Flannery O’Connor’s Everything That Rises Must Converge explores the themes of social equality, familial ties, holding on to the past, hypocrisy, and realizing too late what truly matters. I loved the symbolism, as well as the descriptive terms, that O’Connor employed.
Flannery O’Connor was able to effectively describe scenes and objects in a way that allows the reader to envision what she is writing about. I was able to picture Julian’s mother’s hat with the “purple velvet flap [that] came down on one side of it and stood up on the other; the rest of it was green and looked like a cushion with the stuffing out.” Her vivid imagery allows the reader to become more enthralled with the story.
One symbol used in Everything That Rises Must Converge is the purple and green hat Julian’s mother buys. In the beginning of the story, to Julian’s mother, the hat symbolizes her perceived “elevated” status in society. She sees the hat as an expensive and unnecessary purchase, questioning whether she should return it and use the money to pay the gas bill instead. When she decides to keep the hat and wear it to her “reducing class,” she feels herself above some of the other people riding the bus. However, when the African-American woman enters the bus, wearing a hat identical to Julian’s mother’s hat, the hat’s symbolism changes. While the hat remains a symbol of Julian’s mother’s social status, instead of her perceived social status, the hat becomes a symbol of her actual social status. When she sees the African-American women wearing the same hat, Julian’s mother realizes that she is just the same as everyone else on that bus, with no elevated social status.
One theme explored in Everything That Rises Must Converge is social equality. Throughout the story, Julian’s mother comes to the realization that in the society she is living in, everyone has the same rights and privileges, regardless of what has been true in the past. She suddenly sees that her son and others have accepted this way of life and there is no turning back.
Another theme O’Connor explores is familial ties. Julian thinks he holds no love towards his mother because of her beliefs about herself and her position in the world. He is frustrated by her lack of acceptance toward African-Americans, as well as misconstrued belief about her social status. However, Julian’s mother is openly affectionate towards her son, even without encouragement from him. She allows him to live with her and brags about his completion of college and his chance to perhaps eventually becoming a writer. She believes in her son and does all she can to help him towards his dreams.
O’Connor also explores the theme of clinging to the past. Julian’s mother longs for the days of plantations and slaves. She wants to have the elevated social status her great-grandparents had, instead of her status in a world where everyone is equal, regardless of race or wealth. She also does not realize that she no longer is the wealthy white family—her neighborhood is slowly and surely deteriorating. Her great-grandfather is no longer governor and her family no longer owns a large and luxurious plantation. She is just another woman attending a weight-loss class.
Everything That Rises Must Converge also addresses the theme of hypocrisy. Julian is frustrated that his mother is not tolerant of African-Americans, but he is not patient with or tolerant towards his mother and her outdated ideas. He does not realize until it is too late that he loved his mother and was grateful for all that she did for him.
I loved the wonderful insight that Flannery O’Connor’s story, Everything That Rises Must Converge, had and the universal themes in it.
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On the idea that this is a great story, and that universal ideas were shared within, I totally agree. Conversely, I do not agree with many points you made. I do not agree with the statement that Julian’s mother sees the African American woman’s hat and realizes that she is the same as everyone else on the bus, with no elevated status. Also, I do not think she necessarily has no elevated status. I believe this recognition only shows that other black people of the time were just as elevated in status as some white people. I do not know how much 7 dollars was worth, but I am sure that it was more than your average, everyday person had to spend on a hat. Additionally, until the end, Julian’s mother doesn’t become aware of the fact that racial equality has arrived. On the other hand, I do agree that Julian’s mother is openly affectionate despite his rudeness, that she does seem to cling to the past, and that Julian doesn’t realize what he has until it’s lost. I think this is extremely sad, and it makes me more grateful for my mother. I am glad I know how to treat her. :)
ReplyDeleteI love how Flannery O’Connor always packs in a surprise ending for the characters and thus also her readers. It hits you on the head with the impact, and often I find myself just kind of mentally reeling for a moment, trying to take in what’s actually happening. I loved this ending because throughout the story, you perceive Julian’s mother through his point of view. You take in all the angst and spite that he feels towards her, and I personally felt it too because of her racism and naiveté about life. But then when Julian pushes her too far and she has a stroke, I felt sorry for her. I think O’Connor really wants us to contemplate what every individual is going through and that we cannot assume we can teach others a “lesson” that will last a while, as Julian says.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting short story. I think that it's really sad that Julian hates his mother so much and doesn't realize how much he actually cares about her until it's too late. I feel sorry for her just for having to deal with having a son who can be so unfeeling. At the same time, I also feel sorry for Julian because he can't see all of the potential that he has. He has no confidence in himself, and that probably increases his dislike for his mother.
