "He could think of no better arrangement". Yet "to his annoyance, she squeezes
herself into the seat next to him". His lack of insight regarding their relationship is revealed when he
fantasizes himself presenting his mother with a black acquaitance: either a business associate, a
lover or even the doctor he could hire to heal her. When he asks the man with the paper for a light
(he has nothing to smoke), embarrassing himself solely to perplex her. He remains a racist not
because it was instilled in him by his mother, but because he continues to exploit the black culture
for the sole purpose of changing his mother. Julian's culture in his own mind fails because it does
not touch his being.

Flannery O 'Connor's Everything That Rises Must Converge'
Flannery O'Connor is a Georgian writer that is mainly known for her short writings about southern
life and religion. She (uses local color in her writings that make her style unique during that time)
wrote many short stories which in everyone of them she made perfectly her point across. Most of
her stories included a religious theme because she was Catholic, and she wanted to express her
spiritual thoughts on her writings. One of her famous story "Everything That Rises Must Converge",
O'Connor illustrates perfectly the ways of living in the rural south and the how social integration
changed everything. During this story, one character during does not change until the end of the
story, which is typical on O'Connor writings. O'Connor is a type of writer that who inlikes to add a
surprising ending. In addition, another story called "The Displaced Person", she uses the same
technique to express that part of the south were she was born. O'Connor is very good at using local
color since she knows exactly how people acted, thought, and talked because she was raised in the
south. There are common motifs among O'Connor's stories. For example, she uses the sky as a sign
of God calling someone, and racism plays an important part of her stories since the time she is
writing is when blacks and whites got integrated.. O'Connor style of writing is common in her
stories. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In Flannery O'Connor two novels "The Displaced Person" and " Everything That Rises Must
Converge," it is clearly that religion, social integration, and racism played an important role since
she wanted to vividly represent how fast everything was changing at that

Flannery O Connor's 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 mother is unsympathetic to Blacks and the Civil Rights Movement. She reminds Julian
commonly about his incredible granddad who was the representative and "had an estate and two
hundred slaves," then he helps her to ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
"Julian's mom's perspective of society is very impacted by her past, and she examines the present in
examination to the past" (Darwin 3). Her past is the thing that advances her sentiments; his past
advances his, regardless of the possibility that he keeps them concealed just to be unique in relation
to her. If he understood how similar they were, possibly he could have urged her to bit by bit turn
out to be less biased, yet his prevalence perplexing and scorn towards everything about his mom
simply brought about losing her for good and a lifetime of blame for him.
References:
Darwin, D.H. "Literary Analysis: Racial Prejudice in Everything That Rises Must Converge, by
Flannery O'Connor." Helium. 07 Mar. 2008. Web. 06 May 2012
Griffith, Benjamin, After the Canonization: Flannery O'Connor Revisited. The Sewanee Review.
1989. 576–578.
Moore, Julie. "Julian's Problem in Flannery O'Connor's Everything That Rises Must Converge." 11
Mar. 2008. Web. 06 May 2012.
O'Connor, Flannery. "Everything That Rises Must Converge." Web. 06 May

Everything That Rises Must Converge
In the story ''Everything That Rises Must Converge,'' Flanner O'Connor emphasizes on two
incompatible characters perceiving the idea of black and white integration during the Civil Rights
Movement. Mrs. Chestney represents the social norms of the Old South, whereas Julian portrays the
progressive views of the New South. Julian's mother suffers a stroke, representing her inability to
reconcile with the new social reality of blacks and whites. Her incapability of accepting racial
equality derives directly from dated perceptions, therefore explaining her attitude towards social
superiority and the troubled relationship with her son that led to her death. Julian's mother's
patronizing attitude and strict ideas about racial division originate directly from her upbringing.
Throughout the story ''Everything that Rises Must Converge,'' Julian's mother speaks of her nurse,
Caroline, in an affectionate way. She refers to Caroline as ''old darky'' (O'Connor 3), nonetheless
also claiming ''there was no better person in the world'' (O'Connor 3). Simultaneously, she believed
blacks were better off as slaves and should only be allowed to rise on their ''own side of the fence'' ...
Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He is perceived to be open–minded with progressive principles while his mother's mind sight is still
in the slavery days. As described by William Jennings, "Julian's mother associates slavery with a
time when no one 'forgot who they were,' and she frustrates Julian with her frequent conversational
returns to the family's plantation history and her subsequent segregationist ideology'' (751). His
rejection of her ideologies triggers a dispute between the two of them, conflicting their relationship
even more so. Julian's "evil urge to break her spirit" (O'Connor 3) is evidence of his deep, emotional
dislike towards his mother which eventually led to her

