Flannery O’Connor wrote “Everything That Rises Must Converge” in 1961 in the backdrop of civil rights movements as Black people across the South battled white supremacy. It was when civil rights groups came together, unlike in previous years, and mounted a formidable challenge against segregation and the denied voting rights (Berry). Segregation was a reality, and the integration of Black and White people was still a new phenomenon, which gets depicted multiple times in the story. In the first paragraph, she cites that Julian’s mother would not take the bus at night since the end of segregation meant there could be Black people who she did not like. When the bus stopped on their way to the Y, a well-dressed Black man boarded the bus, prompting her to say, “Now you see why I won’t ride on these buses by myself” (O’Connor 6). Furthermore, she basks in the former glory of Julian’s great-grandfather, who “had a plantation and two hundred slaves” (O’Connor 3). When Julian reminds her that slavery no longer existed, she insists that black people “were better off when they were” enslaved people (O’Connor 3).
The theme that stands out is a social conflict between characters over ideologies. Julian’s mother presents her views as one reminiscent of when Blacks countered slavery and were segregated. She asserts, “I see we have the bus to ourselves,” after they board the bus and discover there are no Black people on it (O’Connor 5). The comment gets support from another woman on the bus, who is likely of the same generation as Julian’s mother, as they proceed to engage in a hearty conversation. On the other hand, Julian projects a more accepting figure as he reveals to the reader his open-minded attitude towards a future full of racial equality, an integrated South, and disapproval of the older ways. After his mother’s unsuccessful attempt to give Carver a penny, they begin walking home, and Julian utters, “What all these means is that the old world is gone. The old manners are obsolete, and your graciousness is not worth a damn” (O’Connor 12).
My perception of Julian in his mother’s life is in a negative light. He thinks of himself as revolutionized with a much better understanding of the world because of his college education. However, he shares the same limited viewpoints as his bigoted mother, whom he constantly berates and argues with regarding discrimination and race. The inability to make friends with black people is evidence of this similarity, and any attempts, in the presence of his mother, to strike up a conversation was to anger his mother. His pettiness is apparent when he fantasizes about bringing home a black friend to irk his mother or having a black doctor attend to her as a last resort. Despite his newly-acquired views, he offers no remorse or perspective on the suffering of the Black community. Yet, at every chance, he rebukes his mother for her pettiness on her and thinks less of everyone else who shares the same viewpoints.
Carver’s mother flies into a rage and knocks Julian’s mother to the ground because she feels insulted by the gesture of giving her son a penny. It is possible that Carver’s mother saw the penny as a representation of the patronizing handouts that the White community used against Blacks. From this point of view, it is easy to assume this attack was justified. However, I do not think her actions were justified because Julian’s mother was only guilty of being compassionate. She was an older woman borne out of the old ways with little concern for social justice. Nevertheless, she manifested her lack of discrimination against black children on the bus as she engaged with the child playfully. Upon alighting, she wished to offer Carver a nickel and lamented, “I can’t find but a penny,” which she still gives to the black boy, much to Julian and Carver’s mother’s dismay (O’Connor 11). Our failure to accommodate the elderly and their dated views should not be grounds for justifying an altercation with them.
In the end, Julian’s mother gets struck by Carver’s mother and collapses onto the road. This blow takes its toll on her later as she suffers from what seems to be a stroke and begins calling out, “tell Grandpa to come get me” (O’Connor 12). She also insists, “Tell Caroline to come to get me,” which is in reference to a black nurse she loved who had served her well in her earlier years (O’Connor 12). These were figures in her past who were all dead at that time. Still, it did not stop her from calling on them because they offered comforting memories for her, especially at that moment when she was about to die. Julian starts to run for help towards the lights ahead, but he quickly returns to his mother’s side as the reality of losing her grips him. He finally recognizes her as the human being who bore him raised him, and sacrificed his well-being. He compassionately weeps at her side as sorrow and guilt settle in his conscience for how he had chosen to spend his time with his mother when she was alive.
Works Cited
Berry, Deborah B. “Americans Stood Up to Racism in 1961 and Changed History. This is Their Fight, in Their Words.”USATODAY, Web.
O’Connor, Flannery. “Everything That Rises Must Converge.” Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute | Vanderbilt University 2022, Web.