ReplyDeleteThis story also illustrates generational differences. Julian doesn't understand his mother's generation and the way his mother was raised, and she doesn't understand the younger generation and how everything has changed since then. It's really sad that both Julian expects his mother to embrace the values of his generation while she expects him to embrace the values of her generation. Neither Julian nor his mother sees that there can be a compromise. This causes Julian to try to teach his mother a lesson, and that causes her to have a stroke.
Different people have different backgrounds and different ways of thinking, and we should try to respect that instead of trying to force other people to see things the way that we see things. We should also appreciate the people we love. We should respect our parents.
I love the way that this story illustrates the consequences of not respecting and appreciating the people we love. Julian doesn’t learn to appreciate his mother until it’s too late, and that is really sad. We should all try to avoid having a similar experience.
This article reminded me of a General Conference talk that was given a few conferences ago. I don’t remember then name of it or even who it was by I just remember what he said. We as a people need to be better about living in the moment. We are never sure when it is our time to leave this earth so we must always be prepared to leave. We should not be sitting around doing nothing waiting for it to happen though. We should be living life to its fullest and enjoy the relatively short time we are in this earth.
ReplyDeleteI love stories with descriptive details. O'Conner used descriptions and visual metaphor's superbly in her short story. It's so much easier to connect with the characters if we can see what they are seeing and feel what they are feeling. By describing the hat, her readers are able to more vividly see the contrast. We see Julian's mother--haughty, prejudiced, and proud--and the African-American woman--fed up with the place out-dated society has given her.
ReplyDeleteThat's just one example. The author's use of literary visual devices contribute greatly to the story and to the reader's connection to it.
There are still a lot of people in the world that hold the same view as Julian's mother. It is sad but true. I think it is human nature to believe that we are somehow better than someone else. I guess it makes your life seem better, at the expense of someone else’s. We are all given different trials in life. We are supposed to help each other through them, not put each other down. Some people are born with more going for them: good parents, good looking, lots of money etc. However, they have a greater responsibility to help others through their trials.
ReplyDeleteOne main theme in this short story is one of equality. This is quite a popular theme with one famous qoute out of the declaration of independence stating that all men are created equal. In the movie The Incredibles the mom says that everybody is special and the son replies that is just another way of saying nobody is. I disagree with that because we are special in different ways. We need to accept other people and not judge them on things like race or education. I find that in my own life I am always trying in my head to put myself above others. I try to remind myself that even one soul is great in the sight of god.
ReplyDeleteThe idea that impressed me the most while reading this story was the way Julian treated his mother. Although his mother was still stuck in the past, I think that it is important to realize that a person can’t change overnight. Julian didn’t grow up in a time where slavery was common but his mother did grow up in a time where the treatment of blacks was different and for that reason it is difficult to adjust. It is terrible that his mother views people of color as inferior but Julian must love his mother through all of her faults. The love that the mother has for Julian is obvious, it is apparent that she has made great sacrifices for her son and he must be grateful that reason. This story is a great reminder for me, although I do not agree with my mother all the time, I should still treat her with the respect and kindness she deserves.
ReplyDeleteThis was a very interesting read for me, because instead of just identifying with one character (which is the character the author wants us to identify with, most of the time), I identified with both main characters. Really weird, right?
ReplyDeleteAnyway.
Yes, Julian's mother was being racist in most all of her actions, and she should realize that she isn't better than everyone else.
However, Julian's mother grew up in a different world with different values and was thus subjected to grow racist and proud. I know we're responsible for our own sins, but she was raised this way, and that's something that's hard to get out of. She was ignorant. We should pity the ignorant, not detest them. Of course she was wrong for her ideals, but that isn't an excuse to persecute her as her son did.
Yes, I agreed with Julian in his assessments on race and pride.
However, Julian, to me, exemplifies the know-it-all college student. He thinks that because he's gone to college that his views are soooo deep and meaningful and that he's soooo much more enlightened than the rest of the world. He himself said that he was as "disenchanted with [the world] as a man of fifty." Well you didn't seem so disenchanted when you watched your mom die, now did ya? Ha. Prissy b-word.
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I'm very judgmental when I think I'm right.