Everything That Rises Must Converge Flannery O Connor
Everything That Rises Must Converge" "
By: Flannery O'Connor Fatmeh Tatour ID: 208864702
The relationship between different characters, cultures, and races in Everything that Rises Must
Converge" by Flannery O'Connor .
Flannery O'Connor story " Everything that Rises Must Converge " consists of different relations
between two different nations, customs, traditions and thoughts. The story talks about the
relationship between two different nations in the same country which every nation has her own
traditions, cultures, and thoughts. The writer presents the story Julian and his mother's, how they're
both have dissimilar ideas and personality and how both of them has dissimilar thoughts. The story
reveals how these two kinds of cultures coexist with each other, and how they thoughts about each
other. In my essay, I will discuss the relations between different characters according to the story.
One of these relations is between Julian mother's and her son. Julian's mother is a white American
citizen, believes that whites and black people must live separately also she believes that what we
wear is what will judge us, and the ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Carvers mother is a black woman, the mother of a young Carver. She seems as Julian mother wears
the same foolish purple and green hat, travels alone with her son as Julian mothers and upset by
having to sit with someone else's son on the bus. Although they have identical thoughts about each
culture and both of them want's to live separate and to rejoice all their rights, Julian's mother was
different she sees Carver's mother as an animal who stole her hat. Such a reaction shows that racism
is such a strong and a dark force that it leads people to dehumanize and alienate each other in even
the panelists circumstances, according to the LitCharts website of the article Everything that Rises
Must Converge summary &

Analysis Of Everything That Rises Must Converge By...
Flannery O 'Connor's works are nothing short of extraordinary. They frequently step into the realm
of the extreme to make a statement or prove a point. The result is that her messages are stark and
vivid, and O 'Connor is able to make bold positions on controversial subjects. She achieves this
effect through a number of means, which consist primarily of Christian symbolism, character foils,
and literary irony. Combined, they create rich, intense environments in which radical events push
and twist characters. As a result of this stress, the characters are defined more clearly. In many
instances, they achieve a kind of self realization, and their revelations usually come with an ironic
factor or consequence. O 'Connor's stories, notably ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Even though his mother is horrifically racist, Julian's thoughts reveal to the reader that he is no
better than she is. He even fantasizes about how he could terrify his mother by marrying a black
women. O 'Connor writes, "Instead, he approached the ultimate horror. He brought home a beautiful
suspiciously Negroid woman. Prepare yourself, he said," (10). The lengths Julian goes to degrade
his mother say more about him than they do about her. His criticism of her racism identifies him as a
complete hypocrite. 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

Odd Circumstance of an Oblivious Woman.
My mother always said "you aren't born into becoming racist, you grow up into it". I never truly
understood what that meant until taking psychology during my senior year of high school and
learned that people aren't born a certain way. They have been influenced by the environment which
includes family, school, friends and their residence. In "Everything that Rises must Converge"
O'Connor spot lights racism, which is still prevalent throughout many different cultures and
societies and changes how one thinks about others. O'Connor uses imagery and symbolism to define
this.
In today's society, we don't really take a second look at other races. Everyone is so accustomed to
everything that we don't fully take racism into perspective. Sure, there are some of those "people"
that still discriminate against others but it isn't as prominent as it used to be; however, there are still
clubs and societies that discriminate against African Americans, Jews, and Asians. In O'Connor's
story "Everything That Rises Must Converge" she gives us a glimpse of how Julian's mother feels
about and views other races. She hasn't quite gotten the idea that she is in a different time than she
was 20 to 30 years ago. One example that O'Connor highlights about this topic is Julian's mother's
hat which O'Connor uses as a ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
One of them including racism which O'Connor sets the mood in this story in many ways. One
including some quotes that Julian's mother stated. "They should rise, yes, but on their side of the
fence." (O'Connor 449). This sets the mood of the entire story. Julian's mother is stating that African
Americans should have stayed slaves and even if they should "rise" they should do so somewhere
else. This quote sets the mood in a pretty dark spot in the beginning. However she then reclaims
herself and does have a kind soul to everyone by taking mercy and giving the little boy Carver a
penny.

Point of View in 'Everything that Rises Must Converge'
Taahirah O'Neal Professor Ruane English 1302 13 April 2015 Point of View in 'Everything That
Rises Must Converge' 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. The central idea communicated by point
of view in this story is that if one is resistant to adapting to the changing times then they'll become
ignorant. The point of view O'Connor uses to convey ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Countless more scenarios cross Julian's mind, but none of them would deceive his mother more than
the last one. "Instead, he approached the ultimate horror. He brought home a beautiful suspiciously
Negroid woman" (O'Connor 634). By describing dating a black woman as an "ultimate horror,",
Julian reveals through his thoughts his inner snob, a trait he obviously acquired from being around
his mother.

Everything that Rises Must Converge
In Flannery O' Conner's short story "Everything that Rises Must Converge" is focused on two main
characters Julian and his mother, there is also Carver, Carvers mother, a well–dressed African man
and another white woman these four characters are very important in this story because are
significant to the point that Flannery O' Conner is trying to make throughout this story.
Julian's mother is a to be an older white lady that goes to the YMCA to lose some weight, but at the
same time is all about where her status is at. She would like to think that she is very important
person, she wears her hat and gloves to go to the Y to work out and she wants her son to maintain a
certain look of being a well–off person otherwise she thinks he is a ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
But with her plain back firing on her, means the little boy's mother wouldn't allow him to take her
money.
Julian this nice laid back college graduate. He went to school to become a writer, however at the
moment he is unable to find any jobs that have to deal with writing so at the moment he is working a
shop that sales typewriters. Julian at the beginning of the story is almost annoyed with is mother that
he is being forced to go with her to her YMCA class to help her with losing weight, and that she
can't make up her mind on if she should wear her new hat or even keep it for that matter. Julian is
also a loner he doesn't like to be around or bothered with people "He visualized a place where the
nearest neighbors would be three miles on either side" (PG1) throughout the whole story he seems
to be in his own world. He likes to think about ways to get back at his mother by becoming friends
with African people and bringing them home to stay over, thinking about if his mother was to
become ill having an African Doctor take care of her or maybe bringing home an African woman
and telling his mother that they are going to get married. Julian and his mother do not see eye to eye
on the racial aspect in this story,

