Flannery O’Connor’s short story “Everything That Rises Must Converge” centers around two main characters, Julian and Julian’s mother. The story is set in the South during the Civil Rights Movement. Specifically, it takes place shortly after the integration of public buses. Julian and his mother have very different views when it comes to integration and race issues in general. Julian is very open-minded and believes that white people and black people are equals. His mother on the other hand is very stuck in her ways and racist. However, neither character is that one-dimensional. Both Julian’s and his mother’s characteristics can be seen in both a positive and negative light. There are two sides to each, it just depends on how the reader looks at it.
Julian walks his mother to the bus stop and take the ride with her to the gym every Wednesday. On the surface, this appears to be a very kind gesture. But, Julian resents walking his mother every Wednesday despite all that she has done for him in his life. His attitude towards the chore is established in the first paragraph of the story, “Julian did not like to consider all she did for him, but every Wednesday night he braced himself and took her” (O’Connor 3). O’Connor’s use of the phrase ‘braced himself’ implores to the reader that this is not something that Julian enjoys doing. His mean streak towards his mother is seen again in the story once they have reached the bus stop, “There was an evil urge to break her spirit” (8). This illuminates to the reader that Julian is not a kind person to his mother. Julian’s action of accompanying his mother has two sides to it. It is a kind and loving gesture in theory. But, after reading the story closely the reader realizes Julian’s true feelings towards his chore. The insights to his feelings do not show Julian in a very good light.
One of Julian’s more positive attributes is his open-mindedness towards racial issues and integration. Julian attributes...