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I agree with "Everything That Rises Must Converge also addresses the theme of hypocrisy." The character of Julian and the character of his mother address two extremes that I think can be found in everyone. On one hand, Julian is "modern", he values education, aesthetic worth, and pride. He thinks himself very open and a person of high minded ideals, and he sees his mother as everything he is not. His mother values education too, but only in the sense it enables her family to have a name again, she sees social hierarchy and appearance as more important than material wealth. They are two opposites.
ReplyDeleteBoth, in the course of the story, find their perseptions of reality come crashing down on them. First, the mother sees that she is not the person of high standing she thought she was, that she is low in society. And the son, with his mother's stroke, sees his own pedestal of his self-worth crash down when he realizes that he his nothing without his mother, who lies dying.
I found it an interesting story.
I absolutely love to see irony and parallelism in literature. Therefore, I love hipocrisy as a natural way to implement both techniques. The story has no clear hero. Who is most guilty of "holding on to the past"? Who is most vain? Even the resolution is unclear. Does the mother die? What is the meaning?
ReplyDeleteHowever, the moral is clear. Everything that rises must converge; it is not possible for the black peopke to "rise in their own place". -- A five-star short story
"Everything That Rises Must Converge." I find it fascinating how everybody goes through their own ups and downs at different times in life, yet we seem to "average out" to all just be human beings with our individual challenges and accomplishments.
ReplyDeleteMaybe when we consider social equality, we should reconsider the people we put on a pedestal or look down upon. Everybody will have both victory and defeat in life; the tides of change are sure to affect us as much as they affect others. None of us really know what life will be like years from now.
I thought that this short essay was a powerful story. It really showed the imperfections and trivialities of humankind. Although the mother had a problem with rascism, she was a truly loving and carin mother who was proud of her son and all that he had accomplished. She still had insecurities, such as wondering whether or not to wear her hat out, but she saw the good in life. She found fun in the struggle of day to day living. She made sacrifices for her boy to grow up right. Yet her son could not see past the character blemishes that, he felt, were constantly presenting themselves.
ReplyDeleteJulien, on the other had, is also an interesting character. He does not striggle with rascism as his mother did, but he was also flawed. He was somewhat arrogant when he compared himself to his mother and also to ohters. He would talk to African-Americans, but only if he saw a profit from their acquaintance. He did not appreciate the sacrifices that his mother went through for him at all. He was so focused on criticizing her nature that he forgot how much he truly did love her.
The end of this story is very touching. Julien realizes how much he loves his mother and how much he needs her in his life. This story shows just how human each of us is and and how all of us have good qualities and bad. We should learn from the story of Julien to make the best of your own situation and appreciate what you have got when you have it.
Julian is his mother in many ways -- all the things he hates about her, he does himself. He is extremely proud, and seems to be just as guilty of not seeing black people as people as his mother: he only sees them as a way to get back at his mother, even to the point of contemplating marrying a black girl, not because he loves her, but because she is black. He annoys people around him for his own selfishness, just as his mother -- the mother will condescendingly proffer a nickel, and Julian will ask for a cigarette for no other point than to show how unprejudiced he is. His mother will take the time to offer the moral of the story, and Julian can't wait to deliver a parallel moral to his mother. They are the same person in so many ways.
ReplyDeleteBut what does that indicate? It shows that Julian is a guilty person, just as much as his mother -- and the stroke that hits his mother is a shadow of the stroke of realization he recieves upon her malady. Their worlds have come crashing down around them. Things cannot, and never will again, be as they were. They were both wrong, and the backlash is swift and terrible for the both of them.
Equality and irony. The two main themes this story dealt with. Flannery O'Connor's story interesting. I liked the parallels she drew between mother and son. The mother's conviction that she is a member of high society and the son's arrogance serve as one of the many links they have to each other.
ReplyDeleteI found it amusing that the son was looking for ways to shock his mother, but not enough to give her a stroke. How many loving sons would contemplate such a thing? I can't believe the mother was so blind to her son's attitude.
I found this article kind of hard to follow. I suppose I could not see where it was going. I still don’t even understand the title. I thought about it for quite a while and still couldn’t seem to make heads or tails of it. After reading the other comments on this, my tired brain understands it a lot better though. I too thought that it was very interesting in the fact that no matter how much he groaned under her child-like-ignorance, he still called out for help when she sunk to the ground. He still cared for her even though she had been disillusioned. This love transcended the educational boundary that he had put up.
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