`` Everything That Rises Must Converge ' By O ' Connor
Many people realize sometime in their lives that generations have very different ways of expressing
themselves. Rudimentary ideas get passed down throughout generations, but the ways in which
people interact change due to the different to social differences. In today's world people go about
their day using smartphones to text and call people. This was something that previous generations
were not able to do, thus creating a change in the ways that people express themselves to others.
This idea is exactly what Flannery O 'Connor was writing about throughout "Everything that Rises
Must Converge". O'Connor uses the theme of racism to emphasise the similarities and differences
between Julian and his mother's generations, but how they still are mentally very similar.
Julian and his mother have very similar personalities even though they think that they are the exact
opposite. Julian's mother thinks a lot about the way that people view her. She cares about the
appearance that she gives off so everyone can see how rich or great she is. She shows this off in one
way by the house that she lives in "Since this had been a fashionable neighborhood forty years ago,
his mother persisted in thinking they did well to have an apartment in it" (O'Connor 273). This
explains that even though it was a nice neighborhood many years ago that Julian's mother still wants
to live there. Her mind is stuck in a world that she no longer lives in. Julian has a very similar
situation that happens with

The Life You Save May Be Your Own
Every writer has their own story and because of said story, it has an impact on who they are and how
they think. In turn, this leads the writer into unraveling their writing style and, in an artistic way,
write out their feelings in the form of a poem or story. We see this in the case of almost every writer,
but as of now we 're only going to look at Mary Flannery O '– Connor. A major theme that reoccurs
in much of Flannery O 'Connors work is her strong dis– like for the worlds current state, as in the
condition of our world 's morality and values. Let 's see some examples in her work that support this
thesis. First, let 's take a look at one of her stories, "The Life You Save May Be Your Own". In this
story we see that Tom Shiftlet, a man ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The next story were going to examine is "Good Country People", of course, by Mary Flannery O
'Connor. At first, we can see that the title of the story "Good Country People" refers to Mrs.
Hopewell's, who is the mother of the main character of the story, judgments of people who she
believes she can trust. Thus bringing back the theme mentioned before that Flannery has distrust in
people and isn 't happy about the current state Critical Essay Rojas 3 of he world. These people are
very different and distinct from the majority of the world, since "in this day and age, you get good
country people, you had better hang onto them. She had had plenty of experience with trash."
(Flannery O 'Connor, Good Country People). To make things a bit more clearer, In this story we saw
this man named Manley Pointer who came and visited Mrs. Hopewell 's house selling bibles. But,
Mrs. Hopewell 's daughter, named Joy but is called Hulga, is an atheist. Manley, Hulga, Mrs.
Hopewell, and Mrs. Freeman, who is like Mrs. Hopewell 's maid, are talking amongst each other,
but the only important thing from this moment is that Hulga and Manley made a connection. Later
on Manley offered to meet up with Hulga for a picnic to which she had said yes, but she did not
know what was coming to her. This bible seller had

Flannery O'Conner's story, "Everything That Rises Must Converge", concerns Julian, a recent
college graduate, who plans on accompanying his mother to a weight–loss class. Because she still
lives with the values of the old American south, she can't take the bus alone now that it is integrated.
The plot centers on how Julian claims he doesn't agree with his mother's racism, evincing that
southern modernity is all about liberal views. However, I argue that the actual plot of the story
satirizes Julian's own liberal views while trying to distinguish himself from his mother. Julian's
mother is a woman whose views still reflect the early racist twentieth century American south. Her
poor health, most notably because of her high blood pressure, symbolizes the stressful loss of her
privilege as a white woman. She says "...but I can be generous to ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
The son sits next to Julian's mother while the black lady sits next to Julian. Julian sees this as an
opportunity for his mother to understand the limited importance of white privilege today. In an
ironic move, the mother begins to play peek–a–boo with the young boy. However, the little boy's
mother doesn't seem charmed by the mutual friendliness and pushes her son away. As the bus comes
to a stop, the black mother and her son advance to the door. Meanwhile, Julian's mother has decided
she wants to give a nickel to the black boy. "I can't find but a penny, but it looks like a new one", she
then says to Julian, despite his advice not to do so. Though she can't find a nickel for the boy, she
feels it is her obligation to be charitable with the black boy. As Julian's mother is about to give it, the
black woman doesn't find this act of generosity pleasing, saying that her boy doesn't take pennies
from anybody. Julian's mother fails to understand that her privilege as a white does not bring an
obligation to be generous with the

Everything That Rises Must Converge Gannery O Connor
Julian, the recent college graduate in Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor,
is a bit concerned for himself than with others, especially his overweight mom with high blood
pressure. The love she has for her son, Julian, is different from the love Julian has for his mom.
After all Julian's mom struggles to do for him; cloth, feed, put him through school and still supports
him, he fantasizes on ways to annoy his mom. For example, Julian wondered what his mom would
think or do if he brought home an African–American female. Ashamed with the arrogant way on
how his mom feels about African–Americans, her attention to manners and behavior while in public,
and the better than you attitude. His mom is having a hard time with the

Short Story Everything That Rises Must Converge
In the short story "Everything that Rises Must Converge" by Flannery O'Conner, which is occurs
during the civil war movement, is mostly about the struggles that came with the civil movement and
integration of races. As the African American community made themselves heard by demanding
equal rights after being treated inferiorly by the White Americans for many years. This creates
tension and altercations between both races. Julian, a young man who takes his mother to the "Y"
every week, to which she does not wish to go alone because of the integration of races. Julian and
his mother do not share the same views and opinions on racial equality. In the story, Julian's mother
mentions the sacrifices that she has made for him, which is why he drags

Everything That Rises Must Converge Essay
Living in a lie: Holding on to the past A new generation has taken place and some people make
certain adjustments and can over all accept the change. Segregation was a serious issue for people,
thoughts and emotions were the last to be considered. People that were sensitive to this particular
generation just turned the other way and did not get involved. The men worked, women stayed
home, no questions were asked and everyone lived happily. In the short story, "Everything That
Rises Must Converge" by Flannery O'Connor, is about change, acceptance and treating everyone as
equal. Desegregation has taken over and Justin's mother has a hard time accepting this. Her
generation was living a high style life, where she had slaves and whatever she wanted was provided.
This new generation has taken a turn because she doesn't have that lifestyle anymore. She has
become racial, stubborn and her son Julian thinks he can make her change, and see the reality they
are living now. Julian's mother's actions are questionable, but she has a legitimate reason to act the
way she ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
It allowed their owners to have large numbers of workers, typically slaves, who were required for
farm operations. As state governor, they are responsible for implementing state laws and overseeing
the operation of the state executive branch. Julian's mother came this particular wealthy family.
Many times it consisted of making a command and it was done. Especially, if the commands given
were to black slaves. This must be hard to adjust to life now, since she is not able to have that power
anymore. Her grandfather had a plantation and owned two hundred slaves. Her father was a former
governor of his state and her mother was a Godhigh. She remembers growing up with people all
over the house, but these people were servants, slaves, and even though life made a turn in her life,
she never lost her identity. She knew who she was and that was all that mattered to

Everything That Rises Must Converge Flannery O Connor
Working Title In "Everything That Rises Must Converge," American writer, Flannery O'Connor,
creates a piece that brings attentions to a very tense relationship, due to major differences between
two generations. This story takes place in the South, around the 1960s and is centered around a guy
named Julian and his mother, but it is not one of the typical happy–go–lucky, Southern type of
stories. Instead, it brings about an element that is defined as an ugly or comically distorted figure,
creature or image, known as "grotesque." Producing pieces that are frank and honest may result in
such a label, but as O'Connor demonstrates, in order to properly understand a situation, one must
first present the cold, hard truth. In one of O'Connor's essays titled "Some Aspects of the Grotesque
in Southern Fiction," she speaks on a specific comment in a letter she received from an older lady.
O'Connor states: I once read a letter...who informed me that when the tired reader comes home at
night, he wishes to read something that will lift up his heart. And it seems her heart had not been
lifted up by anything of mine she had read. (265) O'Connor responds by simply saying in order to
make it a pleasurable read, one must distort the truth, which then causes change to its significance
and power. She then ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
In "Everything That Rises Must Converge," she uses unstable relationships between mother and son,
African–Americans and Caucasians and blunt diction in order to make her readers look past the
surface and see things for what they really are. To fully comprehend a particular subject, one must
be willing to push past the desire to be satisfied and open up to the truth. Accepting
straightforwardness and being open to presentation of the truth is the first step in doing so, even if it
has to be twisted and pulled in order to make one fully

Literary Analysis of “Everything That Rises Must Converge”
Literary Analysis of "Everything That Rises Must Converge" Flannery O' Connor's short story
"Everything That Rises Must Converge" is about racial judgment in the south in the 1960's. O'
Conors main focus in this story is how the white middle class viewed and treated people from
different races in the 1960's. The story is an example of irony, redemption as well as a struggle of
identity among the characters. The main characters in O'Connor's story are Julian an aspiring writer,
who works as a typewriter salesmen, and his mother who is a low–middle class racist white woman
who has strong views about thvxe African–American race. Both Julian and his mother are great
depictions of the white mindsets of racial integration in the ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Which is the reason he is so hateful to his mother when it comes to the subject of race, he feels like
he is better and smarter then her, even when some of her motives are pure and not meant to come off
as racist or hateful. He brings up the fact that he believes that he is too intelligent to be a success
which shows how truly high he views himself. We see irony throughout this story the main example
of Irony comes from Julian's view of himself. Julian shows anger and disproof of his mother
throughout the whole story, eve though he may be just as judgmental as his mother, but because he
thinks he accepts them he still feels better about himself. His mother talks about how she had gotten
him through college, and straightened his teeth to make sacrifices for him; but Julian doesn't see that
the same way. He's mother see's him as successful, and in all honesty he is not. He sells typewriters
so he is just a common worker nothing high and powerful. He continuously imagines himself in his
families old mansion, but still more accepting then his family. He mentions that he has a "first rate
education at a third rate college" which shows how he clearly wasn't superior due to his schooling.
He wasn't a professional at all. Julian fails many times at proving his superiority too his mother. We
see this when he attempts to try and make friends with the African–American man on the bus who is
reading the paper next to

Symbolism In Everything That Rises Must Converge
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. Everything Julian's mother
"sacrifices" for her son isn't out of love for him; she puts him before herself only to make him fit the
"Godhigh" criteria, and in turn uses him to separate and elevate ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
From the beginning of the story we see that it's clear Julian's mother is obsessed with her
appearance. The fact that her family once had political influence and wealth (p.407), not to mention
power over the lives of 200 slaves (p.408), and now no longer has it, deeply troubles her, prompting
her to overcompensate for this loss by always dressing and looking her best in public. When the
violet hat is first introduced we learn that, "[t]he hat was new and had cost her seven dollars and a
half," (p.405) She later states that she could, "pay the gas bill with seven fifty," (p.407). It is clear
that with those prices and her issues with integration that this story took place in the 1960s. From
this we know that Julian's mom has expensive taste in clothing. Which reveals that she puts her
appearance before her bills, emphasizing the importance of her sense of identity is. Her identity is
what sets her apart from the rest of society, and is what her ancestors used to elevate themselves
above African Americans. It is apparent throughout the story that Julian's mother has a preconceived
notion of how things in society should be, depicting her to be a bigot. This is a result of her
upbringing, it's all she's ever known. The reason why segregation was so important to poor
Southerners was because they were

Everything That Rises Must Converge Analysis
Everything That Rises Must Converge Analysis "Everything That Rises Must Converge" is a short
story that takes place in a southern town after the buses have become desegregated. A son, named
Julian, and his mother are going to a recreational center because the mother has been told she must
lose weight. While riding the bus, the mother makes racists comments about the desegregation of
busses since the Civil Rights Act. During the ride, a black man gets on the bus and she ceases her
racist comments momentarily. All the while, her son is thinking about how even though he we went
to a second–rate college, he has a first–rate education; and even though he was raised in a house that
has very traditionalist values, he still can hold himself to a more progressive moral standard. The
bus stops again, and a black woman and her child board the bus. While exiting the bus, Julian's mom
tries to give the little boy a penny, and the mother swings her purse and hits her in the head. This
causes Julian's mother to have a seizure and die. Flannery O'Connor's "Everything that Rises Must
Converge," shows the differing of opinions between generation and touches on social issues
regarding race in the south during the 1950's.
Throughout the story, the reader can tell the obvious differences in Julian's and his mother opinion
about racism and racial segregation. Julian's mom believes that the busses should not be segregated,
and that black people can rise but "on their own side of the fence."

Similar to Wise Blood, O'Connor's short story Everything that Rises Must Converge, also explores
the theme of the past and the present through Julian, his mother, and the lady on the bus. Julian,
similar to Hazel, holds onto the past through dreams and images, of his grandfather's large house
and wealth, while in the present he blames his mother for being outdated and poor. Julian blames his
mother for losing the wealth of his family as his holds on to the past by dreaming of what could
have been. The next quote portrays Julian's longing for the wealth that his family lost. "[the
mansion] appeared in his dreams regularly... it occurred to him that it was he, not she, who could
have appreciated it" (O'Connor 3). This quote proves that similar ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
In Wise Blood Hazel uses the church without Christ to deal with his past, but Julian uses his
animosity towards his mother to handle the past. He continues to make mistakes in the present as he
attempts to blame someone for the loss of his past. While Julian and Hazel are similar as they both
dream of the past Julian looks back with awe while Hazel's view of the past is much more negative.
Fueled by the desire of the past Julian constantly makes mistakes in the present, especially in the
way he treats his mother. Like Enoch in Wise Blood, Julian's mother is unable to move on from the
past as she holds onto it strongly stating life was better before. Julian's mother grew up as a rich
Caucasian girl in the south causing her to view herself as above people of colour and this results in
her being racist in the present. The following quote displays her attitude in the present due to the
way she was raised in the past. "'There are no more slaves' he said irritably. 'they were better off
when they were' she said" (2). This quote makes it evident that Julian's mother has not moved on
from the past and the past continues to impact her judgment of people in the

Critical Analysis Of Flannery O ' Connor 's ' Good Country...
A Critical Character Analysis of Flannery O 'Connor 's "Good Country People", "A Good Man is
Hard to find", "Everything That Rises Must Converge". You can never forget the time you 're living
in because the past is the past and it will never come back. So to adjust your philosophy and
creativity in fashion to the time you 're living in is the most important thing. – Donatella Versace
In each of Flannery O'Connor's stories there is a very different perspectives in the stories also in the
different time periods. Each of these women bring a very different look on life. This is not always a
good thing. We see that some of these women only want to dwell in the past, to never move forward,
always hoping to move backwards instead. They are still living in the past because the present and
the future seem scary. O'Connor introduces Mrs. Hopewell, the Grandmother, and Julian's Mother
who are main characters in her stories. Each of these women believe in something that does not exist
anymore. O'Connor does not allow us the privilege of knowing their first name or even much about
these ladies. Each of these women show people their southern take on the world which conveys an
extremely patronizing attitude on life. Their world is changing and if they wanted to they could have
grabbed ahold of it. They have a chance to explore these new changes although they seem unwilling.
The O'Connor's stories we see Mrs. Hopewell as a petty and condescending woman , the
Grandmother as a

Everything That Rises Must Converge Analysis Essay
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 ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
"'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

From my own understanding, all stories in an anthology must be similar in one way or another for
the sake of cohesion. However, each story must be unique to avoid similarities with other stories.
With Everything That Rises Must Converge, its cohesion is found within its theme. Yet, reading the
entire anthology felt as if it was split in half.
The reasoning behind this sentiment is because the first half of the stories–Everything That Rises
Must Converge, Greenleaf, View of the Woods, The Enduring Chill, and The Comforts of Home–
seems to focus less on religion than the second half. The opening story, Everything That Rises Must
Converge, has little religious theme and instead focuses on racial issues. Although it is written well
for the most part, the death of Julian's mother as its ending seemed fast–paced than the other stories.
In contrast to that, the rest of them are paced slower for what I believe is for the sake of suspense for
the reader. Although I believe Greenleaf, A View of the Woods, and The Comforts of Home, are
better in ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This occurs in The Lame Shall Enter First, Revelation, and Parker's Back, where religion is either a
subject of conflict as featured in The Lame Shall Enter First and Parker's Back, or as a plot device as
shown in Revelation. However, Judgement Day seems to reference religion in name only. Like The
Enduring Chill, it stands out as something different–only it's entirely different. In fact, I believe it
should've been in the first half rather than the second half there are racial tensions as in Everything
That Rises Must Converge. Of all the stories in the second half, I preferred Revelation due to its
complexity of Mrs. Turpin's superiority complex and how is it is a stark contrast from her religion
that preaches goodness and

Sophie Halavy
English 2–Prof. Sosner
6 May 2015
Knowing Who You Are in "Everything That Rises Must Converge" 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 ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Though he explains that his grandparent's house "remain[s] in his mind as his mother had known it",
Julian claims, "he [is] not dominated by his mother" (O'Connor, par. 62). In his essay, Bryan Wyatt
argues "Clearly her vision determines and controls his own, here as in other respects" (69). His
determination to try to disappoint his mother suggests that he blames her for his inability to be
independent, driving his desire to "teach her a lesson" (O'Connor, par. 74). He visualizes numerous,
but improbable situations, in which he befriends a well–educated African American man or a
scenario where his mother would have to depend on a black doctor. He initially tries to spark up a
conversation with two different black men, one of which he described to have looked
"distinguished" and the other was wearing a diamond ring. However much to Julian's
disappointment, one ended up being an undertaker and the other handed him lottery tickets and left
(O'Connor, par. 74). Though Julian takes great satisfaction in his acceptance of African Americans,
he only mentions speaking to the black individuals that appear well–dressed and sophisticated,
another indication that he does not truly see them as equals amongst himself. Furthermore, his desire
to converse with educated African American's is a reflection of how he sees himself to be superior to
the uneducated; similar to how his mother's believes that she is superior because she is

Everything That Rises Must Converge Essay
The Integration
For my essay assignment I have chosen the short story "Everything that Rises Must Converge" by
Flannery O'Connor. It is a story of a woman who grew up during the segregation and must accept
that the segregation is over. Her son who appears to be a liberal thinker and rebukes her for her
attitude towards the African–American people.
The two main characters of the story are Julian and his mother. They seem to see the world two
completely different ways. Julian often attacks his mother's views on racism and tells her that it is a
different time. Although he had grown up during the segregation as well he felt that they were all
equal and tried to force his beliefs on his mother. He felt as if she was being absurd ... Show more
content on Helpwriting.net ...
After the Civil Rights Act everyone was allowed an equal opportunity for the jobs that were once
only available to the white people. She felt as if her son was unable to find a decent job was because
all the African–Americans had taken all the jobs. Now her son was unemployed and had to live with
his mother because he had no means to live on. She knew that her son deserved better and was angry
because he was incapable of reaching his full potential as a writer. She considered all her son's
problems to be because the segregation ended1.
She refused to ride the bus alone now that she had deemed it unsafe and forced her son to go with
her. He thought that she was being crazy and did everything he could to upset her. While on the bus
one night a mother and her small son got on the bus, the other sat next to Julian and her son sat next
to Julian's mother. Although she despised them she had a soft spot for all children, no matter the
race.
The hat that the young mother had on was the exact hat that Julian's mother was wearing, which
made her hate her hat and disgusted that she had gone to that store. She saw herself above them and
thought it was discriminating to her that they were allowed to wear the same kinds of clothes and sit
so close to people of the higher

Everything That Rises Must Converge And Everyday Use
In the story Everything That Rises Must Converge and Everyday Use, are stories taken place in the
Southern in 1965 and 1973. In this time people talked in a country accent. These stories all includes
majority of different types of figurative language, dialogue, and stereotype. In Everything That
Rises Must Converge means that all things used to identify a person from a higher point of view
should all come together from different places and reunite. Theme: Appearance is a faulty measure
of reality. Evidence 1 is Julian raised his eyes to heaven. "Yes, you should have bought it," he said.
"Put it on and let's go." Evidence 2 is "Quit yo' foolishness," she said, "before I knock the living
Jesus out of you!" Evidence 3 is "Carver!" the woman

Flannery O'Connor's Short Fiction Essay examples
Flannery O'Connor's "Greenleaf," "Everything that Rises Must Converge," and "A Good Man is
Hard to Find"
Introduction
To the uninitiated, the writing of Flannery O'Connor can seem at once cold and dispassionate, as
well as almost absurdly stark and violent. Her short stories routinely end in horrendous, freak
fatalities or, at the very least, a character's emotional devastation. Working his way through
"Greenleaf," "Everything that Rises Must Converge," or "A Good Man is Hard to Find," the new
reader feels an existential hollowness reminiscent of Camus' The Stranger; O'Connor's imagination
appears a barren, godless plane of meaninglessness, punctuated by pockets of random, mindless
cruelty.
In reality, her writing is filled with ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Young Flannery attended St. Vincent's Grammar School and Sacred Heart Parochial School. In 1938
her father got a position as appraiser for the Federal Housing Administration, and the family moved
to North East Atlanta, then Milledgeville, where, three years later, Ed died from complications
arising from the chronic autoimmune disease lupus. Flannery attended Georgia State College for
Women (now Georgia College) and State University of Iowa, receiving her MFA from the latter in
1947. In 1951, after complaining of a heaviness in her typing arms, she was diagnosed with the
same lupus that had killed her father. She went on, despite the disease, to write two novels and
thirty–two short stories, winning awards and acclaim, going on speaking tours when her health
permitted, but spending most of her time on the family farm, Andalusia, in Milledgeville, with her
mother. She died of lupus on August third, 1964 at the age of thirty–nine.
Flannery O'Connor remained a devout Catholic throughout, and this fact, coupled with the constant
awareness of her own impending death, both filtered through an acute literary sensibility, gives us
valuable insight into just what went into those thirty–two short stories and the two novels: cathartic
bitterness, a belief in grace as something devastating to the recipient, a gelid concept of salvation,
and violence as a force for good. At first it might seem that these aspects of her writing would
detract from,

Rising from Racism to Converge in Equality
Generations of people always grow up learning different beliefs from their parents, who usually still
hold on to old fashioned beliefs and ideas. "Everything That Rises Must Converge", by Flannery O'
Connor, is considered a humorous but enthralling tale of a college graduate named Julian who lives
with his prejudiced mother. The story takes place a couple years after segregation ended in the
South, and African Americans and Caucasians can share public transit. Throughout the story,
O'Connor impresses the reader with her consequent message that people often resist growing away
from bigotry towards self–awareness and love for all humankind, which is necessary for life to
converge in equality. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
However, it is not until a black woman with a four–year–old son steps on the bus that Julian feels he
has the opportune moment to irk his mother –– the black woman is wearing the same hat as she.
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 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 thrust upon his mother such a lesson" (443). While on
the bus, the black boy caught his mother's attention. Julian's mother thought black children were
overall cuter than little white children, and so when they got to their stop, Julian got the idea that his
mother would insist on giving the little boy a penny. Since the large black woman had gotten off on
the same stop as they did, Julian was certain she would attempt to do so. Julian's mother, who rose
from discrimination towards self–awareness and love for all humankind towards the end of the
story, moved away from racism all because of the interaction between her and that little boy. Julian
warned her not to, and when she did, to our surprise, the black woman swung her purse across his
mother's face. "You got exactly what you

Everything That Rises Must Converge Analysis
Flannery O'Connor grew up immersed in the culture of the American South during the enactment of
the Jim Crow laws. Her short stories contributed immensely to the literary genre known as Southern
Gothic. She incorporated tone, imagery, and dialogue to showcase the way life existed in the South.
In Everything that Rises Must Converge, Julian's mother displayed a very ignorant tone. Julian's
mother is a very racist individual who supports the idea of segregation, which was a very popular
ideology back then. She said, "They should rise, yes, but on their own side of the fence," and felt
sorry for the ones that were "half white," despite the fact that buses became integrated already. This
racism was further demonstrated when she and her son got

Comparison Of Everything That Rises Must Converge And...
How can the two authors of "Everything That Rises Must Converge" and "Everyday Use" use
figurative language and dialogue to develop a common central theme of the stories. In "Everything
That Rises Must Converge" by Flannery O' Connor one way she uses figurative language and
dialogue to develop a common central is by writing "She was almost ready,standing before the hall
mirror,putting on her hat while he his hands behind him appeared pinned to the door frame waiting
like a saint Sebastian for the arrows to start piercing him". This show imagery and a smile. It ties to
the theme because on the outside he looks mad,but on the inside he is actually embarrassed. The
theme of "Everything That Rises Must Converge" is People aren't always how they

Emotional Dependency in Everything That Rises Must...
In the short story, "Everything That Rises Must Converge," Flannery O'Connor writes about a man
taking his mother on the bus to a weight–reducing class. The man, Julian, is an only child whose
father is dead. Although O'Connor does not reveal Julian's exact age, she makes it clear that he has
been an adult for some time. The mother, who struggled to raise Julian in his younger years, is still
supporting him. The story goes into detail about the emotional relationship this man has with his
mother and how it leaves him emotionally stunted and depressed. Flannery O'Connor has chosen to
make the main characters mother and son to show that a boy who cannot manage to become an
independent adult man, that is, one who remains an immature, ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Catching sight of his long, hopeless, irritated face, she stopped suddenly with a grief–stricken look,
and pulled back on his arm. "Wait on me," she said. "I'm going back to the house and take this thing
off and tomorrow I'm going to return it. I was out of my head. I can pay the gas bill with the seven–
fifty (pg 1081)."
This clearly shows that in reality he has no real grounds to hate her; she has not done anything to
him that is so horrible that he should feel the way that he says he does. Julian does care about his
mother, but because of his immaturity, he cannot admit this to himself. Instead he obsesses about
this hatred he has, which is really self–hatred because he cannot grow up and accept his mother's
ways. Mature adults may still be embarrassed by the ways that their parents hold on to old customs
and beliefs, but adults also can acknowledge the fact that as an adult one is not represented by
another adult's behavior, but by one's own. Julian feels that his mother is making a martyr of him.
When you are a martyr, you are at peace with being killed because you still have your faith in God,
which ensures your way into heaven. Losing faith just before dying is the worst thing that could
happen for a martyr. Julian's faith is the hatred of his mother's ways. When he realizes that he has no
grounds for which to loathe his mother and that his hate is based on

In the short story; "Everything That Rises Must Converge", Julian's mother saw a cute kid on the
bus. An innocent gesture becomes a heated moment in the story. Julian's Mother's gift of the penny
to Carver, (a black child she meets on the bus) encapsulates the cultural differences. Julian's mother
hopes to act in a way that is fitting of great status, she has the habit of giving cute children coins
because it is a moral obligation of the privileged. The fact that Julian's mother doesn't care whether
she gives Carter a penny or a nickel suggests that she only cares about the symbolic act of giving.
This gesture upsets the young boy's mother, the penny causes Carver's mother to strike Julian's
mother, it suggests that the new cultural changes

Flannery O'Connor is an author who ironically reveals and delivers her characters through the
grotesque. She oftens uses imagery that is symbolic of an important point in the moral of the story.
These epiphanies change and develop the characters right at the climax of her story, where the
character is typically delivered. As a certain author once said which still remains true about
O'Connor's characters in her writings is, "All are guilty; all are evil. The distinctions are between
those who know of God's mercy and those who do not, between those who think they can save
themselves, either for this life or the next, and those who are driven, in spite of their own failing, to
do God's purpose. " (Sullivan, Walter). O'Connor often refers to Christianity, ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
It is typical of O'Connor to leave the reader in some suspense by bringing a very dramatic climax at
the very end of the story. Julian, similar to Hulga in O'Connor's story "Good Country People," is the
type of character to treat their mother with a patronizing attitude because they feel their intellect
makes such repugnance acceptable. Julian does not like his mother's values, he has a distaste for her
racism and southern beliefs. The irony is in how Julian himself is no better; he talks to blacks on the
bus, but has never made an actual friend. His misery and hypocritical ways are shown throughout
the story frequently as he purposely tries to upset his mother, shown here, "Meanwhile the [black]
woman was bearing down upon the empty seat beside Julian. To his annoyance, she squeezed
herself into it. He saw his mother's face change as the woman settled herself next to him and he
realized with satisfaction that this was more objectionable to her than it was to him" (Everything
That Rises 495). Julian's pride meets redemption when his mother hit and his guilt sets in, similar to
Hulga in O'Connor's "Good Country

Everything That Rises Must Converge Change
In the 20th century there were drastic changes in the world. Because of World I, II, and slavery
being outlawed, there were many changes that happened during that time. Flannery O'Connor,
Katherine Anner Porter, and Bernard Malamud point out the obvious social changes in the stories:
Everything that Rises Must Converge, Rope, and The Magic Barrel. O'Connor shows the social
change from the role of African Americans before and after the culture change, Porter shows the
social change of men and women after World War I and II, and Malamud shows the social change of
arranged marriage and true love. First of all, in the story Everything that Rises Must Converge by
Flannery O'Connor there is a change between the role of African Americans. ... Show more content
on Helpwriting.net ...
However instead of a racial change there is a change in the role of genders. In this story it shows the
imperfect relationship between a man and woman. Throughout the whole story the woman is
continually demanding her husband to do things she wants him to do. In the story, the husband
forgets to buy her coffee but he buys a rope. When he is trying to find a place for the rope, he puts it
in different locations while she rejects each place. "He picked up the rope and started to put it on the
top shelf. She would not have it on the top shelf, the jars and tins belonged there..." She is taking
control over her husband and not allowing him to put the rope anywhere in her house because she
does not approve of the rope being in her house. In the story the woman obviously has control over
her husband. Later in the story she made him go back to the store to buy her coffee. "Well, he was
merely going to get her coffee. A four mile walk for two pounds of coffee was ridiculous, but he was
perfectly willing to do it." He was willing to walk four miles for coffee because he was willing to
please his

Everything That Rises Must Converge Literary Devices

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